Orange County is California's second most populous county with a population estimated at over 3 million residents in 2008. The only county in California with more residents is Los Angeles County just to the northwest. While among the most populated, Orange County property is actually the smallest in Southern California in terms of land area.

Several factors contribute to its dense population including climate, coastline, affluence, and tourist attractions. Unlike most major population centers in the United States, Orange County has no major city but is instead made up of mostly suburban areas.

Orange County emerged in 1887 when prospectors found silver in the Santa Ana Mountains which led to a significant population boom. This prompted the California Legislature to divide Los Angeles County and create Orange County on March 11, 1889. Most likely the name was derived from the famous Valencia oranges that were grown on Orange County property. There was, however, at the time of Orange County's creation, a city named Orange that was named after Orange County, Virginia. This Virginia county was in turn named after William of Orange, King of England.

The county seat is Santa Ana, CA, though other cities in Orange County tend to be more well known. Anaheim is the county's main tourist attraction. This city is home to Disneyland Park, a major theme park owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Disneyland Park has accommodated almost 600 million guests since it opened in 1955, making it by far the most visited attraction located on Orange County real estate. Irvine, CA is Orange County's primary business and financial center, serving as headquarters to numerous large corporations including Broadcom Corporation, Gateway, Inc., LA Fitness, and Taco Bell.

Orange County has also made its mark on the entertainment industry with numerous films and television shows using the county as a backdrop. A popular television drama that first aired in 2003, called “The O.C.,” is set in Orange County. The Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman movie “Rain Man” had its last scene filmed at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center in Orange County. The University of California, Irvine has also served as the setting for scenes from movies including “Ocean's Eleven (2001)” and “Poltergeist”. The beloved “Gilligan's Island” had its opening scene of the S.S. Minnow setting sail filmed in Newport Beach, an Orange County city.

Orange County real estate is well-known for the abundance of large planned communities it contains. Almost 30 percent of the county's communities are master-planned. These population centers have carefully designed layouts that include residential areas, retail districts, open spaces, and business sections. Some of the most well-known Orange County master-planned communities include Irvine, Anaheim Hills, Tustin Ranch, and Mission Viejo. In fact, Irvine is considered the model master-planned city with numerous other communities across the nation imitating this exemplary city.

Among California real estate, Orange County homes for sale are some of the most desirable. The average list price of homes in the county comes in at just under $825,000, with some Orange County zip codes having an average list price well over $1 million. Orange County homes for sale offer not only an outstanding environment with great beaches and mild climate, but also amazing business and entertainment opportunities. It is little wonder that some of the best known celebrities in America make Orange County their home. Some of the county's most notable residents include Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Costner, Steve Martin, and Richard