List of Orange County Cities: All 34, Plus a Guide by Region

Orange County has 34 incorporated cities, stretching from Seal Beach on the Los Angeles County line to San Clemente at the San Diego County line, and inland to Yorba Linda and Rancho Santa Margarita in the foothills. Below you will find the complete A–Z list first, followed by free downloads, key facts and a guide to each part of the county.

Enjoy OC has covered Orange County since 2016, and every city here has its own guide on the site. Use this page to find a city fast, compare regions or pick a home base for your next trip.

Jump to: A–Z list · Downloads · City facts · Cities by region · Best cities for… · Plan your trip · Neighborhoods · FAQ

List of All 34 Orange County Cities (A to Z)

Each city name links to its Enjoy OC city guide. Places like Ladera Ranch, Coto de Caza, Rossmoor and North Tustin are not cities; they are unincorporated communities governed by the County of Orange, so they are grouped separately under “Unincorporated.”

Download the Orange County Cities List

Need the list for a school project, spreadsheet or mail merge? These free files include all 34 cities.

• Orange County Cities List (PDF) – printable A–Z list
• Orange County Cities List (TXT) – plain text, one city per line
• Orange County Cities: Population, Area & Incorporation (CSV) – spreadsheet-ready

About the CSV: population columns are California Department of Finance estimates as of January 1, 2022. For newer figures, see the 2026 numbers on this page or our Orange County population by city table. Incorporation years are each city’s official incorporation date.

Orange County City Facts

• Number of cities: 34 incorporated cities
• County population: 3,163,696 (California Department of Finance, January 1, 2026), including 132,530 residents of unincorporated areas
• Most populous city: Anaheim, 340,433 (DOF, 2026)
• Least populous city: Villa Park, 5,741 (DOF, 2026)
• Largest city by land area: Irvine, about 65.6 square miles (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer)
• Smallest city by land area: La Palma, about 1.8 square miles (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer)
• County land area: about 793 square miles of land; about 950 square miles including water (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer)
• Oldest city: Anaheim, incorporated in 1876 (founded in 1857)
• Newest city: Aliso Viejo, incorporated in 2001
• County seat: Santa Ana
• Formed: 1889, from the southern part of Los Angeles County
• Coastal cities: 6 – Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente

Three cities have more than 300,000 residents each: Anaheim, Irvine and Santa Ana. At the other end of the scale, Villa Park, Los Alamitos and La Palma each have fewer than 16,000 people. Irvine also covers the most ground; tiny La Palma could fit inside it more than 30 times.

Orange County is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Los Angeles County to the north, San Bernardino County to the northeast, Riverside County to the east and San Diego County to the southeast.

For every city’s population, see Orange County population by city. You can also look up city mottos, ZIP codes and maps.

Orange County Cities by Region

There is no official set of Orange County regions, and locals slice the county in different ways. The four areas below are Enjoy OC’s own groupings, based on how most visitors get around: the coast, the north, the central core and the south. A few cities could fit more than one group; Irvine, for example, sits between Central and South OC, and we include it in Central.

Coastal: 6 cities · North: 11 cities · Central: 9 cities · South: 8 cities

Coastal Orange County (6 cities)

Six cities touch the Pacific, and each has its own personality. Seal Beach and San Clemente feel like small towns built around a main street. Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are all about surfing, harbors and long sandy beaches. Laguna Beach and Dana Point mix coves and tidepools with galleries and whale-watching boats.

If beach days are the priority, stay on the coast; the inland theme parks are a drive away, and traffic can stretch it.

• Seal Beach – OC’s northernmost beach town, centered on a walkable Main Street. Seal Beach bucket list · beaches
• Huntington Beach – “Surf City USA,” with a long pier, wide beaches and the annual U.S. Open of Surfing. Things to do · beaches
• Newport Beach – Harbor life, from Balboa Island and the Balboa Fun Zone to Corona del Mar’s beaches. Things to do · beaches
• Laguna Beach – Coves, tidepools and an art colony that hosts the Festival of Arts and Sawdust Art Festival each summer. Beaches
• Dana Point – A harbor town known for whale watching, Doheny State Beach and the Festival of Whales. Things to do · beaches
• San Clemente – OC’s southernmost city, with a pier, surf breaks and a relaxed downtown along Avenida Del Mar. Beaches

North Orange County (11 cities)

North OC is where most first-time visitors land, because Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm are both here. Beyond the theme parks, the region has some of the county’s oldest downtowns, a presidential library and hillside parks around Carbon Canyon.

Many North OC cities are mostly residential, which makes them a practical base for park days.

• Anaheim – The county’s most populous city, home to the Disneyland Resort, Angel Stadium, Honda Center and the Anaheim Packing District. Things to do
• Buena Park – Knott’s Berry Farm anchors an entertainment corridor that also includes dinner-show venues. Things to do
• Fullerton – A college town with a lively historic downtown and a train station. Things to do
• Brea – A compact downtown with public art, plus Carbon Canyon Regional Park on its edge. Things to do
• Yorba Linda – Birthplace of Richard Nixon and home of the Nixon Library.
• La Habra – Known locally for community festivals like the Citrus Fair, Corn Festival and Tamale Festival.
• Placentia – A residential city with citrus-era roots, home to George Key Ranch Historic Park and Tri-City Park.
• Cypress – Quiet neighborhoods anchored by Arnold Cypress Park’s sports fields and pickleball courts, a short drive from Knott’s and Disneyland. Things to do
• Stanton – One of OC’s smallest cities by area (about 3.1 square miles), known for Rodeo 39 Public Market and Stanton Central Park.
• La Palma – The smallest city in OC by land area, at under 2 square miles, with community life centered on Central Park.
• Los Alamitos – A small city on the LA County line, home to the Joint Forces Training Base and Los Alamitos Race Course.

Central Orange County (9 cities)

Central OC is the county’s busy core: the county seat in Santa Ana, the antique shops and historic homes of Old Towne Orange, and Costa Mesa’s arts and shopping district around Segerstrom Center and South Coast Plaza. It is also home to some of OC’s best food neighborhoods, from Little Saigon in Westminster and Garden Grove to Koreatown along Garden Grove Boulevard.

Irvine anchors the south end of the region, a large master-planned city with the Great Park, UC Irvine, Irvine Spectrum and open-space trails.

• Santa Ana – The county seat, with a historic downtown, an arts district and the Santa Ana Zoo. Things to do
• Orange – Old Towne Orange centers on its traffic-circle Plaza, ringed by antique shops and cafés inside a large historic district, and hosts the Orange International Street Fair. Things to do
• Irvine – OC’s largest city by land area, with the Great Park, Irvine Spectrum and Wild Rivers. Things to do
• Costa Mesa – Home of the OC Fair, South Coast Plaza, Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the Orange County Museum of Art. Things to do
• Tustin – Old Town Tustin plus community traditions like Tiller Days and the Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off. Things to do
• Garden Grove – Christ Cathedral (the former Crystal Cathedral), the Strawberry Festival and part of Little Saigon. Things to do
• Westminster – The heart of Little Saigon, including the Asian Garden Mall (Phước Lộc Thọ). Things to do
• Fountain Valley – Mile Square Regional Park’s lakes, sports fields and bike paths make it a go-to for outdoor days. Things to do
• Villa Park – OC’s least populous city (5,741 residents, DOF 2026), a quiet hillside community bordered by the city of Orange.

South Orange County (8 cities)

South OC holds the county’s newest cities and much of its open space. Most of these communities grew from large ranches into master-planned towns from the 1960s onward, and many did not incorporate until between the late 1980s and 2001. The big exception is San Juan Capistrano, which grew up around Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776.

Come here for wilderness parks, canyon trails and quieter neighborhoods, with the coast a short drive away.

• San Juan Capistrano – The mission, the Los Rios Historic District and a downtown train stop make it South OC’s history hub. Things to do
• Aliso Viejo – OC’s newest city (2001), next to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and Soka University. Things to do
• Laguna Niguel – Laguna Niguel Regional Park and the summer Sea Country Festival.
• Mission Viejo – A Saddleback Valley city laced with trails such as Oso Creek and Arroyo Trabuco. Things to do
• Lake Forest – The former El Toro, with Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Heritage Hill Historical Park.
• Rancho Santa Margarita – Built around Lago Santa Margarita, with O’Neill Regional Park just outside the city in Trabuco Canyon.
• Laguna Hills – A South County city known for Fossil Reef Park, a preserved slice of ancient seabed, and its Community Center & Sports Complex.
• Laguna Woods – Most of the city is Laguna Woods Village, a large 55-and-older community.

Best Orange County Cities For…

Not sure where to focus? Start with what you want to do, then pick the city that fits.

Beach days and piers

For classic sand-and-pier days, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and San Clemente are easy picks; for coves and tidepools, choose Laguna Beach or Dana Point. See our guides to the best OC beaches, piers, cleanest beaches and tidepools.

Theme parks

Anaheim has Disneyland and Buena Park has Knott’s Berry Farm, a short drive apart. Irvine has Wild Rivers for summer water-park days. Planning around the parks? See things to do near Disneyland and our family attractions guide.

Walkable downtowns

Old Towne Orange, downtown Fullerton, Main Street in Seal Beach, downtown Laguna Beach and Avenida Del Mar in San Clemente are all good places to park once and explore on foot. Compare them in our best downtowns roundup, or time your visit to an art walk.

Family days

Irvine’s Great Park, the Santa Ana Zoo and Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley are easy, low-cost family outings. Find more in things to do with kids, parks with splash pads, children’s museums and kids eat free. Thinking about moving here instead? Our best OC cities for families guide covers where to live.

History

San Juan Capistrano has the mission and the Los Rios Historic District, Yorba Linda has the Nixon Library, and Old Towne Orange is a large historic district built around its Plaza. Map out more stops with our historic sites guide.

Hiking and open space

South and east OC have the most trail miles: try Aliso and Wood Canyons, Whiting Ranch, Santiago Oaks or Carbon Canyon. On the coast, Crystal Cove pairs bluff-top trails with the beach. Start with our best hiking and mountain biking trails and regional parks guides.

Arts and culture

Laguna Beach’s summer festivals and galleries, plus Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center and OCMA, are the big draws. For the full picture, see the OC art scene, OC museums, Festival of Arts and Sawdust Art Festival.

Food and shopping

For food, try Little Saigon in Westminster, the Anaheim Packing District, OC’s food halls and night markets. For shopping, try South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, Irvine Spectrum or the outlet malls.

Getting around without a car

Several beach cities run free seasonal trolleys and shuttles, and Metrolink trains stop in cities including Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano. See free shuttles and trolleys.

Plan Your Orange County Trip

John Wayne Airport (SNA) is the county’s main commercial airport and sits near the middle of the county, so it works for all four regions. Choose a home base by priority: near Anaheim for the parks, on the coast for beaches, or around Irvine and Costa Mesa to stay central.

The weather is mild most of the year; our best time to visit Orange County guide breaks it down by month. Before you go, check the OC events calendar and what to do this weekend. Big annual events include the OC Fair, the Pacific Air Show and the Newport Beach Boat Parade.

• Things to do in Orange County
• Best of OC
• Day trips within 90 minutes
• Southern California bucket list
• About Orange County: history, geography and facts

Orange County Neighborhoods and “Vanity” City Names

Many place names people use every day are not separate cities. Anaheim Hills is part of Anaheim, Corona del Mar and Balboa Island are part of Newport Beach, and El Toro is now Lake Forest. The table below shows which city each neighborhood belongs to; for areas outside any city, see OC neighborhoods and unincorporated communities.

Orange County Cities FAQ

How many cities are in Orange County, California?

There are 34 incorporated cities. The newest, Aliso Viejo, became a city in 2001. Communities such as Ladera Ranch, Coto de Caza, Rossmoor and North Tustin are unincorporated, which means they are governed by the County of Orange rather than a city.

What is the largest city in Orange County?

By population, Anaheim, with 340,433 residents (California Department of Finance, January 1, 2026), followed by Irvine (317,744) and Santa Ana (312,808). By land area, Irvine is the largest at about 65.6 square miles.

What is the smallest city in Orange County?

Villa Park has the fewest residents, with about 5,700. La Palma has the smallest land area, at less than 2 square miles.

What is the oldest city in Orange County?

Anaheim. It was founded in 1857 and incorporated in 1876, before Orange County itself was formed in 1889. Santa Ana (1886) and Orange (1888) followed.

Which Orange County cities are on the beach?

Six cities are on the coast: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente.

What is the county seat of Orange County?

Santa Ana is the county seat and home to most county government offices.

Are Anaheim Hills, Corona del Mar and Ladera Ranch cities?

No. Anaheim Hills is part of Anaheim and Corona del Mar is part of Newport Beach, while Ladera Ranch is an unincorporated community. See the neighborhoods table above for more.

Is Irvine in North or South Orange County?

It depends on who you ask. Irvine sits in the middle of the county, so Enjoy OC groups it with Central OC, though some people think of it as the start of South County.

Sources: County of Orange · California Department of Finance population estimates · U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files