By Jim Tortolano Some critics of South Orange County communities use this mantra: “Cookie-cutter tracts with no history.” Architectural criticisms aside, although some south county cities seem to have planted last week, […]
By Jim Tortolano When people think of Orange County’s past, the image of long rows of citrus trees is most likely to come to mind. But another important aspect of the county’s […]
Throw the Book at ‘Em: There’s more happening here at the Orange County Tribune than just our website. I’ve got a contract to write a book for History Press, a publisher […]
By Jim Tortolano When you think of the pioneers of the theme park business, the first names that come to mind are Disneyland and Walt Disney. But to be technically accurate, you […]
By Jim Tortolano Orange County is known for a lot of things, including some famous houses of worship. But some of the most colorful religious communities in the county were more like […]
By Jim Tortolano September is the national Disaster Awareness Month, and in California the mishap we fear most is the earthquake. Out-of-staters are especially terrified of the prospect, which is understandable. Hurricanes, […]
By Jim Tortolano If you think of Anaheim today, it’s likely that the images come to mind might be Mickey Mouse or the Angels baseball team. But almost a century ago, it […]
By Jim Tortolano Orange County is Ground Zero of themed amusement parks. The first one in the nation, arguably, was Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. The first major park was Anaheim’s […]
By Jim Tortolano The slower pace of summer often gives way to reflection. One of my favorite mental pastimes is the premise of “What If?” In the context of this website, some […]
By Jim Tortolano The County of Orange was not named after the golden fruit, but in the time before the great post-war boom, it might as well have been. Oranges, along with […]
