All you want to know about Orange County

Joyce Scherer

Here is an oddity: Orange County was named before the area was teeming

with orange groves. In fact, in the mid-1884s, Anaheim County was the

favored name by those seeking the area’s independence from Los Angeles,

says Newport Beach resident David Lansing, author of the newly published

“The County of Orange: Center of Southern California.”

“Historical records suggest Orange County was proposed because there was

a feeling, by those who lived here, that the name was more evocative and

that settlers would be more inclined to move to a land with such promise

in its name,” Lansing writes. “Orange County sounded like a place where a

young family might go to get its start or where anybody might begin

anew.”

Published by the Max Co., of Newport Beach, the 92-page book -- which

comes in hard ($37.95) or soft ($19.95) covers and is sold at major book

stores and some gift shops -- illustrates the county’s eclecticism

through historic and current information, photos, maps and recommendation

guides.

Publisher Michael Maxsenti said his own travels gave him the incentive to

create a comprehensive book that reflects the county he has lived in for

more than 23 years.

“I’ve been disappointed when I couldn’t find a simple book with substance

to tell me about the area I was visiting,” said the Laguna Beach

resident. “Then I realized there was nothing out there which really

showcased my own community in a way in which we could be proud. I thought

there was a place in the market for it and a good product to move Orange

County forward.”

Last year Maxsenti published “Laguna Beach -- Local Color,” as a sort of

testing ground for the Orange County book, which was published in July.

“I wrote about Laguna Beach because I live here and knew it well. Also,

there was nothing available here of quality which represented the

community. So we took our experiences from that and launched this book.”

When Maxsenti decided to go forward with the new project, he didn’t have

to look far for a writer. He chose longtime friend Lansing for the

writer’s “perspective and style.”

And Lansing is no stranger to Orange County or to travel writing, for

that matter. Born in Fullerton and raised a few blocks from Disneyland,

he has a prolific resume that includes newspaper columns on travel and

dining and continuous articles on travel for numerous publications. In

addition, he wrote “Backroads of California,” published earlier this

year, and also co-authored “National Geographic, The American Road,” a

guidebook that includes all of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Writing about Orange County is fun because it’s like writing about

someone you know,” Lansing said. “I was able to personalize the

information and talk about places and feelings, such as Disneyland, and

not have to do it from a research basis but from the heart.”

And the 44-year-old Disneyland is one site Lansing admits to knowing

better than most people. Raised in Stanton during the late 1950s, he said

the area was mainly a sea of strawberry fields and orange groves with a

sprinkling of new housing developments.

“Disneyland became sort of my day-care center during the summers,” he

said. “There were a lot of parents on my block who worked at Disneyland,

so one of the mom’s would come around the block, gather the kids in her

station wagon and drop us at Disneyland. We would wonder around all day,

and then a different mom would show up in her station wagon and drive us

home. I probably did that on and off till I was about 13.”

Lansing said he was pleasantly surprised to discover pockets of Orange

County he didn’t know existed while working on the book. One such area is

Floral Park in Santa Ana. It’s a neighborhood lined with vintage Spanish

and Victorian homes where a number of local prominent families -- such as

the Segerstroms -- have called home for years. Given a tour of the area

by a city guide, Lansing was told it was “the Beverly Hills of Santa

Ana.” He was also driven by a house that the guide claimed housed Richard

Nixon’s mistress during the 1960s.

“He said the limo would pull into the neighborhood, the Secret Service

people would get out to bring the lady to the car, hop back inside and

head out,” Lansing said. “He said all the neighbors knew what was

happening.”

One conclusion both Lansing and Maxsenti have drawn from the book’s

research is that Orange County’s primary lure is its diverseness, both

culturally and economically.

“People don’t move to Orange County because they traveled through it and

found it quaint,” Lansing said. “They come here because it offers a clean

beginning. There is no pecking order like in San Francisco, here you can

be whatever you want and nobody questions it.”

And Maxsenti said Orange County is distinctly different from San Diego or

Los Angeles.

“We have evolved into our own distinct community. This is a breeding

ground to try new things. So instead of stifling creativity, it is

expected and accepted.”

Maxsenti said his goal is to update the book about twice a year to keep

current with the county’s evolution. “This is not a finished product, but

a work in progress,” he said.