by C.J. Gustafson
BusinessSchools.com Contributing Writer
October 27, 2004
The Mission of San Juan Capistrano became Orange County's first permanent settlement on November 1, 1776. In the early 1800s, cattle ranches sprang up all over the region and were later replaced with produce farms (such as oranges, for which the county is named). Later, oil was discovered, Hollywood filmed several movies in the area and, in 1955, Walt Disney opened the Disneyland Magic Kingdom in Anaheim. Each of these events helped bring even more people to the area which was already experiencing rapid growth.
Facts & Figures
According to the survey report "Orange County Facts & Figures," prepared by the Center for Demographic Research at California State University, Fullerton, as of 2001 there were over 34 incorporated cities included in the county, which covers a land area of 798.3 square miles. Over the past decades, the boundaries of these cities blurred together as the highway system expanded and developments filled in the open spaces between metro areas. Today, the region is often referred to as a single entity when describing business and lifestyle characteristics. Santa Ana is the county seat and home to nearly 350,000 people. Anaheim also has over 300,000 residents, making it the county's second largest city. The cities of Irvine and San Clemente are the fastest growing, each experiencing over 4% growth in the past four years. Orange County as a whole has a population of over 3 million residents.
Even with this large population, the area experiences very low unemployment rates, mainly due to an expanding and diverse economy. Based on data from May 2004, the California Employment Development Department reported that the service sector is, by far, the largest employment area in Orange County, providing jobs for 619,800 workers. Manufacturing is a distant second, employing 180,600 people. Government ranks third (156,200) followed by retail trade (152,800) and finance/insurance/real estate (118,400).
The following list of Orange County's top five employers by number of employees was taken from the Orange County Business Council website. Not surprisingly, Walt Disney Co. tops the list, providing numerous internship and paid employment opportunities for business students and graduates. St. Joseph Health Systems is just one of many organizations in the health care field that provide administrative career opportunities.
- Walt Disney Co. - 21,000 employees
- University of California, Irvine - 15,500 employees
- Boeing Co. - 11,160 employees
- St. Joseph Health Systems - 8,975 employees
- Albertson's Inc. - 8,700 employees
Educational Opportunities
As one might imagine, the list of colleges and universities in Orange County is extensive. There are over 20 schools of higher learning located within the county borders. Some of those that offer business and management degrees include Argosy University - Orange County, California State University, Fullerton, Concordia University at Irvine, Santa Ana College, Fullerton College, Golden West College in Hunting Beach, University of California, Irvine, and Vanguard University in Costa Mesa. The area also includes several two-year community colleges.
These schools offer certificates, diplomas, AA degrees and four-year year degrees for students seeking management careers and administrative careers in fields such as nursing, health care and criminal justice. They offer Accounting degrees, E-commerce degrees, Economics degrees, Marketing and Public Relations degrees and training in numerous other business areas. Several of the schools also offer MBA programs.
It's not only employment and education opportunities that draw people
to Orange County. As noted in an article on the Orange
County.Net website, it's the little things that add up to a unique lifestyle
that make people love the area -- things like "…being able to host a backyard
barbecue for friends and neighbors in January or buying handmade tortillas,
still hot, at a local taqueria or exotic fruits and vegetables in the market
of Little Saigon. It's knowing that no matter where you live in Orange County,
you can snowboard at a ski resort in the morning or go for a hike in the Santa
Ana Mountains, and spend the afternoon sailing off Newport Beach or Dana Point."
Orange County offers the convenience, energy and resources of a large metropolitan area. It gives residents numerous choices of where to live, work, study and play, all in a setting with year-round warm weather and plenty of beaches. For these reasons, and many more, thousand of business students each year choose to pursue their degrees at schools in Orange County.
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