Irvine is a master-planned city in Orange County, California, United States in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971. The 66-square-mile (170 km2) city had a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census; in 2018 the California Department of Finance estimated the city's population at 276,176.

The Gabrieleño indigenous group inhabited Irvine about 2,000 years ago. Gaspar de Portolà, a Spanish explorer, came to the area in 1769, which led to the establishment of forts, missions and cattle herds. The King of Spain parceled out land for missions and private use.

After Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican government secularized the missions and assumed control of the lands. It began distributing the land to Mexican citizens who applied for grants. Three large Spanish/Mexican grants made up the land that later became the Irvine Ranch: Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, Rancho San Joaquin and Rancho Lomas de Santiago.

More than 40 years ago, the City of Irvine was still in its infancy. In 2015, Irvine has more than 200,000 jobs and more than 21,000 businesses have a license here. Today, the City Council supports its public schools with more than $9.1 million in direct and in-kind support each year; the City Council has approved a public-private partnership to build parkland on 688 acres of the Orange County Great Park; and businesses continue to make Irvine home or, as Broadcom has done, to decide to build a new or permanent campus for the long-term.

Irvine's noteworthy, present-day status didn't evolve from happenstance. It's the outcome of master planners, and those engaged to institute the plan. Each day, the Irvine City leaders and staff work diligently to ensure a quality environment for the City's future.

Famous Peoples From Irvine

Benny Feilhaber

Benny Feilhaber (born January 19, 1985) is an American soccer coach and retired professional player who is currently on the technical staff of Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City. A midfielder, Feilhaber played for clubs in Germany, Denmark, England, and the United States. Born in Brazil but raised in the United States, he represented the United States internationally, including at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Feilhaber was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is Jewish,[4] and was raised in his father's Jewish religion. His paternal grandfather emigrated from the Austrian capital city of Vienna to Brazil in 1938 to escape the Nazi regime.

Feilhaber was six years old when his family moved from Brazil to settle in the United States and attended Nottingham Country Elementary in Katy, Texas. He spent approximately eight years in the New York City suburb of Scarsdale where he played for the local soccer team, the Scarsdale Lightning. In 1996, he led the team and won the New York State Cup for the U-12 division. He attended Northwood High School in Irvine, California where he was a standout midfielder on the school's soccer team. He also played club soccer for the Irvine Strikers, winning various youth national titles. He was coached by youth coach Don Ebert.

After graduating in 2003 he played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he became a mainstay in the Bruins' midfield. At UCLA he was roommates with future national teammate Jonathan Bornstein. Feilhaber made the team as a walk-on, rather than being recruited with a scholarship offer. After his second year at UCLA Feilhaber was called up by the U.S. U-20 national soccer team to play in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.

Irvine Points of Interest

Tanaka Farms
San Joaquin Wildlife Santuary
Irvine Spectrum Center
The Irvine Museum
Pretend City Children's Museum