Santa Ana Homes for Sale

Part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, Santa Ana is the Oregon County seat. With a population of roughly 325,000, the city is fourth-most densely populated city in the United States, behind New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago.

Santa Ana Homes for Sale

History

Friar Junipero Serra named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (“Valley of Saint Anne”) in 1776, the year the Mission Juan Juan Capistrano was established in the valley. Prior to that, Santa Ana had long been home to the Tongva and Juaneno/Luiseno people.

American settlers began arriving in the area following the end of the Mexican-American war in 1848. Santa Ana was incorporated in 1886, becoming the Orange County seat in 1889.

When the Pacific Electric Railway from Los Angeles was extended to Santa Ana in 1906, the population exploded. The “red cars” route was abandoned in the 1950s, at which time the Santa Ana Freeway opened.

During World War II, the federal government built the Santa Ana Army Air Base as a training center. The base contributed to the city’s continued population growth, with many veterans returning to raise their families following the war.

Santa Ana Today

Beginning in the 1980s, Santa Ana began revitalizing its downtown area, which had languished following construction of the freeway.

The Santa Ana Artist’s Village was created with Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center as a foundation, in hopes of attracting artists and young professionals to live and work in lofts.

The city’s core remains the downtown area, which is surrounded by several districts, including Midtown with its entertainment destinations and Metro East a mixed-use district, and a number of preserved 1800s era homes.

Santa Ana shares the South Coast Metro area with the City of Costa Mesa. The South Coast Plaza, a major shopping center, is located there.

The amusement parks Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm are located in northeast Santa Ana.

Economy

A variety of companies keep corporate headquarters in Santa Ana. Rickenbacker, the musical instrument company famous for its electric guitars, Xerox, T-Mobile are among them. The Historic South Main Business District features a number of older retail shops and other small businesses.

Education

Santa Ana’s Unified School District encompasses 37 K-5 elementary schols, eight high schools, five special schools and a charter school. The Roman Catholic Diocese operates several schools in the area as well.

The city is also home to Santa Ana College, a community college, California Coast University, the Art Institute of California’s Orange County branch, the Detective Training Institute, and Taft Law School.

Real Estate

The average listing price for homes in Santa Ana in mid-December 2012 was $336,343, down 1.9 percent from the same time the previous year.

Latest Santa Ana Homes for Sale:

[idx-listings city=”Santa Ana” statuses=”1,2″ propertytypes=”763,764″ orderby=”DateAdded” orderdir=”DESC” count=”3″]