Old places.
Good stories.
Orange County’s history is still sitting right in front of us. You’ll find it in downtown blocks, old military sites, familiar restaurants, and buildings that found a completely new purpose.
Start exploring
Anaheim turned an old packing house into a gathering place.
The building opened in 1919 when citrus shaped the city. Today, it’s filled with food, drinks, music, and people, but the bones of the old packing facility are still easy to see.
Explore the Anaheim guideThere’s more history here than most people realize.
Browse everything or narrow the collection by the kind of story you want to find.
7 stories to explore
How Vans started in Anaheim
A factory storefront, a dozen opening-day customers, and the local beginning of a brand that helped shape skating, music, and street culture.
Read the full storyOld Towne Orange
A walkable historic district built around the Plaza, with preserved homes, old storefronts, and stories on nearly every block.
Open related city guideAnaheim Packing House
A 1919 citrus packing facility that found a new life as one of Anaheim’s busiest places to eat and gather.
Open related city guide
The Tustin hangars
The surviving wooden hangar is an enormous reminder of the Navy blimps and Marine aviation that once defined this part of Tustin.
Open related city guideSt. John’s Lutheran Church
A brick Gothic landmark with a tall steeple, historic stained glass, and more than a century of life in Old Towne.
Open related city guideChapman University
A nationally recognized university whose historic buildings and campus have become part of the everyday rhythm around the Plaza.
Open related city guideMoreno’s and its old church
A longtime local restaurant where an 1880s Friends church still stands as part of the property and its story.
Open related city guideEvery story doesn’t need to be here on day one.
As new guides are published, they can drop into the right category and connect back to the city or neighborhood around them.