MUNICIPAL MANIFEST DESTINY
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Lebensraum is not a word you will hear above a whisper in Europe these days, but the local equivalent is alive and well, with cities always looking for ways to expand their borders. After all, a third of the county is still unincorporated. Most of Orange County’s cities have increased in size since they became cities; only Villa Park and relative newcomers Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo are the same as their original size. The growth of the other cities, on a percentage basis, is a study in contrast--all the way from Los Alamitos’ 16% growth to Tustin’s 3,567%. Here’s a comparison of what percentage, in square miles, county cities (excepting the aforementioned no-growth four) have grown since their incorporation dates:
Anaheim: 1,631
Brea: 478
Buena Park: 339
Costa Mesa: 292
Cypress: 75
Dana Point: 0
Fountain Valley: 41
Fullerton: 238
Garden Grove: 59
Huntington Beach: 278
Irvine: 52
Laguna Beach: 1,464
Laguna Niguel: 0
La Habra: 1,440
La Palma: 43
Los Alamitos: 16
Mission Viejo: 0
Newport Beach: 1,047
Orange: 648
Placentia: 3,200
San Clemente: 403
San Juan Capist.: 24
Santa Ana: 1,342
Seal Beach: 138
Stanton: 210
Tustin: 3,567
Villa Park: 0
Westminster: 92
Yorba Linda: 300
Note: Percentage increase in square miles since incorporation date
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