Santa Ana, CA Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Santa Ana, CA: What You Need to Know

Santa Ana, a city located along the Santa Ana River in Southern California, is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. As the seat of Orange County, it’s the county’s government and financial center. 

Job Opportunities

The government is a major employer in Santa Ana. Also, there are over 13,000 businesses in the city from the retail trade, services, and manufacturing industries. Major employers in Orange County include Kaiser Permanente (health care), Allergan Inc. (pharmaceutical company), Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (biotechnology), and Quest Diagnostics (laboratories). In Santa Ana itself, top employers include TTM Technologies (printed circuit board manufacturer), First American Financial, Universal Protection Service (private security company), and Orange County Employees Association.

Tourist Attractions

The Discovery Cube is a famous Santa Ana landmark. The tall black cube made of solar panels looms over Interstate 5. It’s a children’s science museum with over 100 interactive exhibits. The Old County Courthouse, dedicated in 1901, is Southern California’s oldest court building. It features both temporary and permanent exhibits highlighting local and regional history. The courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Is it Expensive to Live in Santa Ana?

Southern California’s beautiful weather and landscape, as well as economic opportunities, don’t come cheap. Santa Ana’s (population: 332,318) cost of living rate and housing costs are 33.3% and 31.4% higher than the national average, respectively. The median gross rent is $1,563. California levies 1% to 13.3% in state income tax and 7.25% to 10.50% in sales tax.

What Kind of Weather Does Santa Ana Have?

Like the rest of Southern California, Santa Ana enjoys a warm, sunny climate. But it also faces weather-related hazards such as earthquakes, wildfires, drought, and Santa Ana winds. On Oct. 26, 2020, fierce winds of up to 90 miles per hour uprooted trees and power lines, toppled dozens of semi-trucks on highways, started vegetation fires, and left thousands of Orange County residents and businesses without power.

Was Santa Ana Named After Santa Ana Winds?

No. Santa Ana got its name long before the introduction of the term “Santa Ana winds,” which originated in Raymond Chandler’s 1938 short story “Red Wind.” The city and the river’s name date back to 1769, when Spaniard Don Gaspár de Portolá discovered a valley and river in Southern California during an expedition. He named it Santa Ana in honor of Saint Anne. José Antonio Yorba, part of the expedition, received a Spanish land grant for the area. He developed the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. In 1869, William H. Spurgeon bought 70 acres from the Yorba family and plotted a townsite. The new town was named Santa Ana. It was incorporated as a city in 1886.