<P> Members of the Tongva, Juaneño, and Luiseño Native American groups long inhabited the area . After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà, a Spanish expedition led by Junipero Serra named the area Valle de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the area's first permanent European settlement . Among those who came with Portolá were José Manuel Nieto and José Antonio Yorba . Both these men were given land grants--Rancho Los Nietos and Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, respectively . The Nieto heirs were granted land in 1834 . The Nieto ranches were known as Rancho Los Alamitos, Rancho Las Bolsas, and Rancho Los Coyotes . Yorba heirs Bernardo Yorba and Teodosio Yorba were also granted Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana (Santa Ana Canyon Ranch) and Rancho Lomas de Santiago, respectively . Other ranchos in Orange County were granted by the Mexican government during the Mexican period in Alta California . </P> <P> A severe drought in the 1860s devastated the prevailing industry, cattle ranching, and much land came into the possession of Richard O'Neill, Sr., James Irvine and other land barons . In 1887, silver was discovered in the Santa Ana Mountains, attracting settlers via the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads . </P> <P> This growth led the California legislature to divide Los Angeles County and create Orange County as a separate political entity on March 11, 1889 . The county is said to have been named for the citrus fruit in an attempt to promote immigration by suggesting a semi-tropical paradise--a place where anything could grow . </P> <P> Other citrus crops, avocados, and oil extraction were also important to the early economy . Orange County benefited from the July 4, 1904 completion of the Pacific Electric Railway, a trolley connecting Los Angeles with Santa Ana and Newport Beach . The link made Orange County an accessible weekend retreat for celebrities of early Hollywood . It was deemed so significant that Pacific City changed its name to Huntington Beach in honor of Henry E. Huntington, president of the Pacific Electric and nephew of Collis Huntington . Transportation further improved with the completion of the State Route and U.S. Route 101 (now mostly Interstate 5) in the 1920s . </P>

Where did the name orange county come from
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