ORANGE COUNTY LAND USE

There are slightly more than a half-million acres of land in Orange County. Changes in land use during an 8-year period from 1972 to 1980 reflect the following trends:

Residential land use has increased nearly 23%, while commercial use has nearly doubled, with a 47% increase.

Industrial use of land has increased 44%, the same proportion that agricultural use has declined.

Despite the continued development of Orange County land, open recreational space increased more than 17%. As of 1980, there were 93,285 acres of open recreational space.

Of the total 511,437 acres in the county, nearly 174,000 of them were still classified as undeveloped land in 1980.

Land use:

Number of acres Number of acres Percent change 1972 1980 1972-1980: Residential 100,351 123,285 22.9 Commercial 12,713 18,717 47.2 Industrial 12,552 18,125 44.4 Transportation, Communication and Utilities 8,881 11,225 26.4 Institutional 24,378 25,234 3.5 Recreational 79,260 93,285 17.7 Agricultural 53,210 29,327 -44.9 Mining/Drilling 11,725 9,166 -21.8 Undeveloped Land 201,283 173,960 -13.6 Water 6,470 8,384 29.6

Source: 1972 and 1980 County of Orange and Southern California Edison Land Cover Survey.