These popular sites are just the beginning in a county that features myriad cultural and recreational activities. County has a Performing Arts Center and numerous live theaters and playhouses. Ballet, opera and symphony, street fairs and festivals, cultural centers, galleries and museums, coffeehouses and concerts, bistros and nightclubs abound. The county offers an array of opportunities for outdoor recreation, including biking, camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, nature walks, boating, whale watching, and, of course, surfing. Baseball, soccer, and tennis are played year round in Orange County's temperate climate.
Skiing is nearby.
T he county offers majestic vistas of the Pacific and the grandeur of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains. The day-tripper can reach Los Angeles and Big Bear within an hour, San Diego and Palm Springs within two hours, and Las Vegas within four hours. Fifty years ago, the economy was narrowly based on agriculture, aerospace and defense, and oil and gas production. Today, Orange County is highly diversified, with its economy centered on manufacturing, trade, and recreational and service industries. H ome to several of America's largest corporations, the County's vibrant economic activity has produced a very low unemployment rate, fueled improved salaries, and provided outstanding individual and corporate growth opportunities.