FOCUS

According to Plan

One of the nation’s largest master-planned urban communities, Irvine is a city of homogeneous housing tracts and tidy appearance. The city takes pride in its parks and open spaces--it was incorporated in 1971 with 11,000 acres of designated open space, and a new plan will add 4,000 acres, including Quail Hill, a habitat for Canada geese.

The city is home to a growing University of California campus that is working to secure a world-class reputation, partly by luring established academic stars to its faculty. Among the catches to date: Yale literary critic J. Hillis Miller and Jerrold Petrofsky, a Wright State University researcher who combined electrical currents and computers to help paraplegics walk. Helping to finance its ambitious plans, UC Irvine was the first university in California to provide facilities for private corporations to operate on campus.

Three major construction projects in Irvine are currently under way: the Irvine Center, which when completed will encompass 480 acres of retail and commercial space; and the Technology and Bioscience centers, which will provide for the city’s growing science and medical industries. The Irvine Business Complex and Industrial Center are the two largest employing businesses in town.

Government City Council: Larry Agran (mayor), Ray Catalano (mayor pro tem), Ed Dornan, Sally Anne Miller, Dave Baker City Manager: William Woollett, Jr. Fire Chief: Larry Holms Chief of Police: Leo Peart Statistics Population: (1986 est.) 86,938 Area: 41.6 square miles Incorporation: Dec. 28, 1971 Median household income: $47,182 Median home value: $136,367 Racial/ethnic mix: white, 91.4%; Latino, 7.9%; black, 1.2%; other, 7.4% (Total is more than 100% because racial/ethnic breakdowns overlap) City Services City Hall (714) 660-3600 17200 Jamboree Blvd. Police (business) (714) 660-3730 17200 Jamboree Blvd. Fire (business) (714) 744-0400 2 California St. Post Office (714) 474-0407 17192 Murphy In Emergency, Dial 911 Employment status Employed persons: 33,600 Unemployed: 922 Not in labor force: 11,832 Per capita income: $12,656 Neighborhood mobility Household moved in: Most recent year: 4,938 Last five years: 13,147 6-9 years ago: 4,406 10-14 years ago: 1,680 15+ years ago: 350 Population Median Age: 32.6 years Education Adults over 25 Years of school completed: 0-11 years: 4.9% 12 years: 22.1% 13-15 years: 28.3% 16+ years: 44.7% Median years completed: 15.4 Statistics: Donnelley Demographics