. . . DRINK AND BE MERRY

A bar, restaurant or store is not automatically authorized to sell alcohol, but instead must obtain a license from the state of California. The following lists the number of licenses currently issued for each city in Orange County, by the most to the fewest licenses per 1,000 residents. On-site refers to bars, restaurants and other places where alcohol can be consumed on the premises, while off-site is for grocery stores, liquor stores and other places where you can buy liquor but not consume it there.

Licenses Per City On-Site Off-Site Total 1,000 Residents Newport Beach 226 64 290 4.15 Laguna Beach 71 16 87 3.54 Costa Mesa 211 115 326 3.51 Stanton 49 46 95 3.35 Los Alamitos 23 12 35 2.88 Tustin 89 43 132 2.82 Orange 186 104 290 2.73 La Habra 63 68 131 2.67 San Clemente 68 35 103 2.63 Buena Park 97 59 156 2.36 Garden Grove 199 114 313 2.32 Anaheim 328 232 560 2.29 San Juan Capistrano 41 14 55 2.24 Fullerton 157 92 249 2.23 Westminster 93 69 162 2.21 Santa Ana 300 220 520 2.19 Fountain Valley 83 38 121 2.16 Seal Beach 44 14 58 2.12 Brea 47 24 71 2.12 Cypress 54 34 88 1.94 Huntington Beach 231 127 358 1.90 Placentia 43 27 70 1.68 Irvine 126 36 162 1.61 La Palma 15 10 25 1.55 Mission Viejo 75 33 108 1.51 Unincorporated areas* 271 135 406 1.43 Yorba Linda 29 14 43 0.90 Villa Park 1 2 3 0.43 COUNTY TOTAL 3,220 1,797 5,017 2.20

* Includes the cities of Dana Point and Laguna Niguel

Source: California Alcohol Beverage Control Department and the state Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit