MUNICIPAL MANIFEST DESTINY

L.A. Times Archives

April 14, 1990 12 AM PT

Clipboard researched by Kathie Bozanich and Dallas M. Jackson / Los Angeles Times; Graphics by Doris Shields / Los Angeles Times

Lebensraum is not a word you will hear above a whisper in Europe these days, but the local equivalent is alive and well, with cities always looking for ways to expand their borders. After all, a third of the county is still unincorporated. Most of Orange County’s cities have increased in size since they became cities; only Villa Park and relative newcomers Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo are the same as their original size. The growth of the other cities, on a percentage basis, is a study in contrast--all the way from Los Alamitos’ 16% growth to Tustin’s 3,567%. Here’s a comparison of what percentage, in square miles, county cities (excepting the aforementioned no-growth four) have grown since their incorporation dates:

Anaheim: 1,631

Brea: 478

Buena Park: 339

Costa Mesa: 292

Cypress: 75

Dana Point: 0

Fountain Valley: 41

Fullerton: 238

Garden Grove: 59

Huntington Beach: 278

Irvine: 52

Laguna Beach: 1,464