Irvine, city in Orange County, southwestern California. The city is located on the southern portion of the vast Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County metropolitan area. Irvine is a mixed residential, commercial, and industrial city; manufactures include biotechnology products, electronics, and computer components. John Wayne Airport is located at the western edge of the city. The city is home to a campus (established in 1965) of the University of California, Concordia University (1972), and the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. Cleveland National Forest and El Toro United States Marine Corps Air Station are nearby.
Irvine was named for the Irvine family, who acquired land in the area beginning in 1864 and built the Irvine Ranch on a former Spanish land grant. It remained largely undeveloped ranch land until the 1960s, when a master plan was created for the city's development. The plan strove to provide places to work, shop, and play within attractive surroundings. Irvine incorporated in 1971, and in the mid-1990s it was halfway through its development. In 1993 a federal commission voted to close the El Toro Marine Corps facility as part of a national base consolidation program.
