Old Towne Yorba Linda

 

My quest for cute Orange County towns brought me most recently to Yorba Linda. The town sits east of Fullerton and north of Orange. These days Yorba Linda is recognized as one of the richest US cities, with large residential lots and a thriving horse-owning population. 

However, this town has fairly humble origins, and the historic Main Street is neat but very small. 

  

  

The area was originally settled by the Spanish in the late 1700s. It became an agricultural draw for future residents, with small farms and big ranch houses blossoming by the early 1900s. Soon the railroad came to town, and a small community center began. 

 

Main Street in the 1920s. 

Yorba Linda was able to maintain this small town atmosphere until 1967, when the population boom of Orange County finally reached this community. The settlement of 4,000 then incorporated and transitioned into a more modern town.

Main Street is only a couple blocks long and definitely maintains an Old Town feel (it actually reminded me of the main street in Charming, SOA fans...).

 

 

Unfortunately a couple of the few buildings on the street sat empty. 

 

 

 

 

And a mile or two away from the downtown sits Nixon's birthplace, now a library/museum. I'll have to actually go in and check it out one day!   

 

And of course a tour of one of our small towns wouldn't be complete without a shot of a cute house. This one was right off Main Street. 

--Jessica