Orange County Line
Orange County at 125
Why Orange County split away from Los Angeles County, and who made it happen.
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Orange County. Before 1889, it was a part of Los Angeles County, a fact OC tries to forget but can't when having to get its TV and radio from Los Angeles-area stations. Lost to the history books are the men who led the split — mostly Southerners, with more than a few former Ku Klux Klan members thrown in. Why exactly did Orange County secede from Los Angeles County — and how would history have changed if the secession never happened?