Santa Ana Heights, California facts for kids

Santa Ana Heights is a neighborhood in Orange County, California. It's a place where many families live. Part of Santa Ana Heights is inside the city of Newport Beach. This community is located near John Wayne Airport and the city of Costa Mesa.

Santa Ana Heights is known for having homes that are good for families with average incomes. This means the houses are usually not too big or fancy. It's mostly a place where people live, with different kinds of houses for families. The name "Heights" comes from the small hills where the area is built.

Exploring Santa Ana Heights

Santa Ana Heights is a community in Orange County, California. It's a great place for families to live. The area is close to important places like John Wayne Airport. It also sits between the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

Where is Santa Ana Heights?

This neighborhood is found in sunny Southern California. It's part of Orange County, California, which is a busy and beautiful area. If you look on a map, you'll see it's near the coast. The eastern part of Santa Ana Heights is officially inside the city of Newport Beach.

What Kinds of Homes Are There?

Santa Ana Heights is mostly a residential area, meaning it's a place where people live in homes. The houses here are often designed for families with average incomes. This means you'll find a variety of homes that are comfortable and practical. The name "Heights" actually comes from the small hills, or foothills, that the area is built on.

How Santa Ana Heights Became Part of Newport Beach

For a while, there was a discussion about which city Santa Ana Heights would officially join. This part of the community was not yet part of any city. It was called "unincorporated." Both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach wanted Santa Ana Heights to join their city.

The Annexation Process

When a community joins a city, it's called an annexation. This means the city starts to provide services like police, fire, and trash collection. In 2002, people voted, and it was decided that Santa Ana Heights would not join the city of Santa Ana.

Later, the process continued with Newport Beach. Santa Ana Heights joined Newport Beach in two steps:

• The area east of Irvine Avenue became part of Newport Beach in January 2002.
• The area west of Irvine Avenue joined Newport Beach on January 1, 2008.

Now, the entire community of Santa Ana Heights is officially part of the city of Newport Beach.

What is a "Sphere of Influence"?

Before Santa Ana Heights joined Newport Beach, it was in Costa Mesa's "sphere of influence." This is a planning term. It means that Costa Mesa was the city expected to eventually take over the area. However, as the annexation process moved forward, this changed to Newport Beach's sphere of influence.

Area Code Information

If you ever need to call someone in Santa Ana Heights, the phone area code for the community is 949.