A look back at real estate advertising in Orange County, CA for over 100 years

Orange County Real Estate Time Machine

I have been collecting real estate advertisements for the Orange County, California area (and beyond) for almost 20 years now and finally have a way to share them, so please enjoy this cascade of ads from over a century of development in Orange County, starting in the early 1900’s to today!

Be sure to click the photos for richer stories on the ads & their times.

Early 20th Century Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads – The 1900’s through the 1920’s

Predictably, the dawn of real estate advertisements for emergent communities in Orange County, California were in the local newspapers of the day – the South Coast News, the Santa Ana Register, the Los Angeles Herald and others. Enterprising OC real estate agents also ran ads in the Riverside Press, since Riverside was already an established destination for Californians looking for clean air, warm climates and a new future.

The beauty of ads from the turn of the 20th Century are that so many of the claims of the day still ring true a hundred years later –

“A day at Laguna Beach will do you good”

“One of the most beautiful places on the Pacific Coast”

“The future is full of promise for Orange County’s Finest Ocean Resort (Laguna Beach)”

“The geographical location of Laguna Beach makes her one of the most desirable sections for exclusive residents in Southern California; within three hours ride of a population of two million people (Los Angeles; within 45 minutes of on the the world’s greatest harbor developments (Newport Beach) and within only 15 minutes of a magnificent yacht harbor (Dana Point).”

Most of these turn-of-the-century ads are for Laguna Beach – a special favorite of mine – but you’ll find a few for Newport Beach & Dana Point in the mix.

Post-War Years – 1950’s | Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads

The Newport Beach Public Library has a local newspaper archive that reaches back to the 1940’s and a lot of these ads are from that archive. Maybe it reflects some emotional economy of the day, but the ads are noticeably smaller and less illustrative in language and graphic usage than earlier years. The coming 1960’s and 1970’s changed that, but in the 1950’s the advertisements seem more direct with less frills.

The 1960’s | Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads

Real estate advertising in the 1960’s in Orange County followed the trends of years before – always selling the coastal-close destinations, but now introducing ideas of Mid-Century Modernism as something that could be attained at the production-level in a home.

The 1970’s | Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads

Real estate advertising in the 1970’s in Orange County followed the trends of years before – always selling the coastal-close destinations, but now with the cultural unrest of the Vietnam War and what was perceived to be radicalism with hippies and countercultural trends, an introduction of architectural styles that perhaps harkened back to an earlier age – European ideas – as well as the introduction of the Ranch-style home that referenced an early form of Californian home – single level living spread over a large lot.

There is a healthy dose of building in Irvine, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach and Tustin represented here.

The 1980’s | Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads

The 1990’s | Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads

The 2000’s | Orange County, CA Real Estate Ads

Jesse is always out in the local communities, taking photos of the people, places, and landscapes, trying to capture the spirit of the place. Fun fact – with the exception of the historic photos, almost every photo on this website was taken by Jesse. Whether you are a long-time CITY_NAME resident or are only now just considering moving here, we hope you will enjoy these photographs and further acquaint yourself with some of the CITY_NAME homes found in the different neighborhoods of CITY_NAME; enjoy!