BLOG: Tribal Wars — OC vs. LA Part I

Across county lines, Madame Jealousy has been igniting competition and encouraging these county rivalries for decades. Here’s how the true and false impressions are currently stacking up in OC vs. LA tribal wars.

ORANGE COUNTY - PART I

True or false, we think of ourselves as the prettier sister. Our Southern California coastline was coined, “the California Riviera” for its spectacular seascapes, pristine beaches and charming beach communities.  Seven hundred, eighty-seven square miles of a newer, cleaner suburbia stretches east, rendering a uniformity that quite often appears bland where it spreads.

For individualists, it can read like a rather soulless setting stuck in a culturally limited and conservative void. A death trap for maverick spirits. But, do not count the county out yet. Orange County is good at cultivating some of the most commercially successful and creative individuals in the world. That's right, individuals! In terms of talent pool, OC has parented trendsetters whose contributions – especially in the arts and entertainment fields are large. 

I believe our secret to success is rooted in nature. 

Orange County is a great spot to stop and smell the roses. (Stop and smell the roses is a popular cliche, especially in the United States, meaning to take time to appreciate a situation or slow down and pay attention to what is going on around you.)

We are a "hotspot within a hotspot" with more native plants per square mile than Yosemite National Park. We have 806 species of native vascular plants within the county line to appreciate. Healthy vegetation is abundant here – liking the climate. Natives still exist in some parts while gardeners manicure others. In the springtime, proud parents of private gardens open their homes for garden tours. Happening now.

Where there are plants, there are animals, insects and birds. Here they co-habitate quite nicely with tract housing. The famed cliff swallows of San Juan Capistrano fly 6,000 miles from Argentina to make this vacation spot their home from March through October. The architecture is predominantly Spanish Mediterranean with greenbelts within planned communities. Its style most often complements and blends with the native surroundings rather than strips it.  

We think of ourselves as the prettier sister for legitimate reasons.

Like the tides, creative juices wash up and down the shoreline and some sink into the sand. Enter the signature individuals, offbeat celebrities, renowned artists and highly respected individualists of O.C.

Take science fiction author, Philip K. Dick, for example, who wrote stories and books made into excellent movies.  “Blade Runner,” “Total Recall” and “Minority Report” are among the best-known. Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne got his start in North Orange, while down the road, Leo Fender was busy building the best guitars a rocker could buy – at his warehouse in Fullerton. The list goes on and so shall we.

While at the Ocean Institute, creator Stephen Hillenberg came up with an idea which grew into “SpongeBob.” Filmmaker James Cameron finished high school here before garnering successes for sinking the Titanic and annihilating mankind’s future with a visit from a terminator.

As if these individuals aren’t impressive enough, add mega singer-dancer-actors Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Morrison and Gwen Stefani. Then imagine three personalities that impact the quality of our lives with their uniqueness. That would be the incomparable Diane Keaton, the brilliantly witty Steve Martin and the insanely hilarious Will Ferrell. They make moments on this earth resonate with laughter, (Steve Martin worked at Disneyland as a teen, and learned his comedy craft in local folk clubs) dazzling us with their personas.  

The list of champions of light-hearted, good-natured, thought-provoking humor and other crafts would not complete without the creator of all wonderment, visionary Walt Disney, who decided to make Anaheim the home of the first amusement park. After more than 50 years, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the Disney amusement park are still wowing the crowds. Disney Co. even made this castle its trademark logo and modeled other theme parks after it. 

Those L.A outcries of conservative, uniform, culturally deprived and bland don’t seem to be dragging down many muses here. 

Hmmmmm….