After The O.C. hit the airwaves, people everywhere began to associate California with snobs and over-the-top riches, and even though the show has now ended, the obsession with Orange County hasn’t abated. 

There’s a good reason for this.  Orange Country is an amazingly beautiful and diverse area, with Mediterranean-like weather year-round.  Residents surf the waves on Christmas, something that people from northern states like Idaho or Wisconsin could only dream about.  Many consider Orange County to be one of the most perfect places on earth because of the juxtaposition of temperate weather, beautiful scenery, high job growth, and of course its ideal proximity to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Of course when all of these factors combine together into one area, you’ll quickly find that another, not-so-perfect aspect comes into play: soaring housing prices and cost of living.   As a place to vacation however, this only affects the average tourist in terms of the cost of accommodation and eating out as this may be higher than in an area where property owners/restaurateurs have less overheads to pay.  The main problem isn’t so much that holidaymakers are faced with higher prices, but rather that Orange County isn’t a vibrant cosmopolitan city with many different cultures woven into its backdrop.  Many tourist attractions, and even stores, are generic with little local color.  This doesn’t apply everywhere however, the world famous surfer’s paradise of Huntington Beach can be found in this area, as can the unique Crystal Cathedral!   For kids there’s Disneyland, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and even a toy museum to keep them amused.

You may not be able to relive the highlife from the TV show – unless you are part of that scene, but you will have a great holiday because the natural beauty of Orange County can’t fail to charm you.