Irvine Lake

Santiago Dam (also known as Santiago Creek Dam) is an earth/rockfill dam across Santiago Creek in Orange County, in the U.S. state of California, forming Irvine Lake. The 136-foot (41 m) earth dam and its reservoir serve for flood control and recreational purposes. It lies upstream (southeast) from the city of Orange and north of Irvine. Irvine Lake is the largest body of fresh water entirely in Orange County.

The Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 (previously called the Great Fire of 1889) was a massive wildfire in California, which burned large parts of Orange County, Riverside County, and San Diego County during the last week of September 1889. The fire reportedly started in Fremont Canyon, a canyon close to what today is Irvine Lake. Until 2018, it was possibly the single largest wildfire in the recorded history of California, with at least 300,000 acres (1,200 km2) of land burned. In mid-August 2018, the Ranch Fire in the Mendocino Complex Fire surpassed the Santiago Canyon Fire's assumed acreage.Assistant Regional Forester (USFS) L.A. Barrett, who wrote a 1935 report on California wildfires, said of it: "I was living in Orange County at the time and well remember the great fire reported herein from September 24 to 26. Nothing like it occurred in California since the National Forests have been administered. In fact in my 33 years in the Service I have never seen a forest or brush fire to equal it. This one covered an enormous scope of country and burned very rapidly."Conditions leading up to the 1889 fire included a much longer and more severe annual drought than usual, with rains largely ceasing in March and less than 0.4 inches (1 cm) of precipitation being recorded for the 5½ months prior (records from the National Archives). This was coupled with multiple katabatic wind events (known as “northers” or Santa Anas) that month, one of which occurred about 10 days prior and likely added to the dryness of fuels. Temperatures during the week prior remained high and were coupled with several severe fires in San Diego County in which “at least 10,000 acres [40 km2] have burned over, a dwelling house consumed and other property destroyed”.

Santiago Canyon is a canyon and unincorporated community in Orange County, California. According to the 2000 census, Santiago Canyon has several hundred residents living within its borders. Trabuco Canyon, Silverado Canyon, Modjeska Canyon and Williams Canyon are tributaries of Santiago Canyon. Santiago Creek flows northwest from the canyon, then west into the Santa Ana River. Neighborhoods in Santiago Canyon include Santiago Canyon Estates and Falcon View Estates. The landmark Cook's Corner motorcycle restaurant is also located within Santiago Canyon. The ZIP Code is 92676, and the community is in area code 949.

Irvine Park is a 495-acre (200 ha) park in Orange, California. It became California's first regional park in 1897. When first opened, it was called Orange County Park, and was originally 160 acres which were gifted by James Irvine, the park's namesake.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and includes six contributing buildings, four contributing structures and four contributing objects.

The Orange County Zoo is a small 8-acre (3.2 ha) zoo located within the 477-acre (193 ha) Irvine Regional Park in the city of Orange, California, United States. The zoo is mainly home to animals and plants that are native to the Southwestern United States.

The Silverado Fire was a wildfire that burned in October and November 2020 in southern Orange County, California northeast of Irvine. The fire started on October 26 around 6:47 AM near Orange County Route S-18 (Santiago Canyon Road) and Silverado Canyon Road, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and low humidity. Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy stated, "The winds were extraordinary even by Santa Ana standards. Fire spread is exceeding more than anything I've seen in my 44 years." The fire initially moved south from Loma Ridge toward the Orchard Hills, Northwood and Portola Springs communities of Irvine before moving southeast through Limestone Canyon and toward the communities of Foothill Ranch and Lake Forest. The fire burned in a path similar to that taken by the 2007 Santiago Fire, mostly through terrain that had not seen significant burning in the 13 years since that fire. 100% containment was announced on November 7, 2020. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Southern California Edison officials stated in a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission that they suspect a "lashing wire" in one of their telecommunication lines may have caused the fire.

Black Star Canyon is a remote mountain canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains, located in eastern Orange County, California. It is a watershed of the Santa Ana River. Black Star Canyon is a popular destination for mountain bikers as well as hikers due to its wild scenery. The California Historical Landmark associated with the canyon refers to the village of Puhú.

Peters Canyon Regional Park is a regional park within the Orange County Regional Parks System in California. The park contains 354 acres of southern California wildlife, including coastal sage shrub, riparian, freshwater marsh, and grasslands, and is located within the boundaries of both Orange, California and Tustin, California. Peters Canyon was given to this city in 1992 by the Irvine Company who had used it previously for cattle grazing. The canyon is lined with a residential area on one side and open hills on the other. This canyon is commonly used by hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians because of the trails that circumvent the 50 acre man-made lake, which was constructed by the Irvine Company in 1931, on the interior of the plot. The regional park is open from 7:00 AM to sunset every day of the week, save for the chance of rain or hazardous conditions, in which case the park will be closed for three days following the particular occurrence.The park has garnered local popularity in part for its convenient location (the canyon is in a suburban neighborhood), as well as its cleanliness and varied trail options. The management asks that visitors see protecting the park's wildlife, as well as any construction or park improvement efforts, as a shared responsibility.

Santiago Canyon College is a public community college in Orange, California. Along with Santa Ana College, Santiago Canyon College is one of two campuses in the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD).

The Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks (also known collectively as Irvine Ranch Open Space) are a collection of protected areas in Orange County, California in and around Irvine. They encompass almost 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of land which was once a part of the Irvine Ranch owned by the Irvine Company. Almost 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) of the landmarks were designated a National Natural Landmark in 2006 and a California Natural Landmark in 2008.Irvine Ranch contains a remarkably complete stratigraphic succession ranging in age from late Cretaceous (80 million years ago) to the present. The primary biological features at the site include coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities, including rare Tecate cypress woodlands.

Northwood High School is a public high school located in the northernmost part of Irvine, CA, United States. It opened in 1999, and its first graduating class graduated in 2002. In 2016, Northwood was ranked 25 nationally in Newsweeks list of top public high schools.

The Santiago Fire was a wildfire located near Santiago Canyon in Orange County, California, U.S., and one of thirty California wildfires of October 2007. The fire was intentionally started.