Santa Ana Neighborhoods
Downtown Santa Ana is the county seat and Orange County's largest historic downtown. Its core has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, the OC Streetcar runs through it, and its housing includes lofts and condos close to the historic blocks.
William Spurgeon founded Santa Ana in 1869 as a townsite on part of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The Southern Pacific arrived in 1878 and the Santa Fe in 1886. By the end of the 1880s, Downtown was five blocks of brick business buildings along Fourth Street, with Fourth and Main as the center of town. Santa Ana became the county seat when Orange County was formed in 1889.
Downtown grew in waves after that:
From 1911 to 1915, glazed-brick business blocks went up along Fourth Street, and new civic buildings rose to the north near Civic Center Drive and Main Street.
The 1920s brought new construction along Main Street and Broadway, much of it Spanish Colonial Revival.
After the 1933 earthquake, many damaged facades were rebuilt in a simpler Moderne style. That's why few Victorian-era storefronts survive at street level today.
The Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 1984. The nomination covers 24.5 acres and 99 buildings dating from the late 1870s through the rebuilding that followed the 1933 earthquake. It's split into two sections: a northern civic and institutional area, and a southern commercial core.
The nomination calls Downtown the largest and most representative collection of downtown commercial buildings in Santa Ana and Orange County. Landmarks it names include:
the Church of the Messiah (1888, designed by Ernest Coxhead)
the Old County Courthouse (1901)
the Spurgeon Building (1913)
the First National Bank Building (1923, by John Parkinson)
the Santora Building (1929)
the Masonic Temple (1932)
National Register listing by itself doesn't restrict what a private owner can do with a building, unless federal funding, licensing or permits are involved. Local rules are separate. A building listed on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties can need City review for exterior changes, and it may qualify for a Mills Act contract. Check a specific building's status with the City before planning work.
The OC Streetcar is a 4.15-mile line from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, and OCTA expects service to begin in early 2027. Through Downtown, the tracks split for about three-quarters of a mile: westbound trains use Santa Ana Boulevard, and eastbound trains use Fourth Street, two blocks south. There's a Downtown stop next to the Old Orange County Courthouse.
If you're comparing homes near the line, check where the stops are and which street a building faces.
Most of Downtown falls under the City's Transit Zoning Code, Specific Development No. 84 (SD-84). It sets land uses, development standards and building form across the Civic Center, Downtown, Logan and Lacy neighborhoods. In June 2025, the City Council adopted an update, effective July 17, 2025. It bars new industrial businesses in the area, limits existing ones from expanding and sets a path to move away from industrial uses over time.
For a buyer, the code shapes what can be built on nearby lots. Check what the Transit Zoning Code allows at and around an address.
Downtown's housing includes lofts, condos and apartments. The Artists Village area has live/work lofts above ground-floor studios. Single-family historic neighborhoods sit close by: French Park is just northeast of Downtown, and Heninger Park is just to the south.
If you're buying:
Review the HOA documents for a loft or condo.
For a live/work unit, ask what uses it's approved for.
In an older building, ask about the building's Register status and past work.
If you're selling, gather the HOA documents, any building approvals and the unit's permit history before you list.
Yes. The Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. They cover 99 buildings across a northern civic section and a southern commercial core.
OCTA expects passenger service to begin in early 2027. The line runs through Downtown on Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street, with a stop next to the Old Orange County Courthouse.
It's the City's special zoning plan, Specific Development No. 84, for the Civic Center, Downtown, Logan and Lacy neighborhoods. It sets land uses, development standards and building form.
Yes. Historic single-family neighborhoods such as French Park and Heninger Park sit next to Downtown. Downtown itself includes lofts, condos and apartments.
Yes. Evelyn works with clients in English and Spanish. Hablamos español.
Looking at a Downtown Santa Ana home? Tell us the building or address, and we'll help you check its HOA documents, its historic status and the zoning around it before you decide.
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