The two words I most want to share with you as a visitor to OCalpha are “welcome” and “celebration.”
Welcome to OCalpha. This is a celebration of the places, people, and events that make Orange County special.
Orange County felt very different 25 years ago. Many people treated it as a moon orbiting planet Los Angeles – a nice place to live while working in LA or attending college – while others had made a specific city their family’s home for more than one generation, with no plans to leave. Beyond Disneyland, the key attractions were beaches, shopping, and nearly endless summer weather. Eater and Yelp didn’t exist, so restaurant guidance mostly came from newspapers, magazines, and word-of-mouth: Asking the right people the right questions tended to surface restaurant recommendations of places that were “good but not LA-quality.”
A lot has changed since then. Today’s Orange County doesn’t need to lean on LA (or San Diego) as a destination: It is now home to its own remarkable collection of national- and global-caliber organizations, ranging from restaurants and museums to small but truly excellent boutiques, and trusted major brands. The county’s previous defining attractions are still here, augmented by more and better alternatives, notably including some of the United States’ most impressive Korean, Mexican, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese businesses. This is still a comparatively great place to go to college, work, or raise a family, just a lot more expensive than before – a point virtually everyone agrees upon.
Yet some old LA/OC narratives persist. So as we approach the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, I believe now is the right time to move past outdated understandings of Orange County and spotlight all the things that make this area special. That’s the key reason OCalpha is here – to welcome people to our county and celebrate it as we evolve. A secondary goal is to provide information about noteworthy food, art, and design trends that are happening outside of Orange County, but worthy of OC residents’ attention. Our proximity to LA dining, museums, and events is an asset, just like LA benefits from its proximity to us.
OCalpha’s “welcome” motif transcends the relationship between creator and viewer. If you are a fellow creator – from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or elsewhere – I extend a hand of friendship and welcome to you, as well: I will gladly feature your voice on OCalpha alongside my own. Simply reach out and we’ll find a way to make it happen.
Thank you for visiting OCalpha. Bookmark us and explore our past five years of archived content as we continue to build out this amazing resource.
– Jeremy
December 15, 2024