Orange County: Beyond the OC

The first time I left California by myself for an extended period of time was for summer camp when I was fifteen. It was 2005 and the O.C. and Laguna Beach were at the height of their popularity. Previously, I'd never thought about how these shows changed the perception of my hometown. Up until that point, everyone I knew had formulated an impression of it long before it was branded to the world. 

When I first arrived in Massachusetts, I was taken aback by how people reacted when I told them I was from Orange County. "Ohhhhhh the 'O.C,'" they would say with a sarcastic smirk. 

People still imagine Laguna and the surrounding cities as a series of gated mansions situated in cliffs overlooking the Pacific. It certainly does have pockets of extreme fiscal conservatism, MILF's in hot pink Juicy Couture track suits and sixteen-year-olds cruising down the coast in BMWs. 

It's also home to many communities of lower income immigrants. Westminster and Garden Grove combined have the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam. Right in the middle of the county, they've built a haven for themselves known as "Little Saigon" complete with pho restaurants, eastern medicine shops and foot massages. Santa Ana has grown to have one of the largest Mexican communities in the country. There you'll find flower and piñata shops for quinceañeras, carnicerias and dozens of family-owned restaurants serving fresh corn tortillas. 

While a day at the beach or the mall is always a lot of fun, there's so much more to Orange County than most realize. This week Backpacktress will explore all the overlooked dimensions of one of the most ethnically diverse places in Southern California.