Preliminary Official Statement (1996)

Home Browse Search

CITY OF TUSTIN General Location and Government. The City of Tustin is a general law city incorporated in 1927. It is located in Central Orange County at the intersection of the I#5 and SR#55 freeways, approximately 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 85 miles north of San Diego. The City has 98.5 miles of streets and covers 11.1 square miles, bounded by the cities of Orange on the north, Santa Ana on the west, and Irvine on the south. In 1868 the City's founder, Columbus Tustin, and his partner, Nelson Oscar Stafford, purchased 1,300 acres of Rancho Santiago De Santa Ana (originally a Spanish Land Grant). Tustin started "Tustin City" on his portion of the property and offered lots to all who would settle on them, and an entire block to families with several children. The orange industry began in Tustin around the year 1875 and the City soon was surrounded by orange, apricot and walnut orchards. The orange groves gradually took over from the other crops between 1900 and 1950, and processing citrus fruits was the City's most important industry. Tustin grew along with all of Orange County during the population boom of the 1960's, from a census figure of 2,006 in 1960 to 21,178 in 1970; the present population is 63,619. Today the City operates under a Council/Manager form of government and provides public safety (police) services, community services, engineering services, planning services, public works, general administrative services, and capital improvements. The Tustin Community Redevelopment Agency was established in 1975 and works to eliminate blighted areas by encouraging the development of residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and public facilities. The City of Tustin employs 245 full-time personnel, 197 in classified service and 48 exempt. Community Services and Facilities; Police and Fire Protection. There is one police station, with 88 sworn personnel, and fire protection services are contracted with the Orange County Fire Authority. The City also contracts for refuse, animal control and cable television services, and is served by private utility companies for electricity, natural gas and telephone; the water utility is operated by the City. The Tustin Unified School District facilities consist of eleven elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, an adult education site, a support services facility and an administration center. The City has eleven public parks covering 65.7 acres, including a community center adjacent to the City Hall, a Senior Center, and a new sports park in the Tustin Ranch area of the city. B-95