Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County,California. Located in Southern California, adjacent to the Santa Ana River, is a very densely populated city, ranking fourth nationally in that regard among cities of over 300,000 residents (trailing only New York City, San Francisco, and Boston). Founded in 1869, the city is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, and in 2011 Forbes ranked Santa Ana the fourth-safest city of over 250,000 residents in the United States.

Santa Ana lends its name to the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), which runs through the city. It also shares its name with the nearby Santa Ana Mountains, and the Santa Ana winds, which have historically fueled seasonal wildfires throughout Southern California.[10] The current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) metropolitan designation for the Orange County Area isSanta Ana–Anaheim–Irvine, California.