Believe it or not, when I lived in Orange County (1960's) Irvine was a ranch.
LOL
I had a girlfriend in college whose parents ran the general store in Irvine, just off the 101 (before I-5 designation) at Myford Rd., right opposite El Toro MCAS.
That and a gas station across the street was about the extent of the town. Believe the current City of Irvine sprang full-grown from the mind of activists at UCI who needed political legitimacy for their proposals to build a "planned community."
Well, now they have it -- and they can have it, too. I have no desire to move back to OC, least of all Irvine.
And John Wayne Airport was just a windsock and a runway. Yep, and when driving along the Anaheim freeway there were orange groves and eucalyptus trees growing right up to the foothills. Back then, it was a great place to be.