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development also exists sporadically along the street, usually at the <br />intersections with other major streets. The contrasts between old and <br />new development are pronounced and further contribute to the <br />disjointed and degraded visual appearance of the street, especially in <br />the central and sootheM segments. <br />Numerous common elements exist along Bristol Street which also serve <br />to detract from the visual quality of the streetscape. These include an <br />agglomeration of overhead utility lines (especially in the central <br />segment of the street), billboards, poor quality signage, and non- <br />uniform public improvements. The level of amenity encountered in the <br />project area is generally low with only a minimal amount of area <br />devoted to landscaping, site features, or embellished improvements. <br />B. SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS <br />neral Characteristics <br />The City of Santa Ana is located within Orange County, a largely urbanized <br />area contiguous to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The 786 - square mile <br />County has been subject to dramatically paced urban development and <br />population growth over the past twenty years. The City of Santa Ana and <br />particularly the study area, however, were largely developed during earlier <br />decades. New development within the project vicinity is limited primarily to <br />infill development and recycling of obsolete uses. <br />The proposed project is contained within the Rancho Santiago Santa Ana <br />which was established in 1810. The City of Santa Ana, the oldest City in <br />Orange County, was founded in 1869. Orange County was subsequently <br />formed in 1889 and Santa Ana was designated as the County seat. Today, <br />Santa Ana remains the government center of Orange County and the strength <br />and vitality of the Downtown Civic Center area is evidenced by the extensive <br />redevelopment and beautification efforts made over the last few years, <br />accompanied by substantial private investment in new financial and <br />professional office developments. <br />A recent important development in the regional significance of Santa Ana is <br />the new multi -modal transportation center, located adjacent to the AT &SF <br />trucks immediately south of Fourth Street. This facility will provide intercity <br />travelers and regional commuters with immediate accessibility to express bus, <br />rapid transit and intercity commuter rail services. <br />III-27 <br />75B -98 <br />