Living in Santa Ana

Santa Ana is Orange County's county seat and one of its oldest cities, incorporated in 1886. For buyers who love older homes, it has some of the best collections in the county: blocks of houses from the early and mid-twentieth century in neighborhoods like Floral Park, French Park, Washington Square and Wilshire Square, a few minutes from a downtown that's busy most nights.

If you only read one line: Over the three months ending September 2026, the median Santa Ana home sold for $849,595, about $610 per square foot, in around 44 days, and 43.9% of homes sold above list. The citywide median mixes condos and small homes with the historic districts, where prices run well above it.

The historic neighborhoods

Floral Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023 and is the city's largest historic district. French Park, near downtown, is another of the city's historic districts. The porches, mature trees and original details are why people fall for these blocks. Buying here can mean design review for exterior changes, and older homes deserve a careful look at the electrical, plumbing and sewer line, so I check what applies to each address before you plan a remodel.

Downtown

Downtown has the Old Orange County Courthouse, the Artists Village around Cal State Fullerton's Grand Central Art Center, and Fourth Street's restaurants and shops. On the first Saturday of every month, the free First Saturday Art Walk keeps the galleries open late, with live performances and food vendors. The Bowers Museum, open since the 1930s, and the Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park are a short drive away.

If you're buying to rent it out

Santa Ana adopted rent stabilization and just-cause eviction ordinances in 2021, the first city in Orange County to do so. The rent cap applies to many units built on or before February 1, 1995, and the rules have been amended since. Read the city's current ordinance page and talk to a local attorney before you buy an income property here.

Schools

Most of the city is served by the Santa Ana Unified School District; parts are served by Garden Grove, Orange and Tustin Unified. Confirm the district and assigned schools for every address.

The numbers

Santa Ana, three months ending September 2026. Source: Redfin, based on MLS and public records.

More in the Santa Ana market update.

What I'd ask before buying here

• Is the home in a historic district, and what design review applies to exterior work?
• For an older home: what's the condition of the sewer line, wiring and plumbing, and what was permitted?
• For a rental: is the unit covered by the rent stabilization ordinance, and is it registered?
• Which school district serves this exact address?