Santa Ana (California)

Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, Southern California and is the county seat of that county.

By plane
is the closest airport to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm in Anaheim and one of five commercial airports in the greater Los Angeles area. It's located 13.5 mi (21.5 km or 18 minutes in light traffic) southeast of Disneyland and 18.5 mi (29.6 km) from Knott's Berry Farm. The airport is southeast of the junction between SR-55 & I-405 (Exit #8 from I-405 or Exit #6/6B from SR-55) and 6.5 mi (10.4 km) from I-5 (Exit #103) along SR-55. Nonstop air service is available from all regions of the United States including intrastate flights from all major airports in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento in northern California; from Mexico and from Canada. Nonstop flights are available with:


 * Terminal A: American, Air Canada, Breeze Airways, Delta/Delta Connection and Westjet
 * Terminal B: United/United Express, Alaska/Horizon
 * Terminal C: Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Southwest, all international arrivals (except from cities with US immigration & customs pre-clearance)
 * have their own private terminal at 19301 Campus Dr Suite #152, further south of the main terminal.

Instead of three separate terminal buildings, the terminal is a single long building spanning north to south and is divided into three segments with "Terminal A" at the north end and "Terminal C" in the south end of the building.

Taxis from the airport to Disneyland are estimated at $49 one-way; $26 to the historic district in downtown Santa Ana or $23 to the Tustin Metrolink Station (nearest Metrolink Station). There are numerous shuttle and private bus companies that offer regularly scheduled transportation to the Disneyland Resorts or anywhere on request, some of which may offer a group discount. Orange County Transport Authority (OCTA) only go west towards Huntington Beach through Fountain Valley on Rt #76 and southeast towards San Juan Capistrano on Rt #212 on limited schedules. Check schedules before using this option. The i Irvine Shuttle Rt 'A'/ 400A connects the airport to the Tustin Metrolink (nearest Metrolink Station) along Von Karmen Ave for connections to additional OCTA buses and Metrolink trains. Unless you plan to spend your entire stay in a single location (Disneyland/Disney Resorts, OC Convention Center, etc) it is recommended to rent a car, rather than to rely on public transportation to get around in Orange County and the greater Los Angeles area.

The next nearest airports are Los Angeles International Airport (49 mi/78 km) and Long Beach (20mi/32km), both of which are off of the I-405 corridor from Santa Ana. The other is in Ontario which is 50 mi/80 km northeast towards the Inland Empire. If you are transiting through the area, between the airports, it is recommended to pay the extra money for a taxi, Uber or Lyft, rather than try to use public transportation and risk missing your flight. Shared ride vans may make multiple stops along the way to pick up and drop off people, which can take longer, too.

By car

 * From I-5.svg Interstate 5 (I-5) / Santa Ana Freeway Santa Ana is accessed between its intersection with SR-55 at Exit 103A/B and its intersection with SR-22 at Exit 106 (from northbound lanes) or Exit 107A/B (from southbound lanes). Downtown can be accessed at "Grand Ave/Santa Ana Blvd" from Exit 104 A/B or at "First St" from Exit 103A (northbound lanes only) and at "Fourth St" from Exit 104 (southbound lanes only).
 * I-405.svg (I-405) San Diego Freeway serves as an auxiliary to I-5 along the southside of Santa Ana which is accessed between exit 9 (Bristol St & CA-55) and 12 ("Euclid St").
 * California 55.svg connects California 91.svg in Anaheim Hills, NE of Anaheim to Costa Mesa with exits into Santa Ana and the airport between I-405 (Exits 6-6B) and I-5 (Exits 9A/9B). From Riverside go southwest along SR-91 through Corona to get to SR-55. Locally CA-55 divides Santa Ana from Irvine with 5 exits to access Santa Ana/Irvine.
 * California 57.svg goes into Santa Ana from Pomona in the San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles and can be a short towards Orange County from San Gabriel Valley without going through downtown Los Angeles.
 * California 22.svg connects CA-57 at its junction with I-5 (Exit 106 of I-5), across Westminster and Garden Grove Dr to Valley View Dr at I-405 (Exit 21 of I-405).

By train or bus
, or SARTC, is Santa Ana's central train and bus station. The station is located at 1000 E Anita Blvd, in downtown Santa Ana.

Get around
The buses of the Orange County Transportation Authority can get you around Santa Ana or most places in Orange County for $4 a day.

A free trolley runs through the Downtown area on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

Do
Go to MainPlace Mall. It is located near the border with Orange. It is an alternative to 4th Street. Across the street is Barnes and Noble and across from there is Santiago Park, the best park in the city. It has a beautiful bike path and a lot of squirrels. Jerome Park is home to lovely gardens and the largest community center in the city. It has its own basketball court and boxing gym.



Buy
Stuff on 4th Street or at MainPlace Mall. There are other marketplaces but these two are the best. 4th Street is a collection of jewelry and cloth shops with a few Mexican Bric-à-brac stores and food stands. The Martinez Bookstore has books in both English and Spanish and is run by a very kind man. It is located on Broadway.

Stay safe
Dial 9-1-1 for all emergencies. Note that dialing 9-1-1 from a cell phone will connect you with the California Highway Patrol who will connect you with local agencies resulting in a delay in response. Dialing 9-1-1 from a payphone (if any still available) is a free call.

Santa Ana is generally safe, though visible signs show that crime is once again on the rise. Avoiding walking alone at night, especially in the Logan and French Park areas. Santiago Park is often used as a gang base at night, so avoid it at night.



Hospitals
Both of these hospitals have a 24-hour emergency room.

Consulates
Most of the foreign consulates are located along Wilshire Blvd in/around the Wilshire neighborhood and West Los Angeles, between downtown and Santa Monica in Los Angeles. The following are consulates in Orange County:


 * 🇲🇽 Mexico

Go next

 * Orange
 * Costa Mesa
 * Anaheim location of Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm.