A plaza city in northern Orange County
Orange was founded in 1869 and incorporated in 1888. It was originally named Richland before taking the name Orange in 1873. It is about three miles north of Santa Ana, has 139,911 residents and covers about 25.82 square miles. Its "Orange Era" growth was driven by citrus demand in the late 1800s, and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway made it a hub for shipping citrus.
Unusually for Orange County, the city was planned around a central plaza. The Old Towne Orange Historic District spans one square mile around the original plaza, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and is described as the largest such district in California. It contains antique shops and retail businesses in the historic commercial area.
Three anchors: Old Towne, the university, the hospitals
Old Towne
Historic districts reward small, independent businesses: antique dealers, cafes, boutiques, galleries, salons and event spaces. They also bring upkeep costs. Older buildings need roofing, wiring, plumbing and accessibility work, and a landlord may pass those along. Inventory such as antiques is bought, restored and held until sold, which can take months.
Chapman University and Santiago Canyon College
Chapman University is a major employer, and Santiago Canyon College serves the region. Campus calendars create busy semesters and quiet summers for nearby food, printing, housing and service businesses.
Hospitals
UC Irvine Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Orange County are listed among the top employers. Medical suppliers, linen and food vendors, security and cleaning contractors, and staffing firms bill institutional customers on institutional schedules.
Freeways and rail make Orange a crossroads
Orange is near the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the Orange Freeway (SR 57) and SR 22, and it has a Metrolink commuter rail station. Those links mean a delivery or contracting business based here can reach most of Orange County quickly. They also mean higher vehicle use, fuel and maintenance costs.
For illustration only, not our terms: an antique dealer buys a $20,000 estate collection, spends $5,000 restoring pieces, and sells the collection over six months. The dealer's cash is committed on day one and returns slowly. A short-term funding decision can keep the dealer buying while earlier inventory sells.
The basics
We provide $25,000 to $5,000,000, with funding possible in as little as 24 hours. We consider FICO 500+, ask for about three months of business bank statements, and do not require tax returns. The application takes about five minutes with a soft credit pull, and sole proprietors can apply. See the Orange County page for regional context. Owners in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Garden Grove apply the same way. Start the application.