The homes in Santa Ana
Santa Ana incorporated in 1886 and is the county seat, and that age shows in the housing. Near downtown there are large turn-of-the-century houses, Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival homes from the 1890s through the 1930s. Farther out, most streets are single-story tract homes built after World War II. Downtown and the South Coast Metro area at the south end of the city add condos and apartments.
Neighborhoods and tracts
Floral Park, north of downtown, has Spanish Colonial, Tudor and Craftsman homes from the 1920s and 1930s and was listed as a National Register historic district in 2023. French Park, northeast of downtown, is a National Register district of about twenty blocks with large homes built from the late 1890s into the 1920s. Downtown Santa Ana is the city's third National Register district.
Wilshire Square was built mostly between 1922 and 1942 in Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and bungalow styles. Heninger Park, bounded by First Street, McFadden Avenue, Flower Street and Sycamore Street, is known for Craftsman and California bungalows from about 1905 to 1920. The city lists 65 neighborhoods in all, including Washington Square, West Floral Park, Park Santiago, Morrison Park and Sandpointe. Ask Tony which one an address belongs to.
Schools
Santa Ana Unified serves most of the city. Its high schools include Santa Ana, Valley, Saddleback, Century, Segerstrom and Godinez. Parts of Santa Ana are served instead by Garden Grove Unified, Orange Unified or Tustin Unified, so two homes with a Santa Ana address can be in different districts. Mater Dei is a private Catholic high school in the city. Ask Tony to confirm the assigned schools for the exact address with the district.
Parks, shopping and landmarks
The Old Orange County Courthouse stands downtown. The Bowers Museum, the Discovery Cube science center and MainPlace Mall are all on the north side of the city near Main Street. The Santa Ana Zoo is in the city as well. The Santa Ana River runs through the west end of the city. South Coast Metro, the office and shopping district shared with Costa Mesa, is at the south end.
Getting around
Four freeways serve the city: the 5 through the northeast, the 55 along the east side next to Tustin and Irvine, the 22 along the north edge next to Orange, and the 405 across the south. The Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center on Santa Ana Boulevard has Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line, plus Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner. John Wayne Airport is just south of the city.
The OC Streetcar is planned to run about four miles from the train station through downtown Santa Ana to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. As of October 2026 it was still in testing and not carrying passengers. OCTA lists service as starting in early 2027, so check the current status before you count on it.
Buying in Santa Ana
If a house is on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties, exterior changes go through the city's Historic Resources Commission. Ask Tony whether the home is listed and whether a Mills Act contract comes with it. With any older house, look closely at the foundation, wiring, plumbing and roof. Parts of the city are close to freeways, rail lines or the John Wayne Airport approach, so ask Tony to check noise for the address.
Tony is a REALTOR and a licensed mortgage loan originator (NMLS ID 2359276). He can go through what you may be able to borrow before you tour, which helps when you are choosing between a condo, a postwar tract home and an older house that needs work.
Selling in Santa Ana
Say exactly which neighborhood and school district the home is in, because both change from block to block here. For a historic home, gather the register listing, any Mills Act paperwork and the permits for past work before you list. Original details such as wood windows, built-ins and tile are worth showing. Tony has held a California real estate license since 2007, speaks fluently in English and Arabic, and works in Santa Ana from his office at The Real Estate Solution in Cerritos.
