"THIS FAMILY FEUD has a long history. In 1889, Orange County--then known as the Santa Ana Valley and resentful at being taken for taxes and then taken for granted--seceded from a Los Angeles County that was nearly as big as Ohio. One hundred and one years later, the first- and third-most-populous counties of the wealthiest and most populous state in America find themselves lashed together by geopolitics, entwined by the luster of riches and land and encumbered by too many humans questing for both: a single coastal and sub-desert domain forged from the same delusion that, here, life could be all things to all people."
"Ask any family: There is more relish in fighting at close quarters. You know the other guy so well. So here we are, playing out something from a prime-time soap opera: the mercurial con man older brother versus the anxious-to-please, overachieving younger sibling. Like any siblings, though, they're more alike than they care to admit. They share a common history, a social vocabulary, an obsession with the automobile and, until recently, an almost genetic belief in the virtue of growth."
Los Angeles and Orange counties occupy adjacent coastal and sub-desert regions and share sunlight, water infrastructure, and freeway networks. The counties separated in 1889 when Orange County seceded from Los Angeles County, creating distinct political boundaries. Both counties now rank among the most populous and wealthy, bound by geopolitics, land values, and population pressures. They exhibit sibling-like rivalry, trading stereotypes while sharing history, social vocabulary, car-centric culture, and a longstanding belief in growth. Differences manifest as divergent cultural identities and development patterns, yet both confront common environmental and infrastructural challenges linked to rapid expansion.
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