The City Of The Extreme American Dream

Orange County has grown from a small town of orange groves to a bursting suburb to a 'Todayland' megacity for the 'affluenza'.

1 minute read

April 25, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"In the 50 years since Walt Disney built 'the Happiest Place on Earth' in a land where suburbia was crowding out citrus groves, Orange County has evolved into a metropolis fit for a marquee. Once a humble supporting character in the great American drama, it now comes across as an action hero on steroids, all pumped up and shiny for the 21st century with a swaggering prime-time sobriquet: 'The OC.'

...Whatever its faults, the old Orange County understood its mission: The mass production and protection of the standard-issue American Dream. This new OC seems bent on pushing the American Dream Extreme."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Read the full story: Livin' Extra-Large

Sunday, April 24, 2005 in The Los Angeles Times

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