Irvine City Seal Badge

In the mid-19th century, James Irvine bought roughly 100,000 acres of land in Southern California, which would be the foundation for what is now the city of Irvine. Later, his son established the Irvine Company and expanded its operations in agriculture and ranching, bringing prosperity to the area. In the 1960s, the Irvine Company sold 1,000 acres of land to the University of California for the construction of a new campus for a single US dollar, and nearby farmland was also developed into urban areas. In 1971, Irvine City was officially incorporated into Orange County. The city emblem naturally uses the letter "i" for Irvine as its focal image. Many people mistakenly believe that the image on the right side of the Irvine City seal is a camphor tree or water lily, both associated with Irvine City. It is actually the official vegetable of Irvine - the humble asparagus. On the left of the city seal is a family of three, symbolizing Irvine’s livability, especially for families.