The Evolution of the City

The Evolution of the City. Irvine. , William Pereira's Master Plan envisioned for Irvine an entirely different approach to living a series of self-contained villages providing a wide diversity of housing types along with parks, trails, schools and retail centers. The City's first villages - among them University Park and Turtle Rock - serve as enduring examples of this unique approach to community development. , From the earliest days of The Irvine Ranch, the wise management of water has been a priority. The need to provide irrigation water for The Ranch, as well as domestic water for the growing community led in 1961 to the formation of the Irvine Ranch Water District. IRWD has also been instrumental in restoring wildlife habitat such as Irvine's San Joaquin Marsh, a favorite stopover for a wide variety of migratory birds. , Extra, Extra, Read All About It! As the new town of Irvine emerged, it quickly became clear that residents needed a newspaper of their own to chronicle the development of this "city of the future." In January of 1970, the first issue of The Irvine World News rolled off the printing press. , From 1970 to 1984, Irvine residents and others who didn't have the time or money to go on an actual African safari could enjoy the next best thing right in the city: Lion Country Safari. , Images courtesy of UCI Special Collections and Archives (Edward W. Cochems Collection. MS.R.016); National Museum of Naval Aviation; and the Irvine Company.