Brea, CA

When you drive or walk around Brea, you will quickly notice the extensive collection of outdoor artwork scattered across shopping plazas, apartment complexes, and office parks. Brea was one of the first cities in California to mandate public art in private developments, and today the streets feature nearly two hundred outdoor sculptures from internationally recognized artists. Long before it grew into a polished suburban community, Brea had much grittier beginnings. The name translates to "tar" in Spanish, a reference to the natural petroleum seeps found in the surrounding hills. Oil strikes in the late 1890s sparked a classic California drilling rush, helping the boomtown officially incorporate as a city in 1917.

ATTROrange County Archives from Orange County, California, United States of America / CC BY 2.0

You can still explore that early oil-drilling heritage at the Olinda Oil Museum and Trail, where a scenic two-mile loop winds past historic wells, vintage equipment, and open hillside vistas. Today, the city serves as a major commercial anchor in northern Orange County. While Brea is home to about 47,000 permanent residents, its daytime population often surges past 100,000 as workers and visitors pour into town. The local economy offers a wide variety of careers, with top employers spanning medical technology, aerospace parts, insurance, food distribution, and education, including major players like Beckman Coulter and Nationwide.

ATTROrange County Archives from Orange County, California, United States of America / CC BY 2.0

When it comes to shopping and dining, Brea punches well above its weight. The Brea Mall sits convenient to the 57 freeway, while downtown Birch Street offers a charming, walkable promenade filled with restaurants, movie theaters, comedy clubs, and local boutiques. Just across the way, the Civic and Cultural Center brings together the Brea Gallery and the 199-seat Curtis Theatre for seasonal art exhibits, workshops, and live stage productions. Each August, the plaza hosts Brea Fest, a popular community evening where thousands of locals sample specialties from dozens of area restaurants while enjoying outdoor concerts and live theater performances.