The biggest town in Orange County saw a run-up in home prices during the boom, but values have dropped a lot since they peaked in mid-2006, down about 39% from those heady days.
Median income is high at nearly $90,000, and the economy is diverse thanks to large employers like Tenet Healthcare and financial research firm CoreLogic.
The well-paid residents of the Santa Ana metro area tend to favor larger homes, which is another factor that has sent the median home price up.
