This establishing shot of the real Orange County
was first seen on "The O.C." in Episode 2 of Season two: "The Way We Were"

The similar establishing shot below was first seen on "The O.C." in Episode 13, of Season two: "The Father Knows Best":

We are looking at the Dana Point Harbor, which is about 20 miles south of Newport Beach.
(It's unusual for the producers of The O.C. to stray that far away from Newport for their
establishing shots. Perhaps they were looking for some fresh views...)

We are looking southwest, from a spot hovering above Dana Point Harbor Drive & Puerto Place.

The shot below, also of Dana Point Harbor, first appeared in the final episode of Season 2, "The Dearly Beloved":

Dana Point was named after author Richard Henry Dana, who wrote about this very spot in his true-life
tale of duty at sea: "Two Years Before the Mast". (There is a statue of Dana near the center of the marina.)

Here is a hint. On the other (northwest) side of the harbor, at the southern end of
Blue Lantern Street, you'll find a small park with a gazebo offering a breathtaking view of this harbor.

   



Important:  These "establishing shots" of Orange County are not locations where The O.C. is actually filmed.
The O.C. is not really filmed in Orange County - it is filmed in Los Angeles County. These "establishing shots"
are brief aerial snapshots of actual Orange County locations, which the producers drop into the show to add color and
to help create the illusion that we are seeing the real Orange County. I have included this list of their "establishing shots"
to supplement the main list of actual filming locations. You can tell the difference by color: the actual filming location
pages are gold, while the "establishing shot" pages are blue.

To see a list of the L.A. locations where The O.C. is actually filmed,
click on the OC Filming Locations logo below.

By Episode - By Category - By Geographical Location - Clickable Map of All O.C. Locations - Establishing Shots 

THE O.C. screenshots from the show and all related characters & elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
All other photos & text are copyright 2006 © Gary J. Wayne and may not be used without written permission.



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