Located in Orange County, California, Fullerton has a population of 132,787. Known as The Education Community,
Fullerton is home to five universities and colleges as well as award winning private and public schools. The presence of the California State University at Fullerton and Hope State University has led to the Fullerton's reputation as a college town. Historically an agricultural community, Fullerton was especially well known for its citrus crops.
Fullerton's downtown area, centered at Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue, has been a site of many recent beautification projects that have brought new restaurants, coffee shops and specialty stores to the area. The south of Commonwealth Avenue
area, known as SOCO, has become a hotspot for nightlife and has been described by the OC Weekly as Bourbon Street West.
Further contributing to local character is the thriving music scene which has produced many well known punk rock and alternative rock groups such as Social Distortion, No Doubt and The Offspring.
In the more classical arts, the Muckenthaler Cultural Center and the Fullerton Museum Center are host to many of the city's performances and art exhibits. On the theatrical front, the Fullerton Civic Light Opera is one of the largest in Southern California. Several other independent theater groups also call the city home. The Fullerton Observer is one of the only independent newspapers in the area and has been known for its progressive stance since its founding in the 1970s.
