In 1971, Irvine officially became a city. Three years later, Irvine's first residents passed a major park bond issue to begin building community parks, a crucial step in establishing the Irvine Master Plan.

This foundational bond supported the development of the City's park system, which now includes 22 community parks and more than 40 neighborhood parks.

In its latest Park Score Index, the Trust for Public Land ranked Irvine's park system as the best in California and the second best park system in the entire nation.

An impressive 28% of Irvine's land is dedicated to parks and green spaces — nearly double the national average. And 96% of Irvine residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.