ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Oil Boom--and Railway Bust
Orange County’s extensive road network expanded during the 1920s oil boom in Huntington Beach and Placentia.
As the two cities flourished, fueling growth in nearby cities, automobile dealerships sprang up.
Ridership on the Pacific Electric Railway, which peaked at 109 million in 1924, fell as cars became king.
Source: “The Golden Promise, An Illustrated History of Orange County” by Pamela Hallan-Gibson
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