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Irvine is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Because of its good schools, jobs, and housing, the city was chosen in 2008 by CNN Money as the fourth best place to live in the United States. In June 2009, the FBI reported that Irvine had the lowest violent crime rate among cities in the United States with populations of more than 100,000

Families say Irvine is pretty close to perfect. The school district has won national recognition for stellar test scores, innovative curriculums, year-round schedules and open-style classrooms. The university is the city’s largest employer, but some two dozen companies, from Gateway to St. John’s Knits, also call Irvine home.

Every October, Irvine hosts the Irvine Global Village Festival to celebrate the diversity among the citizens of Irvine and Orange County. The festival consists of exhibits from local merchants, entertainment from diverse cultures, and sampling of foods from various regions of the world.