Irvine's Mediterranean environment makes Irvine a great place to live. Most of the year the weather is pleasant and sunny with rain occurring primarily in the winter months.

Irvine is a planned community built on land that was once part of the Irvine Ranch and was donated by the Irvine Company to the University of California. It is close to beaches, mountains, deserts, and cities.

This city of 130,000 is less than 30 years old, and is one of the safest communities of its size in the nation. Irvine ranked first among the US's 200 largest cities as the best city for women according to the February 2000 issue of Ladies' Home Journal.

There's another reason that UCI's location is ideal, namely, Irvine is an international hub for the high-tech and bioscience industries.

Over the next 15 years, Irvine and the University of California, Irvine are expected to be magnets for growth in southern California.

The University is partnering with the high-tech industries to form University Research Park. This marriage is expected to produce first rate advances in these fields and drive growth in the Irvine area.