Fullerton sits at the northern edge of Orange County, about 22 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles — close enough to the sprawl but with its own distinct character. It's a college town at heart, home to California State University Fullerton, and that gives the downtown area a livelier, younger feel than most of its Orange County neighbors.
The historic downtown core along Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue has genuine charm: old brick storefronts, a walkable strip of restaurants and bars, and a music scene that has quietly produced a disproportionate number of notable bands. The Fullerton Transportation Center puts the rest of Southern California within reach by Amtrak and Metrolink.
The Fullerton Arboretum, tucked on the Cal State campus, is a genuine surprise — 26 acres of botanical gardens that feel nothing like suburban Orange County. The Fullerton Museum Center and the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, a 1924 Italianate mansion repurposed as an arts venue, round out the cultural offerings.