No matter where you live, the things you buy have to get made. They don't spring fully formed into existence from the store shelves like they do on Star Trek. They're not grown on trees. The products you see on display at your Hamilton auto body shop were painstakingly produced by human beings (or automated robots supervised by human beings) in a factory somewhere. Perhaps that factory was in Santa Ana, California. This article should tell you one way or the other. It's also a great place to start if you're a skilled trades person considering looking for a factory job in the city. There are about 183,000 people working in factories in Santa Ana, most of them making around $14 an hour. That's not bad!

Quick: name the biggest economic growth sector in the country. Did you guess technology? If you did, you're right. With the explosive growth of technology businesses that develop computer processors and software, there's also been growth in the manufacturing sector as these products are produced. There's more emphasis on coax cable cutting than engineering in Santa Ana, but it's benefiting from the growth all the same. In fact, two technology companies are on the list of the city's largest employers: Ingram Micro Incorporated and ITT Industries Cannon.

The products that are produced in technology factories are electronic appliances like photocopiers or DVD players, so the people who work there mostly operate machinery, leaving few opportunities for a specialist in valve repair. However, if this is your profession you'll be happy to know that the fabrication of construction equipment also goes on here. Glass, metal and plastic piping, foam rubber, cement, plumbing material, rivets, and fasteners are all made in the city.

Aerospace and transportation are two other industries that have given Santa Ana a boost, both directly and indirectly. The direct benefits are that parts factories have opened up in the city, giving jobs to sheet metal benders and other fabrication experts. The indirect benefit is that research into transportation has boosted other transportation manufacturing sectors like agricultural machinery, which is also produced in Santa Ana.

The decision to produce agricultural machinery in the city wasn't made on a whim. In fact, Southern California (at least the parts that aren't on the beach) is still a major center for agriculture. Sugar, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and chickens that are farmed outside of the city are brought in to be turned into soft drinks, flavor extracts, livestock feed, canned goods, packaged meat, and even perfume. These products all come with a tamper evident band, of course, which acts as a safety feature and preserves the health of the consumer so they can come back and buy more.