Welcoming newcomers has a long and rich history. Weary frontier travelers heading westward were often greeted by settlers who had previously made the journey. Those going further west were supplied with baskets of food and those who chose to stay in the area were introduced to the local culture.

Fast forward to the 1950’s… the practice of welcoming new residents evolved in the 1950′s as service men and women returning from WWII, entered schools with the help of the GI Bill and started families. The housing market “went through the roof” as the WWII generation spawned the boomer generation. During this time, it was not uncommon for “welcome ladies” with their pillbox hats and white gloves to visit new residents, share a cup of coffee or tea with the lady of the house and familiarize the new family with their local surroundings. Local businesses often added value to the visit by providing small gifts or business cards to the welcome ladies for distribution to the newcomers.

Welcome Express joined this worthy profession 25 years ago because they recognized that the old fashioned custom of welcoming your new neighbors is timeless.

So what was going on 25 years ago? Do you remember? Let’s take a look back at 1986, our founding year:

Popular Films

• Top Gun
• Crocodile Dundee
• Platoon
• The Karate Kid, Part II
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Aliens
• The Color of Money
• The Money Pit

Popular Musicians

• Billy Joel
• Robert Palmer
• Lionel Richie
• Van Halen
• The Police
• Debbie Harry
• Simply Red
• Whitney Houston with ” The Greatest Love of All ”
• The Pretenders
• Genesis
• The Bangles with ” Walk Like an Egyptian ”
• Madonna with ” Papa Don’t Preach ”
• Prince
• Culture Club
• Bruce Springsteen
• Pet Shop Boys

Popular TV Programs

• Magnum, P.I.
• Dynasty
• Falcon Crest
• Hill Street Blues
• Cagney and Lacey
• Cheers
• Fame
• Family Ties
• Remington Steele
• The A-Team
• Highway to Heaven
• Murder, She Wrote
• The Cosby Show
• Growing Pains
• The Twilight Zone

Technology

• The United Kingdom and France announce plans to construct the Channel Tunnel.
• Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates after launch, killing all on board
• The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station
• IBM unveils the PC Convertible, the first laptop computer.
• British Surgeons perform the world’s first triple transplant (Heart, Lung and Liver )
• Internet Mail Access Protocol defined for e-mail transfer
• The 386 series of microprocessor introduced by Intel.

Cost of Living 1986

• Yearly Inflation Rate USA – 1.91%
• Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average – 1895
• Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve – 7.50%
• Average Cost of new house – $89,430.00
• Average Income per year – $22,400.00
• Average Monthly Rent – $385.00
• Average Price for new car – $9,255.00
• 1 gallon of gas – 89 cents
• Casio Portable Color Television – $249.99
• Tandy 600 Portable Computer – $1599.00
• Bacon per pound – $1.75

Today, newcomers still appreciate the role of a Welcome Service, but life in the 21st century has changed how that role is perceived — especially in Orange County. Dual income parents, children’s school / social schedules and commutes coupled with all that Orange County has to offer leaves little time for mid-day coffee socials! In lieu of the “welcome ladies,” Welcome Express caters to new home-owners in several ways: 1) By distributing civic information about their new community and gifts from various sponsor businesses in their area via a mailed welcome package. 2) Orange County has one of the highest per-capita household computer ownership rates in the country. Welcome Express takes advantage of this fact by providing a comprehensive Online Resource Center offering newcomers additional information to facilitate their immersion into the Orange County lifestyle. And savvy business owners will never stop their efforts to make a great first impression by welcoming newcomers.

Orange County has experienced many significant changes in the last 25 years, with many more to come. We have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to welcome new Orange County residents on behalf of local business and civic organizations these last 25 years and look forward to doing so for another 25 years!