Mickey Mouse may be its most famous resident, but conservative Orange County's favorite son is former president
Richard Milhous Nixon
, born in 1913 in what's now the freeway-caged
Yorba Linda
, about eight miles northeast of Disneyland at 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm; $5.95;
). His birthplace - and final resting place, as he's buried in the grounds - is a shrine to a man who forged a career from lies and secrecy, and finally resigned from the world's most powerful job in total disgrace. In the shadow of a 12ft high, 600lb chunk of the Berlin Wall, oversized gifts from world leaders, amusing campaign memorabilia and a laugh-a-line collection of obsequious letters written by and to Nixon form the core of the exhibition, but the man's distinctive persona is best enjoyed in the constantly running archive radio and TV recordings.
Nixon's face leers down in Big Brother fashion from almost every wall, but only inside the
Presidential Auditorium
do you get the chance to ask him a question, although the choice is limited to a small pre-programmed selection. Nixon's gaunt features fill the overlarge screen and provide the stock replies - as oily as ever.
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