Orinda, California is located within four Mexican land grants: Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados, Rancho Acalanes, Rancho El Sobrante and Rancho Boca de la Cañada del Pinole. Alice Marsh Cameron named the land Orinda in the late 1800s.
In the 1880s, the United States Surveyor General established “Orinda Park” within the town.