LOS ANGELES, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people waited inline at the Orange County Fairgrounds on Tuesday morning to get their tickets to see U.S. President Barack Obama, who is expected to address a town hall meeting there to sell his economic stimulus plan.

    The Wednesday afternoon mass rally at the suburb event center, about 60 kilometers south of Los Angeles, will be the first stop for Obama after he arrives in Southern California during his first presidential visit to the region.

    Hundreds of people reportedly camped out at the fairgrounds compound overnight to ensure their chances to get the tickets, as officials said they could only hand out more than 1,000 free tickets to the public.

    At about 9:45 a.m. in the morning, White House staffers went to the middle of the line and warned people in the back half that they would likely not get a ticket, and then a "No Tickets" sign was erected.

    For those who had waited for one whole night and were lucky enough to get their tickets, meeting America's first black president will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

    "I'm very excited," Kandist Mallet, a college student who got a ticket, told local television channel NBC4. "Now I just want to ...think about my question to ask him."

    Mallet, a political science majors at Cal State Long Beach, said she rushed to the fairgrounds with her boyfriend on Thursday afternoon as soon as they heard Obama was coming.

    "This almost looks like tickets are going on sale for U2," said Steve Beazley, CEO of the Orange County Fairgrounds, referring to the popular Irish rock band. "A seated president has never made an appearance here. It's a pretty historic event."

    Local political observers said Obama made the surprising choice of traditionally Republican Orange County to make his first presidential appearance in Southern California because it could increase his credibility among people across the United States.

    "If he went to Los Angeles or San Francisco, it would be seen as preaching to the choir," said Wylie Aitken, chairman of the Democratic Foundation of Orange County.

    Aitken said Obama's town hall meeting in Orange County, which is an upper-middle class suburban enclave, will play well to the national audience.

    "Orange County would be thought of as a place that's very hostile to him, but it will be very welcoming to him," Aitken said.

    During his two-day stay in Southern California, Obama is also scheduled to appear at NBC's late nigh talk-show "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to talk about the economy issue. NBC said it will be the first appearance at such television programs by a sitting U.S. president.