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Anaheim, California

geography Maturity 5-7 Next article →

Anaheim is a large city in northern Orange County, California. It sits within the Greater Los Angeles area in the United States.

Anaheim-1890
Anaheim-1890

The city is quite big in size. It stretches almost across the whole width of Orange County. To the west, it reaches near the city of Cypress. To the east, it goes all the way to the Riverside County line. Many different kinds of neighborhoods live within these limits. Some areas have houses built in the mid-20th century. Other parts have busy streets with shops and many hotels.

Anaheimcityhall
Anaheimcityhall

Today, Anaheim is a very famous place for visitors. It is home to the Disneyland Resort, which has two theme parks.

Christmas for Sleeping Beauty Castle (28017248690)
Christmas for Sleeping Beauty Castle (28017248690)

You can also find the Anaheim Convention Center here. Many people come to watch professional sports in the city. The Los Angeles Angels play baseball at Angel Stadium.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Angel Stadium of Anaheim

The Anaheim Ducks play hockey for the city too.

Anaheim-streetbanners-ducksangels
Anaheim-streetbanners-ducksangels

You might see street banners for these teams around town. These teams bring a lot of excitement to the local area.

Long before the city was built, the Tongva people lived here. They were indigenous to this part of Southern California. Evidence shows they were in this region since 3500 BCE. They had a large village called Hutuukuga. The people there found food from oak trees and sage bushes. They also hunted rabbit and mule deer for meat. They had strong trade links with villages near the coast. Later, the land was part of a large Mexican rancho.

Front exterior of Anaheim High School, ca.1900 (CHS-2815)
Front exterior of Anaheim High School, ca.1900 (CHS-2815)

In 1857, fifty German-American families founded the city. They wanted to find a good place to grow grapes. They bought land from Juan Pacífico Ontiveros for $2 per acre. They named the place Annaheim, which means "home by the Santa Ana River."

Anaheim-1922
Anaheim-1922

The name was later changed to Anaheim. For 25 years, it was the top wine producer in California. However, a disease destroyed the grape vines in 1884. After that, farmers began growing walnuts, lemons, and oranges instead. The arrival of the railroad in 1887 helped these new crops grow.

Anaheim has changed many times over the years. In the early 1900s, it was a rural area full of orange groves. As time passed, it became a center for many industries. The city makes things like electronics and aircraft parts. Many people moved there as highways expanded from Los Angeles. By the year 2020, the city had 346,824 people living in it. This makes it the largest city in Orange County. It is also the tenth-largest city in all of California.

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🖼️ Images & Media (8)
File:Anaheim-1890.jpg
Anaheim-1890.jpg
File:Front exterior of Anaheim High School, ca.1900 (CHS-2815).jpg
Front exterior of Anaheim High School,...
File:Anaheim-1922.jpg
Anaheim-1922.jpg
File:Christmas for Sleeping Beauty Castle (28017248690).jpg
Christmas for Sleeping Beauty Castle...
File:Anaheim-streetbanners-ducksangels.JPG
Anaheim-streetbanners-ducksangels.JPG
File:Angel Stadium of Anaheim.jpg
Angel Stadium of Anaheim.jpg
File:Anaheimcityhall.jpg
Anaheimcityhall.jpg
File:AnaheimPD-h500-N1607A-071205-04-16.jpg
AnaheimPD-h500-N1607A-071205-04-16.jpg
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