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West Anaheim is a district in Anaheim, California which extends from Euclid Street on the East to the city limits at Cypress on the West. West Anaheim is where most of the residential development occurred during the 1950s and the 1960s, after Disneyland opened in 1955.
The area went by a number of names such as "Loara", "Manchester", "Lincoln Park", "Magnolia Tree" and "WestGate" as the western gate to Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County boundary is in nearby Buena Park. The former US Route 101 crossed there, was named Manchester Avenue. The area was settled in the 1860s to 1890s by Midwestern and East Coast Americans, although Germans and the Dutch established farms (many were diary operations and horse ranches), groves and orchards with some grape vineyards but oranges fared better. West Anaheim was named in 1877 when the Southern Pacific railroad established a station west of Anaheim because the city refused to pay subsidies. [1] A post office was established at West Anaheim from 1900 to 1907 by the name of Loara. [2]
Prior to 1960, newly annexed West Anaheim mostly consisted of orange groves before Disneyland opened in 1955. The Walt Disney theme park became a success and brought a lot of business to Anaheim, and with it, a need for residential development. From 1955 when the theme park opened to 1961, Anaheim's population increased from about 14,000 people to 104,184 people, and a lot of that population growth took place in West Anaheim. Between 1955 and 1970, orange groves were cleared away to make way for new streets and new houses moving westward.
The neighborhood went through great deal of suburbanization into one of California's largest cities by population. Urban blight followed in the 1980s and 1990s, and immigrants from Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East settled in large numbers. The area of West Anaheim is now mostly lower-middle class and working class. There are sections and business strips representing Arabs, Koreans and other Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, African-Americans and white Anglos. One of the blocks is called Little Gaza named for Palestinians residents since the early 2000s.
Some of the main thoroughfares in West Anaheim include Brookhurst Street, Magnolia Avenue, Beach Blvd and Knott Avenue (named after Walter Knott), which go north and south. West Anaheim roads which go east and west include Katella Avenue, Cerritos Avenue, Ball Road and Lincoln Avenue. West Anaheim is surrounded by Stanton to the south and Buena Park to the north. The Knott's Berry Farm Resort and E-Zone in Buena Park are not too far north from West Anaheim on Beach Blvd (California Highway 39), and so Beach Blvd. in West Anaheim consists of hotels and motels. Adventure City Amusement Park is also located on Beach Blvd in West Anaheim. A new West Anaheim police precinct was built in 2005 just a mile north of Adventure City, along with a youth center. Golfer Tiger Woods attended Western High School [3] which is located in West Anaheim on the corner of Western ave. and Orange Ave.
In 2010, unincorporated sections of West Anaheim rejected city annexation into Anaheim. One of them Anaheim Island, California is divided whether or not on accepting annexation and/or forming a new city, as the community wants better public services by Orange County versus not to pay for Anaheim city taxes. Anaheim Island remains a mostly middle-class community, while they never became part of the municipality that surrounds them.
Twila Reid was the librarian, and highly respected, during the early years in Anaheim's history. There are a couple of public facilities in West Anaheim which have been named in her honor. West Anaheim hosts a Christmas tree lighting every year at Twila Reid Park on Orange Ave. [4] Not far from Twila Reid Park is Twila Reid Elementary School [5]
The biggest attraction in the West Anaheim Resort on Beach Blvd. is the kids' amusement park called Adventure City. Some of the kids' rides include the Freeway Coaster, Barnstormer Planes, Balloon Race, Crazy Bus, Express Train, and Rewind Racers. Adventure City also has attractions such as a petting zoo, a carousel, a children's theater, and an arcade [6]
Anaheim is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most populous city in California, and the 56th-most populous city in the United States. The second largest city in Orange County in terms of land area, Anaheim is known for being the home of the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Convention Center, and two professional sports teams: the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It also served as the home of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 through 1994.
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often featuring multiple areas with different themes. Unlike temporary and mobile funfairs and carnivals, amusement parks are stationary and built for long-lasting operation. They are more elaborate than city parks and playgrounds, usually providing attractions that cater to a variety of age groups. While amusement parks often contain themed areas, theme parks place a heavier focus with more intricately-designed themes that revolve around a particular subject or group of subjects.
Walter Marvin Knott was an American farmer and businessman who founded the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park, California, introduced and mass-marketed the boysenberry, and founded the Knott's Berry Farm food brand.
Knott's Berry Farm is a 57-acre amusement park in Buena Park, California, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. In March 2015, it was ranked as the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America, while averaging approximately 4 million visitors per year. The park features over 40 rides, including roller coasters, family rides, dark rides, and water rides.
The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels, and the Downtown Disney shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
Downtown Disney is a lifestyle center located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It opened on January 12, 2001; a component of the Disneyland Resort expansion project alongside the Disney California Adventure theme park and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
State Route 39 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels through Orange and Los Angeles counties. Its southern terminus is at Pacific Coast Highway, in Huntington Beach. SR 39's northern terminus is at Islip Saddle on Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest, but its northernmost 4.5-mile (7.2 km) segment has been closed to public highway traffic since 1978 due to a massive mud and rockslide.
Jack Lindquist was an American business executive who served as president of the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California from 1990 until he retired in 1993. He was a Disney employee from 1955 until his retirement, and was a marketing executive in the theme parks division for almost thirty years, including a stint as the first advertising manager for Disneyland. His eventual reach would extend worldwide, having trained and/or greatly influenced others who would become amusement industry leaders, both inside and outside of the Disney attractions. Among the amusement industry, many have credited Lindquist with founding and greatly expanding the arts and sciences of attraction promotion.
California's 40th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, encompassing Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. The district is currently represented by Republican Young Kim. It was one of 18 districts that would have voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election had they existed in their current configuration while being won or held by a Republican in 2022.
California's 45th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California currently represented by Democrat Derek Tran.
California's 46th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California.
California's 47th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California.
Buena Park station is a train station in Buena Park, California, United States, served by Metrolink commuter rail. It is at the center of a transit-oriented development including townhomes and a housing complex owned by the California State University, Fullerton, near the corner of Dale Street and Malvern Avenue. The station is served by Metrolink's Orange County Line and 91/Perris Valley Line.
Buena Vista Street is a themed land at Disney California Adventure amusement park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, United States. Though named for Buena Vista Street, the real-life Burbank thoroughfare that the Walt Disney Studios sits on, the central plaza represents Los Angeles, and specifically the Los Feliz area around Hyperion Avenue, in the 1920s when Walt Disney first arrived there. One of the main features is a small-scale replica of the Hyperion Bridge, which was being constructed when Disney stayed in Atwater Village. The replica functions as a working bridge for the resort's monorail system.
Rosecrans Avenue is a major west-east thoroughfare in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California, USA. It has a total length of 27.5 miles (44.3 km). The street is named after U.S. Union General William S. Rosecrans, who purchased 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) of Rancho Sausal Redondo southwest of Los Angeles in 1869. Rosecrans Avenue was originally named Drexel Avenue, and ran through the Rosecrans Rancho which is part of modern-day Gardena.
Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART), established in 1998 as the Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) and formerly known as Anaheim Resort Transit, is a mass transportation provider in the Anaheim Resort area and its environs in Orange County, California, United States. ART uses a fleet of vehicles, including tourist trolleys, to provide access to hotels, malls, and tourist-related enterprises, which are the main destinations connected by the system. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,611,000, or about 24,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Red Car Trolley is a 3 ft 3+3⁄8 inmeter gauge tramway and transportation attraction at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Construction began on January 4, 2010, and the attraction opened on June 15, 2012, as part of the re-dedication of the park. The attraction features cars inspired by the Pacific Electric Railway's "Red Cars" that once traversed much of Southern California, and provides transportation between the park's main entry at Buena Vista Street and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Land.
Wendell "Bud" Hurlbut was a designer, builder, entrepreneur, and one of the first creators of theme parks in the United States.
Anaheim Rapid Connection (ARC) was a proposed streetcar line in Anaheim, California. It would have been located in the Anaheim Resort and Platinum Triangle, with stops at the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Convention Center, and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), among others. It has been the subject of much political controversy, which led to the project being cancelled by OCTA in 2018. Councilmembers from the cities of Anaheim and Fullerton stated opposition to the streetcar mode citing concerns about traffic impacts, safety, capital costs, and recent declining transit ridership. These cities also shared concerns about how implementation of dedicated transit lanes would impact automobile traffic.