Overview

Introduction

Anaheim, the 10th largest city in California, is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles in the middle of Orange County. It's synonymous with Disneyland, which opened in 1955 on the site of a former orange grove and changed the city's profile forever. Disney's Magic Kingdom soon became the most-visited place in North America. It is continually expanding and updating its facilities.

There are plenty of other reasons to visit Anaheim, including a growing craft brewery scene. Knott's Berry Farm, a few miles/kilometers northwest in Buena Park, adds another dimension to the theme park motif.

Sports fans will also find favor in this city that is home to two notable professional sports teams: the MLB Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; and in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks.

Must See or Do

Sights—Disneyland; Disney California Adventure Park.

Museums—The Muzeo.

Memorable Meals—Napa Rose; Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria; The Ranch.

Late Night—House of Blues; NV Lounge; Rumba Room Live.

Walks—Anaheim GardenWalk; Disneyland; Downtown Anaheim Art Crawl Experience

Especially for Kids—Disneyland; Disney California Adventure; watching a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball game or an Anaheim Ducks hockey game.

Geography

Covering some 50 sq mi/130 sq km, Anaheim (the second most populous city in Orange County after Santa Ana), lies about 26 mi/42 km southeast of Los Angeles. It is bisected by Interstate 5 (the Santa Ana Freeway), which runs northwest-southeast and links Anaheim to Los Angeles and San Diego. Elongated east-west, Anaheim extends from prosperous Anaheim Hills (part of the Santa Ana Mountains) in the east to the city of Cypress in the west.

To the north side of I-5, the 19th-century downtown Colonial District is anchored by Pearson Park and forms the administrative center, with City Hall, the library and the Chamber of Commerce. The Anaheim Resort district (anchored by Disneyland, Anaheim GardenWalk and the Anaheim Convention Center) lies due south of I-5, with the ancillary Platinum District (anchored by Angel Stadium, the Honda Center and The Grove of Anaheim) to the east.

History

The city of Anaheim was founded in 1857 by Bavarian and German farmers, who established vineyards along the banks of the Santa Ana River. In the 1880s, a plague destroyed the vines, which were replaced by citrus orchards. Citrus soon came to dominate the local industry, leading to the name Orange County (established in 1889). The city of Anaheim was primarily an agricultural town until 1954, when pioneering Hollywood producer Walt Disney bought 160 acres/2 hectares of orange groves in order to build a fantasy theme park. Disneyland opened the following year and immediately established itself as the city's largest employer.

Anaheim's theme park history predates Disneyland, however. In 1934, Cornelia Knott established a fried-chicken restaurant on her husband's berry farm. Her boysenberry pies and jellies were a smash hit, and customers often waited in line. To keep them amused, Walter Knott built a Wild West Ghost Town. Additional themed attractions soon resulted in California's first theme park, known as Knott's Berry Farm.

The Disneyland resort area expanded rapidly in the 1990s with the backing of the city of Anaheim, which recognized the city's marketing value as a resort center. In 2001, Disney California Adventure opened. The Anaheim Walk of Fame opened in 2007 for the city's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary).

Potpourri

Anaheim gets its name from the river Santa Ana, astride which it was built, and heim, the German word for home. Hence, "home by the Santa Ana River."

Many of the streets in town are named for Polish actress Helena Modjeska and her friends, who settled in Anaheim in 1876 and established a short-lived Polish utopian.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland is only 77 ft/24 m tall but it looks much taller—the designers used a forced-perspective technique to enhance its apparent scale. It sparkles even on cloudy days because it is covered with 22-karat gold leaf.

Walt Disney had a personal apartment for himself built atop the fire station on Main Street. A light has been left on in the room ever since he died in 1966.

The Pirates of the Caribbean was the last ride at Disneyland whose construction was overseen by Walt Disney personally. It opened three months after Disney's death in 1967.

Anaheim is famous for its theme parks, but it is also home to 25 public parks on more than 600 landscaped acres/242 hectares, all free of charge. Highlights include pools, tennis courts, botanical gardens, dedicated pet play areas, baseball and soccer fields, imaginative playgrounds, cafes and snack bars.