Garden Grove

History

Rancho Las Bolsas was a land grant under Mexican governance that primarily dealt in cattle ranching in the central Orange County floodplains. Native inhabitants were displaced under the Spanish colonization and Mexican land grants. Garden Grove was founded by Alonzo Cook in 1874. A school district and Methodist church were organized that year. It remained a small rural crossroads and farming community until the arrival of the Pacific Electric Railroad in 1905. The rail connection helped the town prosper with the influx of tourists, visitors and eventually settlers, and it was noted for its crops of oranges, walnuts, chili peppers and later strawberries. In 1933, much of the town's central business district was destroyed by the Long Beach earthquake, and one person was killed at the high school. The post-World War II boom led to rapid development, and Garden Grove was incorporated as a city in 1956 with about 44,000 residents. In 1956, Orange County Plaza (now The Promenade) was opened at Chapman and Brookhurst, and upon its expansion in 1959, it had 60 stores, including a J. C. Penney, 2 variety stores and 2 supermarkets, and billed itself as both the largest and the first regional shopping center in Orange County. During the 1970s, Korean Americans began to move into Garden Grove, in several waves of migration.

Geography

Garden Grove has a rugged set of boundaries with many panhandles. The West Garden Grove neighborhood is west of Beach Boulevard and is largely separated from the rest of Garden Grove by the city of Stanton, with a small bridge of jurisdiction linking the two along Garden Grove Boulevard. A panhandle in the southern part of the town's borders situated between Westminster's Ward Street to the west and Santa Ana's Euclid Street to the east creates a small border with the city of Fountain Valley. Other neighboring cities include Cypress and Anaheim to the north, Orange to the east, and the cities of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 0.10% of which is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  95,805
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  89,111
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  89,109
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  73,240
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  71,340
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  69,706
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  63,487
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  60,901

Largest nearby schools

• Fountain Valley High
  High · Fountain Valley · 3,180 students · 26.3:1 ratio
• Santa Ana High
  High · Santa Ana · 3,135 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Los Alamitos High
  High · Los Alamitos · 3,055 students · 25.5:1 ratio
• Cypress High
  High · Cypress · 2,820 students · 24.5:1 ratio
• Huntington Beach High
  High · Huntington Beach · 2,807 students · 26.2:1 ratio
• Anaheim High
  High · Anaheim · 2,750 students · 21:1 ratio
• Westminster High
  High · Westminster · 2,637 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• Katella High
  High · Anaheim · 2,587 students · 23.5:1 ratio