Westminster

History

Westminster was founded in 1870 by Rev. Lemuel Webber as a Presbyterian temperance colony. The name is derived from the Westminster Assembly of 1643, which established the basic tenets of the Presbyterian faith. During the early years of its history, farmers refused to harvest grapes since they associated grapes with alcohol. During the late 1800s, arable land held dairy farms alongside agricultural plots which cultivated walnuts, strawberries, celery, and lima beans until they were replaced by the sugar beet industry at the turn of the century. A change in tariffs laws along with an influx of beet pests resulted in the collapse of the Southern California Sugar Beet Industry and was supplemented by goldfish farms. Westminster was incorporated in 1957, at which time it had 10,755 residents. Originally, the city was named Tri-City because it was to be the amalgamation of three cities: Westminster, Barber City, and Midway City. Midway City ultimately refused incorporation, leaving only Barber City to be absorbed into the new city, which changed its name to Westminster in a vote just five months later. The former Barber City was located in the western portion of the current city of Westminster. The city has attracted large numbers of immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ+ groups due to historic accessibility and community that had been built. Westminster hosts a portion of Little Saigon, the largest population of ethnically Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. The heart of the enclave runs along Bolsa Avenue, (one of the first Vietnamese businesses on the street) and cultural icons like Asian Garden Mall (also known as Phước Lộc Thọ) line the street. The area is the first officially recognized Vietnamese business enclave.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The San Diego Freeway and a short segment of the Garden Grove Freeway pass through Westminster. Westminster is bordered by the city of Seal Beach on the west, by Garden Grove on the north and east, and by Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley on the south. Santa Ana, the county seat of Orange County, is east of Westminster, although a small portion of Garden Grove lies between the two cities. Westminster borders the unincorporated area of Midway City, except for a small portion where Midway City borders Huntington Beach on the south. The Little Saigon district of the town is mostly situated on Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia Street and Brookhurst Street.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  92,262
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  87,673
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  85,667
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  71,152
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  70,448
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  65,304
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  59,638
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  56,127

Most recent

• M 2.77 — 2026-10-15
  3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CA
• M 2.71 — 2026-10-11
  4 km E of San Jacinto, CA
• M 3.16 — 2026-10-09
  2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA
• M 2.7 — 2026-10-08
  2 km WNW of Fontana, CA
• M 2.51 — 2026-10-05
  31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
• M 2.81 — 2026-10-05
  32 km SW of Dana Point, CA