Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of January 1, 2008, the city population was about 346,823, making it the 10th most-populated city in California and ranked 54th in the United States. The city anticipates that the population will surpass 400,000 by 2014 due to rapid development in its Platinum Triangle area as well as in Anaheim Hills area. Anaheim is the second most populous city in Orange County (behind Santa Ana) and second largest in terms of land area, and it is known for its theme parks, sports teams, and convention center.
Founded by fifty German families in 1857 and incorporated on February 10, 1870, Anaheim developed into an industrial center, producing electronics, aircraft parts, and canned fruit. It is the site of the Disneyland Resort, a world-famous grouping of theme parks and hotels which opened in 1955, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Honda Center, and Anaheim Convention Center, the largest convention center on the American west coast. Its name is a blend of "Ana", after the nearby Santa Ana River, and "heim", a common German place name compound originally meaning "home".
Anaheim's city limits stretch from Cypress in the west to the Riverside County line in the east and encompass a diverse collection of neighborhoods and communities. Anaheim Hills is a highly wealthy master-planned community that is home to many sports stars and executives located in the city's eastern stretches. West Anaheim is notable for its more mature neighborhoods dating from the 1950s, which comprise part of the continuous suburban sprawl extending from Los Angeles. The Anaheim Resort, a commercial district, includes Disneyland and the neighboring hotel and retail complexes. The Platinum Triangle, a neo-urban redevelopment district surrounding Angel Stadium, is planned to be populated with mixed-use streets and high-rises. Finally, The Canyon is an industrial district north of the Riverside Freeway and east of the Orange Freeway. |
