History Of Anaheim, California

Many people credit Walt Disney with putting Anaheim on the map by establishing Disneyland in 1955. But a group of German immigrants marked the city’s first claim to fame more than 100 years ago with wine grapes. Founded in 1857, the Anaheim colony was situated on 1,165 acres. Settlers voted to call the community Anaheim, the “anna” referring to the Santa Ana River and “heim” meaning home in German. The name later was changed slightly, to Anaheim. According to “The Orange County Experience,’ by Louis Reichman and Gary Cardinale, the community quickly grew into what was then the state’s wine capital, Within 10 years, the German colony had 47 wineries and scores of vineyards. Unfortunately, a rash of plant viruses in the 1880s killed off most of the grapes, and residents began growing oranges. Farmers initially hired Yaqui Indians from Mexico to dig ditches, then brought in Chinese laborers to work the crops. The Chinese carved out their own community near what is now downtown Anaheim, and set up businesses as merchants, tailors, barbers and laundry operators, according to Her Pruett, Anaheim Museum director. Anaheim was content with citrus crops until 1955, when the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway and Disneyland opened. City leaders immediately invested in tourism. Today, the city spans 46 square miles and has over 311,000 residents, making it the largest and most populated city in Orange County. It is also the wealthiest, with more than $1 billion in city assets. The city-owned Anaheim Convention center has just completed a three year expansion and renovation, this new jewel has quickly become known as a regional architectural landmark.Information Provided by Orangecounty.net)