Villa Park, California
Encyclopedia
Villa Park is a city in northern Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

, near and surrounded by the City of Orange
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...

, and close to Anaheim Hills
Anaheim Hills, Anaheim, California
Anaheim Hills is a planned community encompassing the eastern portions of the city of Anaheim, in Orange County, California.- Location :Anaheim Hills is located just south of Yorba Linda, California, opposite the 91 freeway at Imperial Highway. The western border is the 55 freeway opposite the...

, that incorporated in 1962. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 5,812, down from 5,999 at the 2000 census, achieving the status of the smallest city in Orange County by population (La Palma
La Palma, California
La Palma is a city located in northern Orange County, California. Incorporated on October 26, 1955, the population was 15,408 at the 2000 census...

 is Orange County's smallest city in area). Villa Park includes about 2,000 homes and the land is nearly 99% built out. The city is largely zoned for single-family residences and are located on larger lots that average about 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) or 1/2 acre in size. Within the City Limits there is one small shopping center that includes a Ralph's "Fresh Fare" grocery store, three banks, a pharmacy with a postal substation, and a variety of stores and offices. City Hall, including a community room, and a branch of the Orange County Public Library
Orange County Public Library
The OC Public Libraries is a network of communitylibraries in Orange County, California. With 34 branches covering the countyfrom the Pacific Coast to the inland canyons of Southern California,...

 are located adjacent to the City's only shopping Center. Also nearby are some professional offices, and three restaurants, including Rockwell's Cafe & Bakery.

There are a total of four public schools with the City, including Serrano and Villa Park Elementary Schools, Cerro Villa Middle School, and Villa Park High School. All four schools are operated by the Orange Unified School District
Orange Unified School District
Orange Unified School District is a public school district headquartered in Orange, California.Orange USD serves the cities of Orange and Villa Park, the unincorporated land of Silverado, and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and an unpopulated area of Yorba Linda...

, which also happens to be the largest employer within the City.

Perhaps ironically, there are no public parks within the entire City Limits. Many homes have pools or tennis courts, or both. Unlike the urban areas of Orange County which are situated west of the City, Villa Park has winding streets and it is known for having a rural feel with few sidewalks and limited street lights. Throughout the City are many many trees and flowers located in planted medians and parkways that contribute to a rural, green-belt like ambiance. Surrounded by the City of Orange, Villa Park appears as an enclave or "perforation" within the city of Orange. This is due largely to the fact that Villa Park's early unwillingness to annex land beyond Santiago Creek
Santiago Creek
Santiago Creek is a major watercourse in Orange County in the U.S. state of California. About long, it drains most of the northern Santa Ana Mountains and is a tributary to the Santa Ana River...

, to annex the lands east of a Southern California Edison Power Line Easement that sat between the City of Villa Park and Anaheim Hills, eventually being annexed by the City of Orange.

History

Members of the Tongva and Juaneño
Juaneño
The Juaneño or Acagchemem are a Native American group from Southern California. The Juaneño lived in what is now part of Orange and San Diego Counties and received their Spanish name from the priests of the California mission chain due to their proximity to Mission San Juan Capistrano...

/Luiseño nations long inhabited this area. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...

, a Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

 expedition led by Father Junipero Serra
Junípero Serra
Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...

 named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...

 became the areas first permanent Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an settlement in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...

, New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...

.
In 1810, the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

 granted 62500 acres (252.9 km²) to Jose Antonio Yorba
José Antonio Yorba
José Antonio Yorba , also known as Don José Antonio Yorba I, was a Spanish soldier and early settler of Spanish California.-Spanish Soldier:...

, which he named Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was a Spanish land concession in present day Orange County, California given by Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga in 1810 to Jose Antonio Yorba and his nephew Pablo Peralta...

. Yorba's great rancho included the lands where the cities of Olive, Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....

, Tustin
Tustin, California
-Top employers:According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Tustin had a population of 75,540. The population density was 6,816.7 people per square mile...

, Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...

 and Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...

 stand today.

After the Mexican-American war in 1848, Alta California became part of the United States in 1850 and American settlers arrived in this area.

Villa Park was known as "Mountain View" in the 1860s. The U.S. Post Office refused to allow the local post office to be called "Mountain View" because there was already a post office with that name in Northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 (Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...

), so the new local post office and the area came to be called Villa Park.

Originally Villa Park was an agricultural area producing, in turn, grapes, walnuts, apricots. Finally, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

 became the major crop for about 60 years. Citrus ranchers and their families molded Villa Park into a vital community and organized its incorporation to save it from what they felt were the unwelcome zoning practices from the eastward-moving city of Orange.

These ranchers established the Serrano Water District, which still provides Villa Park's water. (The district office is located on Lincoln Street.) They also founded the Villa Park Orchard's Association, still a thriving business in Orange, although the packing house that was the dominant Villa Park landmark for many years, located west of the shopping center, was torn down in 1983. The citrus groves yielded to the developers, but the pioneers left an enduring legacy in zoning for housing with lots of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²), that has been instrumental in shaping the city's character.

Geography

Villa Park is located at 33°48′58"N 117°48′40"W (33.816183, -117.811106).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all land.

Villa Park's boundaries are best described as Santiago Boulevard, which generally runs north-south, eastward to Santiago Creek and Cannon Street (Orange) or Imperial Highway (Anaheim Hills), and from Meats Avenue (north) southward to approximately Villa Park Road/Lincoln Avenue.

Government

The City is governed by five council members (Mayor Bill MacAloney, Mayor pro tem Rich Ullmer, Councilwoman Deborah Pauly, Councilman Jim Rhains and Councilman Brad Reese), each elected for four-year terms, who serve without pay and meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend and participate in these meetings and the political life of the City. Council agendas are posted on the bulletin board outside of the City Hall. There are also a full-time appointed City Managers, a small office staff, and a maintenance crew. Police, fire, legal, and engineering services are contracted for outside of the City.

Politics

In terms of voter registration, Villa Park is a Republican stronghold, as 66.0% of its 4,533 registered voters declared their affiliation with the party. 17.3% are registered Democrats, and 14.3% were unaffiliated voters.

Villa Park is part of the 40th Congressional District
California's 40th congressional district
California's 40th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Orange County. The district covers cities in the northern part of the county, including Fullerton, Orange, Cypress, Stanton, and Buena Park....

, which is represented in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Ed Royce
Ed Royce
Edward Randall "Ed" Royce is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 39th, serving in Congress since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district lies in northern Orange County, including portions of Stanton, Cypress, Buena Park, Fullerton, Anaheim, Placentia, and Orange...

, who has served in Congress since 1993. In the California State Legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

, the city is represented by Senator
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 Mimi Walters
Mimi Walters
Mimi K. Walters is a Republican State Senator from the state of California, representing the 33rd District since 2008. She previously served in the Assembly for four years from 2004 to 2008, where she served in the Republican leadership as Assistant Republican Leader and Vice Chair of the...

 (a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 from the 33rd Senate District) and Assemblyman
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 Curt Hagman
Curt Hagman
Curt Hagman is a Republican assemblyman from California's 60th State Assembly District The district includes all, or portions of Anaheim, Chino Hills, Diamond Bar, Industry, La Habra, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Orange, Rowland Heights, San Dimas, Villa Park, Walnut, Whittier, and Yorba...

 (a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 from the 60th Assembly District). On the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Villa Park is represented by the 3rd District's Bill Campbell
Bill Campbell (California politician)
William J. Campbell is a Republican politician from California. A former California State Assembly Republican Leader, he has served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors since 2003 and has served as Chairman of the Board since January 11, 2011 .Born in Los Angeles, Campbell grew up in...

.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Villa Park had a population of 5,812. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,796.6 people per square mile (1,079.8/km²). The racial makeup of Villa Park was 4,550 (78.3%) White, 42 (0.7%) African American, 34 (0.6%) Native American, 854 (14.7%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 162 (2.8%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 169 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 598 persons (10.3%).

The Census reported that 5,767 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 40 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 5 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,976 households, out of which 625 (31.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,525 (77.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 123 (6.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 80 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 36 (1.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, and 8 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 208 households (10.5%) were made up of individuals and 144 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92. There were 1,728 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

 (87.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.11.

The population was spread out with 1,164 people (20.0%) under the age of 18, 458 people (7.9%) aged 18 to 24, 845 people (14.5%) aged 25 to 44, 1,934 people (33.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,411 people (24.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.6 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

There were 2,016 housing units at an average density of 970.1 per square mile (374.5/km²), of which 1,886 (95.4%) were owner-occupied, and 90 (4.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%. 5,486 people (94.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 281 people (4.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 5,999 people, 1,950 households, and 1,764 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,844.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,097.7/km²). There were 2,008 housing units at an average density of 952.2 per square mile (367.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.40% White, 0.80% African American, 0.43% Native American, 12.92% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.90% of the population.

There were 1,950 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.5% were non-families. 7.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $116,203, and the median income for a family was $124,852. Males had a median income of $78,563 versus $46,667 for females.

Schools

  • Serrano Elementary School — Home of the Eagles
  • Villa Park Elementary — Home of the Bobcats
  • Cerro Villa Middle School
    Cerro Villa Middle School
    Cerro Villa Middle School is a middle school located in Villa Park, California. It is part of Orange Unified School District.- About CV :...

     — Home of the Vikings
  • Villa Park High School
    Villa Park High School
    Villa Park High School is a suburban public high school in Villa Park, California. The school was built in 1964 and is one of four comprehensive high schools in the Orange Unified School District. The campus serves students residing in Villa Park and portions of the cities of Orange and...

     — Home of the Spartans

Notable natives

  • Kevin Costner
    Kevin Costner
    Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

     graduated from Villa Park High School
    Villa Park High School
    Villa Park High School is a suburban public high school in Villa Park, California. The school was built in 1964 and is one of four comprehensive high schools in the Orange Unified School District. The campus serves students residing in Villa Park and portions of the cities of Orange and...

     in 1973.
  • Susan McCaw
    Susan McCaw
    Susan Rasinski McCaw is a former U.S. Ambassador to Austria. She was sworn in on November 30, 2005. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presided over the ceremony. McCaw officially assumed her post as Ambassador after presenting her diplomatic credentials to Austrian President Heinz...

    , US Ambassador to Austria
  • Aaron Boone
    Aaron Boone
    Aaron John Boone is a former Major League Baseball infielder whose famous home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield won the 2003 American League Championship Series for the New York Yankees. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Washington...

    , Major League Baseball Player
  • Bert Blyleven
    Bert Blyleven
    Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...

    , Major League Baseball player
  • Aaron Corp
    Aaron Corp
    Aaron Corp is an American football quarterback for the University of Richmond Spiders.-High school:Corp had an outstanding high school career at Orange Lutheran High School. A dual-threat quarterback, Corp completed 212-of-311 of his passes for 2,750 yards, 21 TDs and 7 interceptions, plus ran...

    , Richmond
    Richmond Spiders football
    The Richmond Spiders are a college football team representing the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the Division I Football Championship Subdivision champion for the 2008 season. Richmond currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I...

    quarterback
  • Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels 1st Baseman, graduated Villa Park High School

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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