City of Garden Grove

Welcome to the City of Garden Grove's official website. Garden Grove is a vibrantly progressive and growing city located just south of Los Angeles in Orange County, California. Our motto, "The City of Youth and Ambition," accurately reflects this culturally diverse community of over 170,000 people. Garden Grove is home to four annual cultural festivals that celebrate the Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, and American heritage. Garden Grove's Strawberry Festival, now more than 45 years old, is the largest community-based Memorial Day event in the western United States.

Garden Grove is conveniently located less than one mile away from Disneyland, seven miles from Knott's Berry Farm, nine miles from local beaches, and 10 miles from John Wayne Airport. The beautiful Mojave Desert and San Bernardino Mountains are also just a short drive away.

Schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District have been rated as some of the best and safest in the County. With 45 elementary schools, nine junior high schools, eight high schools, and five community colleges, Garden Grove can meet all of your family's educational needs.

The City of Garden Grove has many services to offer its community, including employment assistance, educational programs, recreational programs, and family entertainment. Garden Grove has 7 fire stations and 13 police stations/substations helping to make our city one of the safest places to live in California. The City's staff of over 626 full-time employees is supported by more than 100 community-minded volunteers.

Our community has a proud reputation for its outstanding commitment to volunteerism. Garden Grove is home to the highest number of churches and places of worship per capita in California, including the world-famous Crystal Cathedral. With safe streets, warm, sunny weather year-round, and religious and cultural diversity; it's no wonder that residents consider Garden Grove a good place to call home. To learn more about Garden Grove and all we have to offer, simply click on the links below.

Located in Orange County, California, the City of Garden Grove (17.8 sq. miles) is home to over 170,000 residents and is a friendly, spirited and balanced community rich in diversity -- a city with a view to the future. Incorporated June 18, 1956, next year the City will celebrate 50 years of cityhood and 132 years since the founding of Garden Grove in 1874 by Dr. Alonzo Cook. The city motto is "City of Youth and Ambition." The city flower is the Orange Tropicana Rose and the city tree is Flame Coral

Demographics

Permanent settlement established: 1874
City incorporation date: June 18, 1956
City Hall Address: 11222 Acacia Parkway, Garden Grove, CA 92840
General Information: 714/741-5000
Government Design: Council-Manager Form
Land Area: 17.8 square miles
Elevation: 85 feet
Average Minimum Temperature: 65
Average Maximum Temperature: 80
Average Annual Rainfall: 12.6 inches

 

 

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Recreation

Parks (165 Acres): 20
Athletic Fields, plus some combined with schools: 2
Municipal Golf Course: 1
Municipal Tennis Courts, plus area school courts: 8
Swimming Pools: 3
Multipurpose /Soccer Fields: 12
Baseball Fields: 10
Softball Fields: 4
Rollerhockey Rinks: 3
Arena Soccer Complex: 1
Community Picnic Shelter: 1
Outdoor Basketball Courts: 10

 

 

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Libraries

Libraries: 3
Including an Orange County Regional Branch
Library Holdings: 162,000 items

 

 

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Schools

Garden Grove Unified School District
Elementary: 45
Junior High: 9
High Schools: 8
Special Education: 2
Adult Education: 2
Community Colleges: 5

 

 

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Education Level

Median Years Completed: 12.6
High School Graduates: 38.5%
1-3 Years College: 44%
4 Years College: 20%

 

 

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Population

Total: 169,196 (2000)
Male: 50.1%
Female: 49.9%

 

 

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Business Information

Assessed Full Valuation
00-01: $6,894,187,909
99-00: $6,389,043,331
98-99: $5,984,389,804

 

 

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Building Activity (2000)

Valuation Figures Based On Permits Issued
Residential: $16,080,619
Commercial: $69,699,637
Total: $85,780,256

 

 

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Retail Sales Taxable Sales (1999)

(In Thousands)
Apparel Stores: $18,474
General Merchandise: $163,494
Food Stores: $61,498
Eating/Drinking: $125,709
Home Furnishing/Appliances: $20,649
Building Materials/Farm Imp: $79,406
Automobile Supplies: $267,658
Service Stations: $96,043
Other Retail: $90,107
Retail Total: $923,038
All Other Outlets: $426,725

TOTALS..............$1,349,763

 

 

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2001 Top Businesses (By number of employees)

Garden Grove Hospital: 700
C & D Aerospace & Plastics: 635
Air Industry Corp: 520
Crystal Cathedral: 500
SHURflo: 410
Pilkington Aerospace: 400
Money Mailers: 450
Boise Cascade: 360
Saint Gobain Performance Plastics: 650
Leiner Health Products: 400
Hyatt Regency Alicante Hotel: 315

 

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Commercial / Industrial

Retail Centers: 19
Large Hotels: 7, # Rooms: 2,438
Auditoriums, Convention Halls: 3
Industrial Parks: 5
Industrial Area: 690 acres
Water System: 9.8 billion gallons per year

 

 

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Housing Figures

Number of Households: 45,791
People per household: 3.56

Median Home Value (2000): $231,050
Median Rental Costs (2000): $867
Average Household Income (2000): $52,733

 

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Household Size

Married Householder: 59.7%
Female Householder: 13%, Male Householder: 6.0%
Householders Alone: 15.2%, Over-65 Householders: 6%

Total Work Force (1998): 75,729

 

 

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Top Occupations

Manufacturing, Durable: 14,042
Retail Trade: 11,951

Construction: 5,072
Financial/Ins/Real Estate: 5,032
Business/Repair Services: 4,781
Professional/Health/Related: 4,260
Education: 3,686

 

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Fire Stations: 7
Fire Department Employees: 96
Police Locations (including field offices): 13

Police Department

Sworn Employees: 175

Civilian: 71

 

History

 

Spanish soldiers commanded by Gaspar de Portola first discovered Orange County as they made their way north across California in 1769. During their journey, the soldiers camped on a wide grassy plain east of present day Garden Grove. They named the area the Santa Ana Valley and claimed the state of California as a possession of Spain. The Santa Ana Valley was divided into ranchos as some of the soldiers settled in the area.

In 1822, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and California became a province of Mexico. It was the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, that made all of California a territory of the United States of America. In 1850, California became the 31st state in the union.

A businessman named Abel Stearns bought large tracts of land in Southern California in 1868 and divided some of it into smaller lots to sell to settlers. In 1874, Alonzo Cook purchased 160 acres of land in the area for about $15 an acre. Recognized as Garden Grove's Founding Father, he later donated land north of Main Street and Garden Grove Boulevard for use as the site of the first schoolhouse and post office. Cook suggested the name "Garden Grove" for the school and surrounding village. Some countered that the name did not fit the open terrain. Cook responded, "We'll make it appropriate by planting trees and making it beautiful."

From Community to Town
By the time Orange County incorporated in 1889, the Garden Grove area had a population of about 200. It continued as a quiet farming community into the 20th Century, when in 1905, the Pacific Electric Railroad came through Garden Grove. The railroad brought tourists, visitors, and before long, more settlers. Soon after came the first telephone, gas and electric services for the residents near Main Street.

During the next 40 years, agriculture continued as the town's main economy. Although ideally located in the center of the county, Garden Grove's growth was slowed by two disasters during those years. The first was in 1916, when the center of town was flooded and came under about four feet of water after days of heavy rains. Then, in 1933, another disaster damaged the old town section of Garden Grove when an earthquake struck. Following each of these catastrophes, however, the residents joined in spirit and labor to repair the damage and continue the progress of Garden Grove.

Population Explosion
World War II had an important impact on city growth. Servicemen who had visited California during their training for war came back to settle and raise their families. Available land and low prices caused a sudden building boom, making Garden Grove the fastest growing city in the nation in the 1950s. As the area grew, its rural nature changed to a more modern society and the need for city government was evident.

Garden Grove Becomes a City
Residents formally decided to incorporate their town on June 18, 1956, to become the City of Garden Grove. Since incorporation, the pioneer spirit has continued to be part of life for Garden Grove. At the time of the 1960 census, Garden Grove had a population of nearly 44,000. Today, the population is over 170,000. That makes Garden Grove the fifth largest city in Orange County and the 18th largest in the State. The community is a dynamic and thriving city with a strong sense of its roots based on its colorful history.