But Anaheim didn’t start out being so fanciful. German settlers founded the Anaheim colony in 1857. Wine grapes were their first product, but when diseases devastated their vineyards, they turned to other crops, particularly oranges.
As more and more people moved to Los Angeles, lured by the mild climate and glamorous lifestyle associated with the emerging movie industry, rail lines and highways were built connecting L.A.’s downtown with outlying communities, spurring development of suburbs in and around Anaheim. Things really took off when Walt Disney opened his first theme park here in 1955, transforming the area into a major tourist destination.
Today Anaheim offers an array of accommodations—from budget motels to luxurious theme park-adjacent lodgings. Most non-Disney properties line busy Harbor Boulevard, Ball Road and Katella Avenue, an area known as the Anaheim Resort District. Familiar brands (Best Western, Howard Johnson, etc.) stand cheek by jowl with family-friendly chain and local restaurants.
Some advice: If you're on vacation solely to visit Disneyland® Resort, there's no need to get a rental car for your trip. Anaheim Resort Transit (“ART”) is a 22-route bus network linking nearly everything of visitor interest, including the Anaheim Convention Center and Garden Grove's Christ Cathedral. If you want to travel to neighboring cities and O.C.'s beaches, Hertz offices are at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel and at 221 W. Katella Ave.; phone (800) 654-3080.
Anaheim’s revitalized downtown now boasts modern apartment/condo lofts, a sprinkling of shops, places to eat and Muzeo, a museum and cultural center. Fun places to go are concentrated along Center Street Promenade and in the nearby Anaheim Packing District, where historic buildings enjoy new life as hipster hangouts and gourmet shops. Focus of all the trendy action is Anaheim Packing House, a repurposed citrus packing plant that draws throngs as a bustling food hall where you can savor soul food, ramen noodles or spicy Indian curry.
Angel Stadium of Anaheim (home of the Los Angeles Angels) and the Honda Center (home ice for the NHL Ducks) occupy the city's so-called Platinum Triangle along with the eye-catching Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC). You'll recognize ARTIC, the newest city landmark, by its soaring glass entrance hall beneath an arched roof made of inflated plastic pillows. At night the center glows with hundreds of colored lights.
Other Orange County communities offer their own fun things to do just a short drive away. Knott’s Berry Farm arrived on the theme park scene years before Disney in nearby Buena Park, and the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda is a must for history buffs.
Of course, the O.C. is known for its natural beauty as well, with the area’s first tourists arriving to relax on its incredible beaches. Huntington Beach celebrates California surf culture, claiming the title “Surf City, USA.” Newport Beach has managed to preserve the look and feel of a quaint seaside resort from another century while offering a host of fun things to do with kids. And ritzy Laguna Beach is known for art galleries, beachfront restaurants and a beautiful bluff-top park overlooking the Pacific.
Although folks on either side of the Los Angeles-Orange County line talk about an “Orange Curtain,” a physical barrier between the two is as imaginary as Disney’s friendly talking mice. In fact, the two counties are part of the same metro area, and Anaheim is a mere 26 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Visitors can get a taste of a big, glitzy city with its skyscrapers, urban vibe and exciting nightlife, and still easily add on some theme park thrills in Orange County within a single vacation.