Garden Grove, California
Christ Cathedral
Flag of Garden Grove, California
Official seal of Garden Grove, California
Official logo of Garden Grove, California
Motto(s): 
Absit Invidia (Latin), "The City Of Youth And Ambition"
Location of Garden Grove in Orange County, California
Location of Garden Grove in Orange County, California
Garden Grove is located in the United States
Garden Grove
Garden Grove
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°46′44″N 117°57′37″W / 33.77889°N 117.96028°W / 33.77889; -117.96028
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyOrange
Founded1874
IncorporatedJune 18, 1956[1]
Government
  TypeCouncil–manager
  MayorSteven R. Jones (R)
  Mayor Pro TemGeorge S. Brietigam III
  City council
  • John R. O'Neill
  • Cindy Ngoc Tran
  • Joe DoVinh
  • Stephanie Klopfenstein
  • Kim B. Nguyen (D)
  City ManagerLisa L. Kim [2]
  Deputy City ManagerMaria Stipe
Area
  Total17.98 sq mi (46.56 km2)
  Land17.96 sq mi (46.51 km2)
  Water0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)  0.10%
Elevation89 ft (27 m)
Population
  Total171,949
  Rank5th in Orange County
31st in California
  Density9,558.08/sq mi (3,690.40/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
  Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Codes[6]
92840–92846
Area codes657/714
FIPS code06-29000
GNIS feature IDs1660662, 2410568
Websiteggcity.org

Garden Grove is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 171,949 at the 2020 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city in an east–west direction. The western portion of the city is known as West Garden Grove.

History

Garden Grove, c. 1950s

19th century

Garden Grove was founded by Alonzo Cook in 1874. A school district and Methodist church were organized that year. It remained a small rural crossroads and farming community until the arrival of the Pacific Electric Railroad in 1905. The rail connection helped the town prosper with the influx of tourists, visitors and eventually settlers,[7] and it was noted for its crops of oranges, walnuts, chili peppers and later strawberries.[8]

20th century

In 1933, much of the town's central business district was destroyed by the Long Beach earthquake, and one person was killed at the high school. The post-World War II boom led to rapid development, and Garden Grove was incorporated as a city in 1956 with about 44,000 residents.

In 1956, Orange County Plaza (now The Promenade) was opened at Chapman and Brookhurst, and upon its expansion in 1959, it had 60 stores, including a J. C. Penney, 2 variety stores and 2 supermarkets, and billed itself as both the largest and the first regional shopping center in Orange County.[9][10][11]

Geography

Garden Grove has a rugged set of boundaries with many panhandles. The West Garden Grove neighborhood is west of Beach Boulevard and is largely separated from the rest of Garden Grove by the city of Stanton, with a small bridge of jurisdiction linking the two along Garden Grove Boulevard. A panhandle in the southern part of the town's borders situated between Westminster's Ward Street to the west and Santa Ana's Euclid Street to the east creates a small border with the city of Fountain Valley. Other neighboring cities include Cypress and Anaheim to the north, Orange to the east, and the cities of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos to the west.[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.5 km2 (18.0 sq mi), 0.10% of which is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
196084,238
1970121,15543.8%
1980123,3071.8%
1990143,05016.0%
2000165,19615.5%
2010170,8833.4%
2020171,9490.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

2010

The 2010 United States Census[14] reported that Garden Grove had a population of 170,883. The population density was 9,515.3 inhabitants per square mile (3,673.9/km2). The racial makeup of Garden Grove was 68,149 (39.9%) White, 2,155 (1.3%) Black, 983 (0.6%) Native American, 63,451 (37.1%) Asian, 1,110 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 28,916 (16.9%) from other races, and 6,119 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63,079 persons (36.9%). Non-Hispanic whites were 22.6% of the population,[15] down from 90.6% in 1970.[16] Vietnamese Americans numbered 47,331 of the population. At 27.7% this was the highest concentration of any city in the United States except for adjacent Westminster.

The Census reported that 168,942 people (98.9% of the population) lived in households, 1,234 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 707 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 46,037 households, out of which 21,361 (46.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 26,659 (57.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 6,866 (14.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,588 (7.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,025 (4.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 269 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,491 households (14.1%) were made up of individuals, and 2,842 (6.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.67. There were 37,113 families (80.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.94.

The population was spread out, with 43,763 people (25.6%) under the age of 18, 17,383 people (10.2%) aged 18 to 24, 49,105 people (28.7%) aged 25 to 44, 42,106 people (24.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 18,526 people (10.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 7.7 males.

There were 47,755 housing units at an average density of 2,659.1 per square mile (1,026.7/km2), of which 26,240 (57.0%) were owner-occupied, and 19,797 (43.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 96,308 people (56.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 72,634 people (42.5%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Garden Grove had a median household income of $59,988, with 15.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[17]

Economy

According to the city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[18] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of employees
1 Great Wolf Lodge Southern California 700
2 Air Industries Corp. 625
3 Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center 516
4 Hyatt Regency Orange County 424
5 GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. 409
6 Safran Cabin 350
7 Costco 323
8 Full Clip 310
9 Walmart 272
10 Lutheran Social Services of Southern CA 250

Arts and culture

Garden Grove is home to two stage theaters, the Gem Theater and the Festival Amphitheater. The Festival Amphitheater hosts Shakespeare Orange County, which presents an annual Shakespeare Festival each summer. Both venues are owned by the City of Garden Grove, but operated by outside entities. The Gem Theater is currently operated by Damien Lorton and Nicole Cassesso of 'One More Productions'. The Festival Amphitheater is managed by Thomas Bradac, the producing artistic director of Shakespeare Orange County.

The Garden Grove Playhouse used to be an active theatre, now closed down. It was operated by a non-profit group of the same name.

An annual event held over Memorial Day weekend, the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival is one of the largest community festivals in the western United States, attracting an estimated 250,000 visitors.[19][20] It began in 1958 and celebrates the city's agricultural past, which includes cultivating crops such as chili peppers, oranges, walnuts and strawberries. Part of the festivities include the cutting of the world's largest strawberry shortcake, carnival rides, food vendors, live music, and a celebrity-filled parade.[21][22] Numerous Garden Grove organizations, including the Miss Garden Grove Scholarship Program, are part of the Memorial Day weekend festivities every year. In commemoration of Garden Grove's 50th anniversary, the city painted some of its fire hydrants with a design that featured a strawberry, recognizing the festival as a big part of Garden Grove's history.[23][24]

Government

Local government

Garden Grove uses a council-manager form of government. In July 2015, the city was sued by a resident who claimed that the longstanding at-large elections had affected the Latino vote and was in violation of the California Voting Rights Act. On January 26, 2016, the city council voted to settle the lawsuit, and therefore adopted that council members would be voted by district (six districts total) and no longer at-large; the mayor, however, will continue to be elected at-large.[25] The city council consists of mayor Steve Jones, Phat Bui, George S. Brietigam III, John R. O'Neill, Thu-Ha Nguyen, Stephanie Klopfenstein, and mayor pro tem Kim B. Nguyen.[26] According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $206.0 million in revenues, $193.0 million in expenditures, $1,098.9 million in total assets, $251.5 million in total liabilities, and $196.3 million in cash and investments.[27]

State and federal representation

In the California State Senate, Garden Grove is in the 36th Senate District, represented by Republican Janet Nguyen.

In the California State Assembly, Garden Grove is in the 70th Assembly District, represented by Republican Tri Ta.

In the United States House of Representatives, Garden Grove is in California's 45th congressional district, represented by Republican Michelle Steel.

Politics

According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 22, 2018, Garden Grove has 72,768 registered voters. Of those, 26,604 (36.56%) are registered Democrats, 21,449 (29.48%) are registered Republicans, and 21,941 (30.15%) have declined to state a political party/are independents.[28]

Although Democrat Kamala Harris easily won California and also won Orange County in the 2016 United States Senate election, Democrat Loretta Sanchez easily won Garden Grove by a 67%–33% margin, her widest margin of victory for any city in Orange County.[29]

Education

The Garden Grove Unified School District serves most of the city, as well as the Westminster School District, Huntington Beach Union High School District, Anaheim Elementary School District, Anaheim Union High School District and the Orange Unified School District, which serves portions in Garden Grove.

King of Kings Lutheran School is a Christian school (preK–8th grade) of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) in Garden Grove.[30]

Infrastructure

Emergency services

The Garden Grove Police Department provides law enforcement, with mutual aid assistance offered at times by the Anaheim Police Department's helicopter and the Orange County Sheriff's Department Air Unit.

In August 2019, the city of Garden Grove entered into a 10-year contract with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for fire and rescue services, and merged all existing Garden Grove Fire Department personnel and equipment into the OCFA.[31]

Notable people

Entertainment

Sports

Politics

  • Jim Silva, former California Assemblyman, former Member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, former Mayor of Seal Beach
  • Bill Thomas, retired U.S. Congressman and former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee (and alumnus of Garden Grove High School)
  • Robert K. Dornan, former U.S. Congressman.[33]
  • Janet Nguyen, Orange County supervisor
  • Curt Pringle, former State Assemblyman, Speaker of the California State Assembly and former mayor of Anaheim
  • Paul Jeffrey Watford, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Assumed office May 22, 2012, born in Garden Grove August 25, 1967

Others

Sister City

See also

References

  1. "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. "Next City Manager 2023".
  3. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. "Garden Grove". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  5. "Garden Grove (city) QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  6. "ZIP Code(tm) Lookup". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  7. "History of Garden Grove, From Community to Town". ggcity.org. Garden Grove City. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  8. "Garden Grove | California, United States". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  9. "Merchants announce new store opening". Los Angeles Times. October 28, 1956. p. 131.
  10. "Orange County Plaza Center will have two supermarkets". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. February 23, 1959. p. 53.
  11. "Sixty Stores Assures Wide Buying Choice". Los Angeles Times. April 26, 1959.
  12. "City Boundaries". Orange County GIS. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  13. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Garden Grove city". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  15. "Garden Grove (city), California". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  16. "Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012.
  17. "Garden Grove (City) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  18. "City of Garden Grove ACFR" (PDF).
  19. Bharath, Deepa (May 27, 2010). "Strawberry Festival kicks off today". The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  20. "About us". Garden Grove Strawberry Festival website. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  21. Garden Grove Strawberry Festival- EVENTS Archived August 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 20, 2011
  22. "History - Strawberry Festival". Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  23. "Turning Golden". Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  24. "Showing off fire hydrants painted to note the city's 50th anniversary". March 6, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  25. Vo, Thy (January 27, 2016). "Garden Grove Mayor Will Continue to be Elected on At-Large Basis". The Voice of OC. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  26. "City of Garden Grove Mayor and Council Members". City of Garden Grove. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  27. "City of Garden Grove CAFR" (PDF).
  28. "CA Secretary of State – Report of Registration – October 22, 2018" (PDF). ca.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  29. "SOV.xls" (PDF). www.ocvote.com. 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  30. "Home". King of Kings Lutheran School in Garden Grove, CA.
  31. "City Approves Move to OCFA | City of Garden Grove". ggcity.org.
  32. "The Kids Aren't Alright by The Offspring". Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  33. Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1987). The Almanac of American Politics 1988. National Journal. p. 166.
  34. "Retail religion". The Economist. April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  35. "Garden Grove to Anyang". Garden Grove Sister City Association.
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