Anaheim Hills

Orange County, with Anaheim shaded in grey and Anaheim Hills shaded in red.

Anaheim Hills is a residential community encompassing the eastern portions of the city of Anaheim, in Orange County, California. The Anaheim City Council includes the community under the Canyon and Hills Area General Plan, and is advised by the area's many governmental advisory boards, including the Anaheim Hills Citizens Coalition and the Canyon Hills Community Association. It covers an area just south of the 91 freeway to the Orange, California city border. Its western border is the 55 freeway and its eastern border extends to Gypsum Canyon and the Riverside County Line. Most homeowners belong to two different homeowners associations: the first focuses on the City's residential development, while the second maintains the landscaping and decorative street lighting that greatly distinguish Anaheim Hills from the rest of Anaheim. The City of Anaheim maintains a police substation and community center along Santa Ana Canyon Road. The area is also the location of the Anaheim Hills Golf Course, which recently underwent a complete remodeling and completion of Orange County's largest Golf Clubhouse, "The Hills of Anaheim Hills Golf Course," and is considered the centerpiece of the community.

History

File:Anaheimhills1925.jpg

Anaheim farmlands with Anaheim Hills in the background as it appeared in 1925

Prior to the modern era of Anaheim Hills which we have currently come to know, this region was owned by Jose' Antonio Yorba and his nephew Juan Pablo Peralta who worked the 210,000 acre Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda site in the early 1800's and was used as a livestock ranch. It would change hands several times before it finally was sold to Louis Nohl in 1943 by the Bixby family. Meanwhile in Anaheim, the big housing boom was pioneered by the building of Disneyland in 1955, and the extensive effort to bring an economy to Anaheim was introduced to prospective homeowners flocking to the area. During this period in time, Anaheim was looking to expand its borders to encompass more land, and the only way to head was east, which was the location of the mega Nohl Family farm. In 1970, Mr. Nohl sold the land to a desperate City of Anaheim in order to create a mega-community which was named Anaheim Hills, and was intended to provide the upper class citizens who brought in the profits from the selling of their valuable farmlands to developers of Orange Counties housing boom. In October of 1971, Texaco Industries indroduced an award winning revolutionary plan, which they called a "master planned community". A premium golf course, nature trails, sprawling estates, natural settings, and ranches were added to the Texaco Development plan which added to the appeal of this young community for potential homebuyers in the early 1970's, and were amentities that were uncommon to many other Southern California communities at that time. The first community to premiere was Westridge which showcased 325 homes in 1972, and sold within two years of its premiere, which created an exploding interest for the families wanting to live in the Anaheim Hills region. By the 1980's, Anaheim Hills had grown to 15,000 residents. And today, several thousand more homes have been added to accommodate its growing population.

Geography and climate

The highest point in Anaheim Hills is Point Premier which is 1,921 feet above sea level. The lowest point is 231 feet above sea level, centered at the East Anaheim Post Office. The median July average high temperature is 90.0 degrees, and the January average low is 39.6 degrees. Anaheim Hills averages 15.02 inches of precipitation annually, spanned over an average of 33 rainy days. Of that 15.02 inches, only 0.04 inches fall as snow. The community is set on the Mediterranean/Desert Climatical Border of the Southwestern quadrant of California.

Other notes

Anaheim Hills has several distinct features that make it a unique community. First, it is set in the rolling hills that line the Santa Ana Mountains, which provides great views of surrounding Orange County basins. It is also known for its expensive, upscale shops and numerous mansions that occupy almost every hillside. "The Hills" also boast the safest zip code in Orange County, 92808, which makes Anaheim Hills a virtually crime free area. Another interesting feature is that it is one of only a few of Orange County's notably wealthy inland communities. The majority of the counties wealthy class live in coastal communities like Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, Seal Beach, and San Clemente. In fact, Anaheim Hills exceeds the median home value of most of these coastal communities. It also has one of Orange Counties largest outdoor plazas, The Anaheim Hills Festival, which houses 200 stores, restaurants, and other services. Anaheim Hills is comprised of two zip codes, 92807 which serves the western portions of Anaheim Hills, and 92808 which serves the eastern portion of Anaheim Hills. Not all parts of the 92807 zip code are included in Anaheim Hills. Only those residents that live south of the 91 freeway in the 92807 zip code are in the Anaheim Hills vicinity.

Postal designation

Although residents typically identify themselves as living in "Anaheim Hills" (as opposed to "Anaheim"), the name is not accepted by the United States Postal Service for use in a mailing address; according to their online ZIP Code Lookup, only "Anaheim" is acceptable. Two postal service substations are located in the community.

Economy

The economy of Anaheim Hills is small in comparison to that of the rest of the city of Anaheim, with such attractions as Disneyland and two professional sports teams drawing substantial income. Much of Anaheim Hills' commercial activity is in the Anaheim Hills Festival, an outdoor, upscale mall located along Santa Ana Canyon Road. As is typical of a community of this size, Anaheim Hills has several business districts located throughout. The community's central location has made it a popular site for corporate headquarters and various branches of these companies, including Eastwood Insurance, Lasco Bathware, Fremont, DR Horton Southern California, and others.

Education

The school system has performed well in stardardized testing, and has performed above average when comparing their test results to 100 schools of similar demographics, and it is part of the Orange Unified School District. Anaheim Hills' middle school, El Rancho Charter School, has placed first in the Southern California state Science Olympiad competition for nine consecutive years. Meanwhile, the Canyon High School baseball team continues its ten year streak of CIF qualifications and wins, and is well-known locally for being the best high school in North Orange County, and one of Southern California's finest High Schools.

Demographics

Population	53,997
Caucasian/White	69.4%
Asian	20.8%
Hispanic	3.9%
African American	1.8%
Other	4.1%
Median household income	$102,000
Median House Value	$994,000 (as of May 2006)
Total Land	17.6 square miles
Total Water	1.37 square miles
Total Area	18.97 square miles

Anaheim Hills has a population of 53,997 residents, and 18,003 residential units, with an average number of 3 occupants per household. Anaheim Hills has a total land area of 18.97 square miles. Of that 18.97 square miles, 1.37 square miles is water, and 17.6 square miles is land. The population density is 992.9 residents per km². Anaheim Hills is 67% built to maximum capacity, with 33% open space remaining. The median home in Anaheim Hills is valued at $994,000 as of May 2006, which far exceeds the national average and Orange County median home price. The demographics for Anaheim Hills' population is 69.4% Caucasian/White, 20.8% Asian, 3.9% Hispanic, 1.8% African American, and 4.1% Other. The average household income is $102,000 which is above the average income in Orange County. The average home size is 2,997 square feet and the average lot size is 9,120 square feet. Of the 53,997 residents, 1.2% of the residents live at or below the poverty line, compared to 10.3% in all of Orange County. 81% of those that live below the povery line are residents over 60 years of age.

Communities

Anaheim Hills contains many communities calling home to residences worth several million dollars, including Peralta Hills, Hidden Canyon, Copa de Oro, Viewpointe, Vista del Sol, Pointe Premier (highest point in Anaheim Hills), and the soon-to-be-built Village of Fiesole and Villa Palatino. Almost all areas in Anaheim Hills boast homes worth at least $1,000,000, and many areas in nearby Anaheim contain homes of much lesser value, which is what makes Anaheim Hills distictly different from its counterpart, Anaheim.

Mountain Park

Another notable community addition coming to Anaheim Hills is the Mountain Park Development pioneered by the Irvine Company. It will be the final master planned community offered in Orange County, California, and will encompass 2,500 homes, a shopping district, and an elementary school. It will push Anaheim Hills to the Riverside, California border, and will push the population of Anaheim Hills to a staggering total of 62,000 residents, which is pretty sizeable for any community. The development is set on a location that was selected as the prison for Southern California in the 1960's, but due to the economical growth in Orange County, the project was abandoned, and this abandonment gave way for the growth in the Anaheim Hills area in the 1970's.

External links

• "The Community of Anaheim Hills"