Anaheim,
now the tenth largest city in California, began in 1857 as a
colony of German farmers and vintners. Founding member George
Hansen surveyed the original 200 acres which now comprises the
city's downtown area, bounded by North, South, East and West
streets. The city's name is a composition of "Ana"
from the nearby Santa Ana river and "heim," German
for home. Those early pioneers considered this location their
"home by the river."
Farming
was their occupation and lifestyle. Among the crops for the
first few decades were grapes grown for wine. But a plague in
the 1870's wiped out the vineyards and in their place, groves
of citrus trees were planted. The first commercially oranges
in Orange County were grown in Anaheim, where the growers attributed
their success to the local hills which protected the fruit against
the cold winds coming down from the mountains. Other crops included
walnuts and chili peppers.
These first
settlers were farmers, but they were also writers, artists and
musicians. The first public buildings were not administrative
facilities, but a school and an opera house.
Vince Greaves