The famous Polish actress Helena Modjeska settled in Anaheim with her husband and various friends, among them Henryk Sienkiewicz, Julian Sypniewski and Łucjan Paprocki. While living in Anaheim, Helena Modjeska became good friends with Clementine Langenberger, the second wife of August Langenberger. Helena Street and Clementine Street are named after these two ladies, and the streets are located adjacent to each other as a symbol of the strong friendship which Helena Modjeska and Clementine Lagenberger shared. Modjeska Park in West Anaheim, is also named after Helena Modjeska.

During the first half of the 20th century, before Disneyland opened its doors to the public, Anaheim was a massive rural community inhabited by orange groves, and the landowners who farmed them.

Also during this time, Rudolph Boysen served as Anaheim's first Park Superintendent from 1921 to 1950. Boysen created a hybrid berry which Walter Knott later named the boysenberry, after Rudy Boysen. Boysen Park in East Anaheim was also named after him.

The Disneyland theme park was constructed in Anaheim from July 16, 1954 to July 17, 1955, and opened to the public on July 18, 1955, and has since become Anaheim's largest tourist attraction. The location was formerly 160 acres of orange and walnut trees, some of which remain inside Disneyland property. Hotels and motels began to spread and residential districts soon followed, with increasing property values. In 2001, Disney's California Adventure, since renamed Disney California Adventure in 2010, the most expansive project in the theme park's history, opened to the public.

In the late 20th century, Anaheim grew rapidly in population. Today, Anaheim has a diverse ethnic and racial composition.

During the large expansion of the Disneyland resort in the 1990s, the city of Anaheim then recognized itself as a resort epicenter, thus creating the Anaheim Resort. It includes the Disneyland Resort, the Anaheim Convention Center, the Honda Center--home of the NHL Anaheim Ducks (formerly known as the "Mighty Ducks"), and Angel Stadium, home to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The city has undergone a rigorous transformation in creating metropolitan beautification to attract tourism. In 2007, the city celebrated its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) by opening the Anaheim Walk of Fame near the Harbor Boulevard entrance to the Disneyland Resort. The first star to be placed on the Anaheim Walk of Fame was Walt Disney, the man most responsible for making Anaheim the hugely popular tourist destination it is today.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50.8 square miles. 40.8 square miles of it is land and 1.0 square miles of it (1.92%) is water.

In the western portion of the city (not including Anaheim Hills), the major surface streets run east to west, starting with the northernmost, Orangethorpe Avenue, La Palma Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, Ball Road and Katella Avenue. The major surface streets running north-south, starting with the westernmost, are Knott Avenue, Beach Boulevard (SR 39), Magnolia Avenue, Brookhurst Street, Euclid Street, Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim Boulevard and State College Boulevard.

The Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the Orange Freeway (SR 57) and the Riverside Freeway (SR 91) all pass through Anaheim. The Costa Mesa Freeway (SR 55), and the Eastern Transportation Corridor (SR 241) also have short stretches within the city limits.

Anaheim is served by rail by two major railroads, the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway. In addition, Anaheim sees Amtrak California and Metrolink services and hosts a major regional train station in the Angel Stadium parking lot.

The current federal Office of Management and Budget metropolitan designation for Anaheim and the Orange County Area is "Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA".

The city recognizes several districts, including the Anaheim Resort (the area surrounding Disneyland), The Canyon (an industrial area north of the Riverside Freeway and east of the Orange Freeway) and the Platinum Triangle (the area surrounding Angel Stadium). Anaheim Hills also maintains a distinct identity.

Downtown Anaheim is located in the heart of the Colonial District. Downtown is the administrative heart of the city where you find City Hall, Anaheim West Tower, Anaheim Police Headquarters, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and the Main Library. Anaheim Ice (formerly Disney Ice), the Downtown Anaheim Farmer's Market and the Center Street Promenade are also located in Downtown Anaheim.

In the Fall of 2007, The Muzeo, the newest major museum in Orange County, opened its doors for the first time and is located next to Anaheim West Tower. Pearson Park is also located in Downtown Anaheim, and is named after Charles Pearson, who was Mayor of Anaheim during the time Walt Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim. One of the major attractions located in Pearson Park is the Pearson Park Amphitheater.

In the Colonial District just west of Downtown Anaheim is the Mother Colony House, which was built by George Hanson, the Founder of Anaheim. Today, it is Anaheim's and Orange County's oldest museum still open to the public. The Stoffel House is a Victorian Mansion located next door to the Mother Colony House. Originally the Victorian Home was occupied by the Stoffel Family, early pioneer residents of Anaheim. Today, this historic home is the local headquarters for the American Red Cross.

Like many other South Coast cities, Anaheim maintains a Mediterranean climate, enjoying warm summers and cool winters.

Under its city charter, Anaheim operates under a council-manager government. Legislative authority is vested in a city council of five nonpartisan members, who hire a professional city manager to oversee day-to-day operations. The mayor serves as the presiding officer of the city council in a first among equals role. All council seats are elected at large. Voters elect the mayor and four other members of the city council to serve four-year staggered terms. Elections for two council seats are held in years divisible by four while elections for the mayor and the two other council seats are held during the intervening even-numbered years. Under the city's term limits, an individual may serve a maximum of two terms as a city council member and two terms as the mayor.

Anaheim Police Department's MD500E helicopter, "Angel"

Fire protection is provided by the Anaheim Fire Department, Disneyland Resort has its own Fire Department, though it does rely on the Anaheim Fire Department for support, and for Paramedic Services. Law enforcement is provided by the Anaheim Police Department. Ambulance service is provided by Care Ambulance Service.

Anaheim Public Utilities is the only municipal owned water and electric utility in Orange County, providing residential and business customers with water and electric services. The utility is regulated and governed locally by the City Council. A Public Utilities Board, made up of Anaheim residents, advises the City Council on major utility issues.

Anaheim's largest and most important industry is tourism. Its Anaheim Convention Center is home to many national conferences, and The Walt Disney Company is the city's largest employer. Many hotels, especially in the city's Resort district, serve theme park tourists and convention goers.

The Anaheim Canyon business park makes up 63% of Anaheim's industrial space and is the largest industrial district in Orange County. Anaheim Canyon is also home to the second largest business park in Orange County. Anaheim Canyon houses 2,600 businesses, which employ over 50,000 workers.

Several notable companies have corporate offices and/or headquarters within Anaheim.

Anaheim Memorial Medical Center

• AT&T
• Banco Popular, a bank based in Puerto Rico, has a North American headquarters in Anaheim.
• CKE Restaurants, the parent company of the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito restaurant chains
• Fisker Automotive
• General Dynamics
• Kaiser Foundation
• L-3 Communications
• Pacific Sunwear
• Panasonic
• Sunny Delight
• Targus, a computer peripheral manufacturer
• Tenet Healthcare
• Yogurtland
• Zyxel, maker of routers, switches and other networking products

Anaheim ranks as one of the safest cities of its size in the nation. In 2003, Anaheim reported nine murders, 35% of the national average.

Despite the 1992 Los Angeles Riots reaching almost all of Los Angeles county, Anaheim, and other cities of Orange County, were spared from violence and the city was mostly calm.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Anaheim had a population of 336,265. The racial makeup of Anaheim was 177,237 White, 9,347 African American, 2,648 Native American, 49,857 Asian, 1,607 Pacific Islander, 80,705 from other races, and 14,864 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 177,467 persons.

As of the census of 2000, there were 328,014 people, 96,969 households, and 73,502 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,842.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 99,719 housing units at an average density of 2,037.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 55% White, 3% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 12% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 24% from other races, and 5% from two or more races. 46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

Of Anaheim's 96,969 households, 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34 and the average family size was 3.75.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income household income was $47,122, and the median family income was $49,969. Males had a median income of $33,870 versus $28,837 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,266. About 10.4% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

As of Census 2010 the racial and ethnic composition of Anaheim was 27.47% Non-Hispanic white, 2.78% black, 0.79% Native American, 14.83% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 0.19% Non-Hispanic reporting some other race, 4.42% two or more races and 52.78% Hispanic or Latino.

As of May 2006, Anaheim is served by eight public school districts:

• Anaheim City School District
• Anaheim Union High School District
• Centralia School District
• Magnolia School District
• North Orange County Community College District
• Orange Unified School District
• Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
• Savanna School District

Furthermore, Anaheim is home to 84 public schools:

• Elementary 46
• Junior High 9
• High School 14
• Alternative Education 6

The City of Anaheim hosts one private university: Anaheim University.

Anaheim has eight public library branches.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) provides bus service for Anaheim with local and county-wide routes, and both the OCTA and the Los Angeles County Metro offer routes connecting Anaheim to Los Angeles County. The Anaheim Amtrak station serves both Amtrak and Metrolink rail lines, and the Anaheim Canyon Metrolink station serves Metrolink's IEOC Line.

Anaheim is equidistant from both John Wayne Airport located 15 miles and Long Beach Airport (15 Miles), but is also accessible from nearby Los Angeles International (30 Miles), and Ontario (35 Miles), airports.

In addition to regional bus service, the not-for-profit Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) provides local shuttle service in the Disneyland Resort area serving local hotels and both the California Adventure and Disneyland theme parks, and Disney GOALS, operates daily free bus service for low-income youth in the central Anaheim area.

Anaheim will also be the home to the ARTIC transportation center, which will connect bus, rail including the California High-Speed Rail Network and the proposed Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor.

Adventure City

• Anaheim GardenWalk, 440,000 s.f. of retail, dining and entertainment located in the Anaheim Resort
• Anaheim Convention Center, Largest convention center on West Coast
• Angel Stadium of Anaheim
• Disneyland Resort

1. Disneyland
2. Disney California Adventure
3. Downtown Disney
4. ESPN Zone
5. House of Blues

The Grove of Anaheim, formerly the Sun Theater, formerly Tinseltown Studios

• Honda Center, formerly the "Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim"
• Anaheim Ice, Public rink for 6,000+ skaters per week
• American Sports Centers, Home of U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team
• Anaheim Hills Golf Course
• Dad Miller Golf Course
• Rebecca Black
• Oak Canyon Nature Center
• MUZEO, Art Museum located in Downtown Anaheim
• Anaheim/OC Walk of Stars
• Sports teams

NHL team: Anaheim Ducks – 2007 Stanley Cup Champions

1. MLB team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 2002 World Series Champions

1. Leo Fender - Fender Musical Instruments
2. Joseph M. Acaba – NASA astronaut

Rebecca Black - Singer who rose to fame after uploading a video to the popular video network Youtube, the song is called Friday

• Amanda Babin – 4th-placer on Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model
• Michelle Babin – 5th-placer on Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model
• Angela Perez Baraquio, former Miss America (2001)
• Larry Beckett – poet and songwriter
• Moon Bloodgood – actress
• Rudolph Boysen – horticulturist who created the boysenberry
• Jeff Buckley – singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Tim Buckley – singer-songwriter, experimental vocalist, and musician
• Austin Butler – actor
• Rod Carew – former Major League Baseball player
• Carlos Cavazo – former guitarist for the heavy metal, glam metal and hard rock band Quiet Riot
• Milorad Čavić – Serbian swimmer
• Rosalind Chao – actress
• Lou Correa – politician and California State Legislator
• Don Davis – film score composer, conductor, and orchestrator
• Reuben Droughns – National Football League player
• Eden Espinosa – singer and stage actress
• Henry McFly - Creative Wrestlers Federation Pro-wrestler superstar
• Jim Farssel – head coach of the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League
• Jeff Feagles – Former National Football League player
• Daniel Fells – National Football League player
• Jim Fielder – bassist for rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears
• Jorge Flores – professional soccer player
• Lori Harrigan – Olympic softball player
• Bobby Hatfield – singer, one half of the musical duo the Righteous Brothers
• Stephen Hillenburg – creator of Spongebob Squarepants
• John Huarte – former National Football League player
• Tommy John – former Major League Baseball player
• Carl and Margaret Karcher – founders of the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain
• Frankie Kazarian – professional wrestler
• Samuel Kraemer – rancher, oilman, and businessman
• Thomas H. Kuchel – United States Senator and Republican Party whip
• Mark Langston – former Major League Baseball player
• Crystal Lewis – Singer
• Rob Liefeld – comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher
• Mike Lockwood – professional wrestler, best known as Crash Holly
• Chris Manderino – National Football League player
• Alli Mauzey – Actress/Singer
• Donnie Moore – former Major League Baseball player
• Marcus Mumford - Lead singer of Grammy-nominated folk band Mumford and Sons.
• Bill Murphy – Major League Baseball player
• Naomi Nari Nam – figure skater
• Connie Needham – actress
• Augie Nieto – entrepreneur and founder of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis charity Augie's Quest
• Brian Noble – former National Football League player
• No Doubt – Grammy Award-winning rock group
• Chuck Norris- actor
• Curt Pringle – politician, Mayor of Anaheim, and Speaker of the California State Assembly
• Alyson Reed – dancer and actress
• Linda Sánchez – U.S. Congresswoman
• Loretta Sanchez – U.S. Congresswoman
• Steve Scarsone – former Major League Baseball player
• John F. Seymour – United States Senator and Mayor of Anaheim
• Dana Schoenfield – 1972 Olympic Games Silver Medalist in Swimming
• Teemu Selänne – National Hockey League player
• Harry Sidhu – politician and Anaheim City Councilman
• Steve Soto – punk musician and bassist for Agent Orange and The Adolescents
• Stacey Q – synthpop and dance-pop singer, dancer, and actress
• Gwen Stefani – singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and frontwoman of the rock band No Doubt
• Tairrie B – former rapper and later alternative metal frontwoman for Tura Satana and My Ruin
• Kenneth Michael Trentadue
• Lisa Tucker – singer and finalist on the fifth season of American Idol
• Milo Ventimiglia – actor
• Jennifer Warnes, Oscar-winning singer of "I Had The Time Of My Life" from Dirty Dancing.
• Jaret Wright – former Major League Baseball player
• Reuben Droughns - NFL Super Bowl Champion Anaheim High School