Cypress
If you don’t already live here, I’d like to encourage you to attend the ever popular Cypress Community Festival is one of the coolest events you can attend. It seems like everyone in this small suburban city located in the northern region of Orange County within Southern California is part of it. Its population was 47,802 at the 2010 census.
History
The first people living in the area now known as Cypress were the Gabrieleno, a Native American tribe of the Tongva people, who were displaced soon after the arrival of the Europeans. The government of Spain then possessed the land until Mexico gained its independence in 1821. Mexico then lost Alta California to the United States during the period following the Bear Flag Revolt and the Mexican-American War.
The original Spanish dons held immense tracts of land throughout California, which were given in lieu of pay to Spanish soldiers. Manuel Nieto was one of the early Spanish dons or landowners in the area. After his death in 1804, his sons retained title to Rancho Los Nietos, but these lands were eventually broken up and distributed among them in 1833 by a grant from the Mexican governor, José Figueroa.
Manuel's son, Juan José Nieto, retained the title to a large portion of his father's original properties in southern California that included the present-day area of Cypress. That land and other Rancho properties were finally sold to the American Abel Stearns, then acquired by the Robinson Trust, a group of investors, which eventually parlayed their holdings into a vast land speculation business.
Cypress was originally nicknamed "Waterville" due to the preponderance of artesian wells in the area, but was incorporated under the name Dairy City in 1956 by local dairy farmers as a means of staving off developers and to preserve their dairies, much like the then-neighboring cities of Dairy Valley in Cerritos and Dairyland in La Palma. However, after World War II, the land became too valuable for farming or ranching, and the dairies gradually sold out to housing developers during the 1960s, so that by the 1970s, no dairies remained. Many of the dairymen moved their operations to Chino, where development is once again pushing them out of the area.
In 1957, local residents voted to change the name of Dairy City to "Cypress". The name was taken from Cypress Elementary School, originally built in 1895, which took its name from the Cypress trees planted to protect the schoolhouse from the seasonal Santa Ana winds. Cypress Elementary School also provided the name for new Pacific Electric Railway station on Walker Street at Lincoln Avenue when the Santa Ana Line was completed in 1906, as "Waterville" had already been used elsewhere in the system.
In 1981 the City of Cypress inaugurated their annual birthday celebration for the community. This event, called the Cypress Community Festival, has grown to be the largest one day event of its kind in Orange County, California. Read more
The day begins with a 5k/10k Run and the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. The Festival itself is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is family friendly entertainment all day long. Kids can enjoy rides and games. Mom and Dad can shop at vendor booths and enjoy the car show, chili cook-off and non-profit information booths. Food vendors provide many dining options and there is a business expo sponsored by the Cypress Chamber of Commerce. The Festival is held annually on the 4th Saturday in July at Oak Knoll Park located adjacent to the Cypress Community Center at 5700 Orange Avenue between Valley View and Walker.
Geography
Cypress is bounded to the north by the city of La Palma, then, clockwise, by Buena Park, Anaheim, Stanton, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Long Beach, Hawaiian Gardens, and Lakewood.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.1 square kilometers (6.6 square miles). 6.6 square miles of it is land and 0.14% is water.
Cypress is approximately 13 miles north of Bolsa Chica. The closest beach to Cypress is Seal Beach, which is roughly 7.8 miles away from the center of Cypress. Cypress is less than a 20 minute drive from Long Beach Airport.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Cypress had a population of 47,802. The racial makeup of Cypress was 26,000 White, 1,444 African American, 289 Native American, 14,978 Asian, 234 Pacific Islander, 2,497 from other races, and 2,360 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,779 persons.
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,229 people, 15,654 households, and 12,241 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,991.1 inhabitants per square mile. There were 16,028 housing units at an average density of 2,423.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 65.61% White, 20.81% Asian, 0.40%Pacific Islander, 2.77% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 5.44% from other races, and 4.38% from two or more races. 15.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 15,654 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $64,377, and the median income for a family was $70,060 (these figures had risen to $80,331 and $86,286 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,781 versus $36,337 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,798. About 4.6% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
The 2008 population estimated by the California Department of Finance was 49,541.
Economy
Real Mex Restaurants, Vans and Mitsubishi Motors North America are headquartered in Cypress.
Government and infrastructure
In the state legislature Cypress is located in the 35th Senate District and in the 67th Assembly District. Federally, Cypress is located in California's 40th congressional district.
The United States Postal Service Cypress Post Office is located at 5762 Lincoln Avenue.
Education
The city is a part of the Anaheim Union High School District, Cypress Elementary School District, and the Los Alamitos Unified School District. Cypress College is also in the city.
Public schools
- Cypress High School
- Los Alamitos High School
- McAuluff Middle School
- Lexington Junior High
- Oxford Academy
- Christine P. Swain Elementary
- Margaret Landell Elementary
- A.E. Arnold Elementary
- Elizabeth Dickerson Elementary
- Juliet Morris Elementary
- Frank Vessels Elementary
- Robert C. Cawthon Elementary
- Clara J. King Elementary
- Steve Luther Elementary
Private schools:
- St Irenaeus Parish School
Notable Natives and Residents
Notable natives and residents include actors John Stamos and Matthew Morrison, golfer Tiger Woods, and singer-songwriter Iris DeMent.
In the news
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