Villa Park, California
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Villa Park is a small, upscale city located in northern Orange County, California. Villa Park is Orange County's smallest city in size and population; as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,999. Similar to Beverly Hills, which is surrounded almost entirely by the city of Los Angeles, Villa Park is surrounded on all borders by the city of Orange. The city of Villa Park currently includes about 1,900 homes, and is about 99% built out. Except for one shopping center, the City is zoned for single-family residences, most of them on half-acre lots. The shopping center includes a grocery store, banks, a pharmacy with a postal substation, a variety of stores and offices, the City Hall and community room, and a branch of the Orange County Public Library.
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History
Villa Park was not incorporated until 1962, but the history of the area goes back to around 1860. It was known in its early days as Mountain View. Villa Park came into usage when a post office was located here and there already was a city of Mountain View in northern California.
Villa Park was, for many years, an agricultural area producing, in turn, grapes, walnuts, apricots, and finally, citrus, which was the major crop for about 60 years and is most closely associated with its development. It was the citrus ranchers and their families who molded Villa Park into a vital community and organized its incorporation to save it from what they felt were unwelcome zoning practices from the eastward-moving city of Orange.
These ranchers established the Serrano Water District, which still provides Villa Park's water. (The district office is located on Lincoln Street.) They also founded the Villa Park Orchard's Association, still a thriving business in Orange, although the packing house that was the dominant Villa Park landmark for many years, located west of the shopping center, was torn down in 1983. The citrus groves have yielded to the developers but these pioneers have left an enduring legacy in half-acre zoning for housing, which has been instrumental in shaping the City's character, and in many of the city's street names; such as, Brewer, Nichols, Squire, Collins, Morrow, Ragan, Knuth, Workman, Adams, Wulff, Abbott, Durfee, Sterling, as well as, Hazel, Mary and Florence.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Villa Park, California
Villa Park is located at 33°48'58" North, 117°48'40" West (33.816183, -117.811106)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²). 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Government
The City is governed by five council members, each elected for four-year terms, who serve without pay and meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend and participate in these meetings and the political life of the City. Council agendas are posted on the bulletin board outside of the City Hall. There are also a full-time appointed City Managers, a small office staff, and a maintenance crew. Police, fire, legal, and engineering services are contracted for outside of the City.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Villa Park, California
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 5,999 people, 1,950 households, and 1,764 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,097.7/km² (2,844.9/mi²). There are 2,008 housing units at an average density of 367.4/km² (952.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 82.40% White, 0.80% African American, 0.43% Native American, 12.92% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. 5.90% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,950 households out of which 34.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.1% are married couples living together, 6.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 9.5% are non-families. 7.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.07 and the average family size is 3.22.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $116,203, and the median income for a family is $124,852. Males have a median income of $78,563 versus $46,667 for females. The per capita income for the city is $53,130. 2.6% of the population and 2.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 0.4% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Notable natives
- Kevin Costner graduated from Villa Park High School in 1973.
External links
- City of Villa Park official website (http://www.villapark.org/)
