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THE
HISTORY
In
1888, Villa Park was a community just beginning
to recover from the destruction of its agricultural
mainstay. There was an 1887 blight that ruined
muscat grapes grown for the popular raisin crop.
Valencia
orange groves eventually replaced the vineyards,
and by 1912 the Villa Park Orchards Association
was packing and shipping citrus fruit all over
the world.
Although
orange groves now have given way to houses and
a small shopping center, Orange County's
24th city still is quiet and uncrowded. And the
over 6,000 people who live within its 2.6 square
miles intend to keep it that way.
With
its rolling hills and lush landscaping, Villa
Park is a quiet retreat from surrounding cities.
Except for the vacant lot where the old Villa
Park Orchards Association packing house once stood
at Wanda Road and Santiago Boulevard, there is
little land left for commercial development. Most
of the homes in the city are at least 2,000 square
feet. Tennis courts and equestrian trails are
scattered throughout the city.
Villa
Park became a city after its Property Owners Association
voted in 1961 to launch an incorporation drive.
The
Villa Park area was originally much bigger then
2.6 square miles. It included a lot of outlying
ranches. But some of those rancher weren't interested
in incorporating, which is why when you look at
a map of the city, there are some pretty unusual
lines drawn.
On
Jan 2, 1962, residents voted 246 to 134 in favor
of incorporation. Today, although primarily a
residential city, Villa Park does have a combination
of retail and commercial businesses.
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