Anaheim Hills

Location

Anaheim Hills is located just south of Yorba Linda, California, opposite the 91 freeway at Imperial Highway. The western border is the 55 freeway opposite the city of Orange, California. On the northeast side the community extends past Gypsum Canyon, bordered by unincorporated areas of Orange County and Cleveland National Forest (east). To the south is the Santa Ana foothills opposite the community of Villa Park, California. The entirety of Anaheim Hills is within the city limits of Anaheim, California.

History

Prior to the development, a few scattered low density neighborhoods existed in the area including Peralta Hills and Mohler Loop (tracts which still exist today) that were developed primarily in the 1940s and 1950s. The remaining portions of Anaheim Hills were primarily developed in the 1970s after rancher and land owner Louis Nohl sold his massive parcel in the foothills east of Anaheim. The area was taken over by Texaco Industries in 1970 when the company announced plans to develop an expansive and upscale master planned community of 7,000 homes, estates, and townhomes. The original master plan included a proposal for three new lakes with high density condominiums clustered around these water features. The initial master plan proved to be unsustainable due to the topography and geology of the area. Construction of the community began in 1971 and was branded as a rural enclave and alternative to the more dense subdivisions emerging in the Orange County basin with homes on large lots, hiking trails, a golf course, and low densities. Anaheim Hills is the first residential development to utilize "Landform Grading." The community grew quickly and by 1974 the Orange Unified School District had constructed a high school to serve the growing community. In 1990, the city of Anaheim approved several large developments surrounding Weir Canyon Road (East Hills and The Highlands) expanding the community toward the 241 toll road. In 2007, the Irvine Company received approval for additional 2,500 homes just east of the 241 toll road on a parcel of land it has owned for over fifty years. However, in 2014 The Irvine Company donated the land for these additional 2,500 homes to the County of Orange to be preserved as open space.

Neighborhoods

Anaheim Hills consists of several planned neighborhoods, including the following:

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Anaheim Hills had a population of 55,036. The racial makeup of Anaheim Hills was 39,728 (72.2%) White, 1,099 (2.0%) African American, 158 (0.3%) Native American, 9,414 (17.1%) Asian, 103 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2,003 (3.6%) from other races, and 2,531 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,054 persons (12.1%). Anaheim Hills has a median household income of $123,260.

Government

The 92807 zip code serves the western portion and other parts of East Anaheim while the 92808 zip code serves the eastern portion, and although residents typically identify themselves as living in the community of "Anaheim Hills" (as opposed to the city of "Anaheim"), the United States Postal Service considers only the larger incorporated city's name of "Anaheim" as acceptable. Anaheim Hills is served by Anaheim Fire Department Stations 9 and 10. The community is served by two of the City of Anaheim's libraries, the Canyon Hills Library and the East Hills Library.

23 community associations are within Anaheim Hills, led by the Anaheim Hills Planned Community Association, which oversees the entire community of Anaheim Hills. Two councils represent the community, the Canyon Hills Community Council and the Anaheim Hills Citizens Coalition.

The community is listed under the Canyon and Hill General Plan Designations within the City of Anaheim, and thus the "Canyon Hills" name designated to the area for several of the sports teams located within the area.

Politics

Anaheim Hills is split between the 39th and 45th congressional districts, which are represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republicans Ed Royce and John Campbell, respectively. In the California State Legislature, the community is represented by Senator Mimi Walters (a Republican from the 29th Senate District) and Assemblyman Don Wagner (a Republican from the 68th Assembly District). On the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Anaheim Hills is represented by the 3rd District's Todd Spitzer. In 2016, the City of Anaheim adopted City Council Districts, with Anaheim Hills making up the majority of the 6th District. A representative for the 6th District will not be elected until 2018.

Education

The Anaheim Hills school system mostly operates under the Orange Unified School District.

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

Specialty schools

Disasters

Landslides and wildfires have occurred in Anaheim Hills during recent years. Santa Ana Winds are a major factor in fueling the wildfires in the area.

Landslides

A landslide in January 1993, destroyed over 30 homes and impacted over 200 others.

During the winter of 2005, a twenty-day rain event in Orange County led to not only flooding, but a landslide that caused the unstable hillside along the street of Ramsgate Drive to give way. Three homes and a private street were destroyed in the landslide.

1982 Gypsum Canyon

The first major wildfire since the development of Anaheim Hills occurred in October 1982. Santa Ana Winds drove a fire that ended up causing $50 million in property damage. The fire burned 17,000 acres (69 km²) and destroyed 14 homes.

2006 Sierra Peak

A wildfire broke out on February 7, 2006 in the Cleveland National Forest, the National Forest that separates Anaheim Hills from the Riverside County Border. This fire grew and firefighters were unable to contain it due to 20 mph (32 km/h) winds and 80 °F (27 °C) temperatures. On the morning of February 9, 2006, the fire worsened, which forced the evacuation of a large section of Anaheim Hills. Nearly 75% of the Community of Anaheim Hills was either under voluntary or mandatory evacuation. This resulted in the closing of two local elementary schools for two days, and several other schools served as shelters for the evacuees during the day.

The fire burned over 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land and caused significant natural resource damage by burning a recovering Tecate cypress grove. It was later determined that a controlled blaze set by the Cleveland National Forest started the fire, and the National Forestry Service was forced to pay the cost from the firefighting efforts.

2007 Windy Ridge

On Sunday, March 11, 2007 at 07:53 AM (PST), a fire possibly started by a stolen vehicle on the southbound 241 Windy Ridge Toll Plaza, destroyed over 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) in Anaheim Hills and the city of Orange. Due to winds moving as fast as 35 mph (56 km/h), an estimated 2,500 homes were evacuated, with 2 injuries reported.

2008 freeway complex

The Freeway Complex Fire broke out in the Corona area at around 9am on Saturday, November 15, 2008, which burned south-westerly into Anaheim Hills, forcing the immediate evacuation of 3,100 homes in the Weir Canyon area. In total, more than 200 residences were destroyed by the fire, of which fourteen houses and 86 apartments were burned within Anaheim Hills.

Notable residents

Anaheim Hills is home to many notable residents, many of whom are affiliated with local major league sports teams. Other significant executives, musicians, and politicians call Anaheim Hills home.