Placentia’s colorful history began in 1837 when the Mexican Governor granted the Rancho San Juan Cajon De Santa Ana to Juan Ontiveros. This land grant included the area which today comprises Placentia, Anaheim, Fullerton and La Habra. Our first pioneer was Daniel Kraemer, who purchased 3900 acres in 1865. Three years later, William McFadden and his wife, Sarah Jane acquired 100 additional acres in this area. Many other settlers arrived in the following years. As our community slowly developed, schools and churches were erected.

The school district’s original name was the Cajon School District. In 1878, at the suggestion of Sarah Jane McFadden, the name was changed to the Placentia School District. The city name came from that change. Placentia is derived from a Latin word meaning “pleasant place to live.”

Placentia was placed on the map in 1910 when A. S. Bradford persuaded the Santa Fe Railroad to re-route their track through this area, thus shortening the rail distance to Los Angeles. A station was built and packing houses were established for the town’s growing citrus industry. Mr. Bradford also laid out the main streets of the town; and, in his honor, Bradford Avenue retains his name today.

The climate and rich land attracted an ever-growing number of new residents. Five hundred citizens voted to incorporate in 1926. The area was well suited to the raising of citrus, walnuts, avocados, and grapes. Placentia became the center of Valencia orange growing and packing.

In 1960, Placentia’s population had reached only 5000; but, at that time, a phenomenal growth period began. In ten years, by 1970, the population increased five-fold to nearly 25,000. Today, Placentia is still a fast-growing community of 45,000 residents, with beautiful suburban homes, good schools, stately churches, and wholesome recreation.

We are not the only “Placentia” in the world. A check of the World Atlas reveals a Placentia in Newfoundland. Placentia Point is a geographical feature on the coast on British Honduras. Hannibal, with his army and warrior elephants, camped in Placentia in Northern Italy prior to crossing the Alps.

Incorporated in 1896 as a small farming community best known for its produce, Corona is now a quality community with a population of more than 147,428 and a diverse economic base.

The City of Corona is located approximately 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles in western Riverside County. The City limits encompass 39.2 square miles and the population is approximately 147,428. A city whose heritage spans more than a century, Corona has emerged as an ethnically diverse community, where a significant percentage of the population is made up of young, well educated families.

The Corona community boasts many amenities that provide a first-rate quality of life for residents. The City has more than 394 acres of parks, with sports fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, tennis courts, two skateparks and an outdoor pool.

Corona was founded at the height of the Southern California citrus boom in 1886, advantageously situated at the upper end of the Santa Ana River Canyon, the only significant pass through the Santa Ana Mountains. The town of Corona, once laid claim to the title “Lemon Capital of the World.” A museum there presents the lemon’s former role in the local economy. It derived its name (and its nickname, The Circle City) from the curious layout of its streets, with a standard grid enclosed by the circular Grand Boulevard. The street layout was designed by Hiram Clay Kellogg, a civil engineer from Santa Ana who was an influential figure in the early development of Orange County. Also, the renowned circular Grand Boulevard is where three international road racing events took place in 1913, 1914 and 1916. Corona was also home to the Corona road race, a Grand Prix race in the early 20th century.

In more recent years it has been known as the Gateway to the Inland Empire. Prior to the 1980s, Corona was a largely agricultural community, dominated by citrus orchards, ranches, and dairy farms. Sky-high real estate prices in Los Angeles and Orange counties made the area’s land desirable to developers and industrialists, and by the late 1990s it was considered a major suburb of Los Angeles.

In recent years, Corona has become an elite working-class bedroom community for Orange County and the larger cities of the Inland Empire. The development of commerce and industry in the city has been accelerated by congestion on the Riverside Freeway, with many firms leaving northern Orange County to be closer to their employees’ homes in Corona and Riverside.

The construction of the Chino Valley Freeway nearby has also linked Corona to the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys, with the result that the once largely white city has experienced an influx of Asian American residents who commute to Asian-oriented businesses in cities such as Alhambra and Diamond Bar.

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General Information, Facts & Symbols

The United States of America accepted California as the 31st state to enter the union on September 9, 1850.

Abbreviation:
CA

Capital of California State:
Sacramento

Primary Agriculture:
California grows more food than any other state in the country. among these crops are almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwi, raisins, strawberries, walnuts and wine.

Primary Industry:
California industries include manufacturing (transportation equipment, machinery, and electronic equipment), agriculture, biotechnology and tourism. Principal natural resources include timber, petroleum, cement and natural gas.

California State Nickname:
The Golden State

California State Tree:
California Redwood (Legislation of 1937)

California State Flower:
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
(Legislation of 1903)
California State Bird:
California Quail (Callipepla californica)
(Legislation of 1931)

The California Quail (Callipepla californica, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the quail family that breeds in shrubby areas and open woodlands in western North America.

The California Quail have a curving crest that droops forward (black in males and brown for females), their flanks are brown with white streaks. Males of the species have a dark brown cap, a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and light brown belly. Females of the species and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light colored belly.

California State Fish:
Golden Trout (Legislation of 1947)

California State Insect:
California Dogface Butterfly (Legislation of 1972)

California State Gemstone:
Benitoite (Legislation of 1985)

Official State Seal:
Depicted is the state seal of California. The seal of the state of California is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people. It is the intent of the state government to ensure that appropriate uses are made of the state seal and to assist the secretary of state in the performance of the secretary’s constitutional duty as custodian of the seal.

The Official California State Flag

Depicted to the left is the state flag of California. The flag of the state of California is a symbol of the authority and sovereignty of the state and is a valuable asset of its people. The California flag is flown over all state buildings just below the country flag of the United States of America.

State Commemorative Quarter:
From the 1999-2008 United States Mint

The first quarter released in 2005 honors California, and is the 31st in the United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters® Program. California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850, becoming our Nation’s 31st State. Nicknamed the “Golden State,” California’s quarter depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as “Half Dome” and also contains a soaring California condor. The coin bears the inscriptions “California,” “John Muir,” “Yosemite Valley” and “1850″.In 1849, the year before California gained statehood, the family of 11-year-old John Muir emigrated from Scotland to the United States, settling in Wisconsin. In 1868, at the age of 30, Muir sailed up the West Coast and landed in San Francisco. He made his home in the Yosemite Valley, describing the Sierra Nevada Mountains as “the Range of Light” the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain chains I have seen.” He devoted the rest of his life to the conservation of natural beauty, publishing more than 300 articles and 10 books that expanded his naturalist philosophy.In 1890, Congress established Yosemite National Park, and in 1892 John Muir helped form the Sierra Club to protect it, serving as that organization’s President until his death in 1914.

Important Historical Figures of California

John Sutter
1803-80: In the 1840’s, businessman Sutter ran a trading empire from a fort he built (with Native american help) in what is now mid-town Sacramento. He also was owner of Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, where gold was first discovered in 1848 by James Marshall.

Jedediah Smith
1798-1831: This early 19-th century trapper and explorer is believed to have been the first non-Native american to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains. He was also among the first white men to explore the state’s far northern coast. A beautiful redwood state park and the scenic Smith River are named after him.

John Muir
1838-1914: an explorer, naturalist, and writer, Muir helped preserve many of California’s greatest scenic wonders, such as Yosemite Valley and Kings Canyon, now both national parks. He also founded the Sierra Club, a well-known San Francisco-based conservation group. Muir Woods National Monument, a redwood grove north of San Francisco, is named for him.

Leland Stanford
1824-93: This tycoon helped map out a route for the first transcontinental railroad, which linked California to the East Coast in 1869. He also started Stanford University in Palo alto.

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Looking Back Over the Years

This begins a year-long celebration of the City of Hesperia’s 20th anniversary since incorporation. To commemorate this event, each issue of the Horizon in 2008, will include an article highlighting important historical events that have shaped us into the City we are today.

From the Beginning

The City’s history stretches far beyond its 1988 incorporation. Hesperia’s past is rich with the history of the Mojave Indian Tribe, Spanish settlers and the westward travelers of the Mormon Trail.

The first major turning point in present day Hesperia occurred in 1874, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad tracks were completed. This resulted in Hesperia’s first industry, providing juniper wood to bakers in Los Angeles by way of train. Juniper is a very hard wood that was used as fuel for kilns up until the early 1900’s, when oil became the principal fuel for bakers.

That change in technology did not slow Hesperia’s progress. The 1900’s were a booming time with the increased popularity of automobiles and Route 66. The City served as the last stopping point before travelers made the treacherous trip down the Cajon Pass.

City of Hesperia Prepares to Celebrate 20 Years
“Celebrating our past while building our future.”
The City of Hesperia celebrated 20 years of change and growth on June 28, 2008. Beginning as a stopping place along the Mojave River; through the Wild West years; developed as the “great escape from LA”; to incorporation in 1988, Hesperia has earned its name “star of the west”. A thriving community to over 90,000 residents, the City of Hesperia enjoys clear air, fine weather and plenty of wide open spaces. Join us for a daylong anniversary celebration and discover why so many people choose to come home to Hesperia, the gateway to the High Desert.

The Celebration took place at the new Hesperia Civic Plaza Park, located just west of City Hall. Thousands joined us for a trip down memory lane, celebrating Hesperia’s past, present and future, with a day of patriotism and fun, featuring festivities including:

• Military Recognition Ceremony
• Swing Music Featuring “Wiseguys”
• Police & Safety Fair
• Sanctioned BBQ Cook-Off
• Vendors
• Patriotic Wagon Contest & Children’s Patriotic Parade
• Kid’s Activities & Magic Show
• Face Painting & Balloon Art
• Bounce Houses
• Evening Concert Featuring “Beatless”
• Fireworks Display

Regardless of the season, the growing City of Hesperia offers a centralized location for a wide variety of nearby activities for you and your family to enjoy.

Garden Grove is a vibrantly progressive and growing city located just south of Los Angeles in Orange County, California. Our motto, “The City of Youth and Ambition,” accurately reflects this culturally diverse community of over 170,000 people. Garden Grove is home to four annual cultural festivals that celebrate the Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, and American heritage. Garden Grove’s Strawberry Festival, nearing 50 years old, is the largest community-based Memorial Day event in the western United States.

Garden Grove is conveniently located less than one mile from Disneyland, seven miles from Knott’s Berry Farm, nine miles from local beaches, and 10 miles from John Wayne Airport.

Schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District have been rated as some of the best and safest in the County. With 45 elementary schools, nine junior high schools, eight high schools, and five community colleges, Garden Grove can meet all of your family’s educational needs.

The City of Garden Grove has many services to offer its community, including employment assistance, educational programs, recreational programs, and family entertainment. Garden Grove has seven fire stations and 13 police stations/substations helping to make our city one of the safest places to live in California. The City’s staff of over 600 full-time employees is supported by more than 100 community-minded volunteers.

Our community has a proud reputation for its outstanding commitment to volunteerism. Garden Grove is home to the highest number of churches and places of worship per capita in California, including the world-famous Crystal Cathedral. With safe streets, warm, sunny weather year-round, and religious and cultural diversity, it’s no wonder that residents consider Garden Grove a great place to call home.

Located in Orange County, California, the City of Garden Grove (17.8 sq.miles) is a friendly, spirited and balanced community rich in diversity — a city with a view to the future. Incorporated on June 18, 1956, the City celebrated 50 years of cityhood in 2006 and 133 years since the founding of Garden Grove in 1874 by Dr. Alonzo Cook. The city flower is the Orange Tropicana Rose, and the city tree is the Flame Coral.

The History of the City of Garden Grove
Spanish Roots
Spanish soldiers commanded by Gaspar de Portola first discovered Orange County as they made their way north across California in 1769. During their journey, the soldiers camped on a wide grassy plain east of present day Garden Grove. They named the area the Santa Ana Valley and claimed the state of California as a possession of Spain. The Santa Ana Valley was divided into ranchos as some of the soldiers settled in the area.

In 1822, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and California became a province of Mexico. It was the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, that made all of California a territory of the United States of America. In 1850, California became the 31st state in the union.

A businessman named Abel Stearns bought large tracts of land in Southern California in 1868 and divided some of it into smaller lots to sell to settlers. In 1874, Alonzo Cook purchased 160 acres of land in the area for about $15 an acre. Recognized as Garden Grove’s Founding Father, he later donated land north of Main Street and Garden Grove Boulevard for use as the site of the first schoolhouse and post office. Cook suggested the name “Garden Grove” for the school and surrounding village. Some countered that the name did not fit the open terrain. Cook responded, “We’ll make it appropriate by planting trees and making it beautiful.”

From Community to Town
By the time Orange County incorporated in 1889, the Garden Grove area had a population of about 200. It continued as a quiet farming community into the 20th Century, when in 1905, the Pacific Electric Railroad came through Garden Grove. The railroad brought tourists, visitors, and before long, more settlers. Soon after came the first telephone, gas and electric services for the residents near Main Street.

During the next 40 years, agriculture continued as the town’s main economy. Although ideally located in the center of the county, Garden Grove’s growth was slowed by two disasters during those years. The first was in 1916, when the center of town was flooded and came under about four feet of water after days of heavy rains. Then, in 1933, another disaster damaged the old town section of Garden Grove when an earthquake struck. Following each of these catastrophes, however, the residents joined in spirit and labor to repair the damage and continue the progress of Garden Grove.

Population Explosion
World War II had an important impact on city growth. Servicemen who had visited California during their training for war came back to settle and raise their families. Available land and low prices caused a sudden building boom, making Garden Grove the fastest growing city in the nation in the 1950s. As the area grew, its rural nature changed to a more modern society and the need for city government was evident.

Garden Grove Becomes a City
Residents formally decided to incorporate their town on June 18, 1956, to become the City of Garden Grove. Since incorporation, the pioneer spirit has continued to be part of life for Garden Grove. At the time of the 1960 census, Garden Grove had a population of nearly 44,000. Today, the population is over 170,000. That makes Garden Grove the fifth largest city in Orange County and the 18th largest in the State. The community is a dynamic and thriving city with a strong sense of its roots based on its colorful history.

The Crystal Cathedral
No mention of Garden Grove would be complete without mentioning its best known building, the Crystal Cathedral. The Crystal Cathedral is a Protestant Christian megachurch in the city of Garden Grove, in Orange County, California.  World-famous architect Philip Johnson designed the main sanctuary building, which was constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass and can hold 2,900 worshippers. The church is also known for its 320 rank, five manual pipe organ constructed by Fratelli Ruffatti. Designed by Virgil Fox and expanded by Frederick Swann, the instrument incorporates the large Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ built in 1962 for New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, and the Ruffatti organ which had been installed in the church’s previous sancutary. The rectangular panes of glass are not bolted to the structure; instead they are glued to it using a silicone based glue. This and other measures allow the building to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0.
Affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, the church then known as Garden Grove Community Church was founded in 1955 by the Reverend Dr. Robert H. Schuller and his wife, Arvella, and is considered the world’s first “seeker sensitive” church. The first church services were held in space rented from the Orange Drive In Theatre. In 1961, the congregation moved to a new sanctuary designed by famed architect, Richard Neutra . Construction on the Cathedral began in 1977 and ended in 1980. The initial estimated cost of the church was $6 million, but the final cost was over $17 million (about $55 million in 2007 dollars). One way Dr. Schuller found to help finance the construction of the Crystal Cathedral was to invite donors to give $500 for each of the 10,000 rectangular panes of glass, which raised over US$5 million by its completion. Upon moving from the old Neutra sanctuary to the new Johnson sanctuary, the congregation changed its name to the Crystal Cathedral Congregation.

One of the church’s mission statements is, “Find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it.”

The Crystal Cathedral broadcasts its church services around the world on a television show called The Hour of Power and provides facilities for those of a similar faith to congregate. The campus services include support groups, Sunday school classes and daily Christian gatherings.
Early on December 16, 2004, 57-year old Johnnie Carl, the cathedral’s orchestral conductor, fired several bullets in his office at the cathedral, shortly before the annual Glory of Christmas program was about to begin. The shots were fired in the vacant concourse area and no one was injured. Carl, who suffered from bipolar disorder, ended up committing suicide. In his 29 years as Orchestra Director at the cathedral, Carl wrote more than 3,500 arrangements, including several selections on tenor Daniel Rodriguez’s newest inspirational album. Rodriguez, a frequent musical guest at the Sunday services, dedicated his album titled “In The Presence” to Johnnie Carl. Schuller praised Carl’s work as conductor and told his congregation that “We can be reassured that he is in heaven.”

On Sunday, January 22, 2006, founder Robert H. Schuller retired as Senior Pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. His son, Robert Anthony Schuller, was installed as the second Senior Pastor of the church and head of the Hour of Power TV program. On October 25, 2008, Robert H. Schuller removed his son Robert Anthony from his pastoral role at the Crystal Cathedral, citing “a lack of shared vision”. In a prepared statement, founder Robert H. Schuller stated that “different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry” with his son “made it necessary … to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry.”

The name “Crystal Cathedral” describes the building’s size and beauty and does not mean it is a cathedral in the Roman Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran sense of the word: the Reformed Church in America is governed by elders, while a cathedral is usually the term for a church where one finds a bishop’s official seat, or cathedra, nor is the sanctuary constructed of crystal. The name reflects Schuller’s frequent use of alliteration within his sermon titles, points and book titles.

The Cathedral is renowned for featuring famous celebrities during the Hour of Power services on a regular basis. Notable guests have included musician John Tesh, former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former Vice President Al Gore, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Christian singer Jaci Velasquez, pianist Roger Williams, internationally acclaimed flautist Sir James Galway, Christian singer Joy Williams, Backstreet Boys member and Christian singer Brian Littrell, Christian singer Natalie Grant, former tennis star Michael Chang, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, actor Noah Gray-Cabey, American tenor Daniel Rodriguez, musical group The Oak Ridge Boys, Christian singer Sara Groves, radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, MLB baseball player Kirk Gibson and actor Denzel Washington.

Trivia

• The Crystal Cathedral and its former senior pastor, Dr. Robert H. Schuller, were depicted in Natural Born Kissers, the final episode in the ninth season of The Simpsons. Homer Simpson is dragged nude across the glass roof of the cathedral by a hot air balloon, while Dr. Schuller and the congregation sit aghast below, inside the sanctuary. Dr. Schuller exhorts his congregation to keep their eyes focused on “God’s floor” during the ordeal.
• The Crystal Cathedral was featured on the History Channel program entitled, Building in the Name of God, which profiled the world’s great cathedrals.
• The Hour of Power broadcast is the most-watched Christian program in the world, with an estimated average of 20 million viewers tuning in each week.
• The Cathedral was featured on the MTV television series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County during Season 1.  The Reverend Robert A. Schuller is the father of a former cast member on the show, Christina. She sang a duet with her sister during the church service on the show.
• The gold cross behind the center of the stage was donated by a Titanic survivor.

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