Fountain Valley, California


Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 in the 2020 census.
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History

Indigenous

The Indigenous people of the Fountain Valley area are the Tongva. The closest village to present-day site of the city was the village of Pasbenga. The village was part of a series of villages along what the Spanish would refer to as the Santa Ana River.

Spanish

European settlement of the area began when Manuel Nieto was granted the land for Rancho Los Nietos, later Rancho Las Bolsas, which encompassed over, including present-day Fountain Valley. Control of the land was subsequently transferred to Mexico upon independence from Spain, and then to the United States as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Talbert

Talbert was a settlement at what is now the intersection of Talbert and Bushard. It was also known as Gospel Swamp by residents.
Thomas B. Talbert was born outside Monticello in Piatt County, Illinois, in 1878. When Talbert was 13, his family moved to Long Beach, California. Around 1896, the family purchased more than of peat and swampland in what is now Fountain Valley. The Talberts opened a general store and thus the settlement of Talbert was established.
The area was full of farms growing beets that were processed at some of the nation's largest plants at Huntington Beach and at Delhi, now part of southwestern Santa Ana. The post office was established in 1899, with Thomas B. Talbert serving as the first postmaster.
The All-Saints Church is the only structure remaining from that era. The Santa Ana–Huntington Beach Line of the Pacific Electric Railway passed through Talbert and opened on July 5, 1909.

Incorporation

The city was incorporated in 1957. The name of Fountain Valley refers to the very high water table in the area at the time the name was chosen, and the many corresponding artesian wells in the area. Early settlers constructed drainage canals to make the land usable for agriculture, which remained the dominant use of land until the 1960s, when construction of large housing tracts accelerated. The first mayor of Fountain Valley was James Kanno, who with this appointment became one of the first Japanese-American mayors of a mainland United States city.
After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, there was a large influx of Vietnamese refugees settling in Fountain Valley, especially in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, forming a large percentage of Asian Americans in the city.

Geography

The city is located southwest and northeast of the San Diego Freeway, which diagonally bisects the city, and is surrounded by Huntington Beach on the south and west, Westminster and Garden Grove on the north, Santa Ana on the northeast, and Costa Mesa on the southeast. Its eastern border is the Santa Ana River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, 0.14% of which is water.

Demographics

Fountain Valley first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. census as part of the North Coast census county division.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Fountain Valley had a population of 57,047. The population density was. The racial makeup of Fountain Valley was 41.9% White, 1.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 39.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 6.4% from other races, and 10.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.5% of the population.
The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.
There were 19,157 households, out of which 30.7% included children under the age of 18, 56.2% were married-couple households, 4.4% were cohabiting couple households, 25.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.7% of households were one person, and 11.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 14,498 families.
The age distribution was 18.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% aged 18 to 24, 22.5% aged 25 to 44, 28.6% aged 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 45.2years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males.
There were 19,561 housing units at an average density of, of which 19,157 were occupied. Of these, 68.6% were owner-occupied, and 31.4% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 32.0% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 53.9% spoke only English at home, 9.7% spoke Spanish, 3.2% spoke other Indo-European languages, 29.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 3.7% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 90.4% were high school graduates and 44.9% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income was $111,797, and the per capita income was $48,238. About 3.8% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Fountain Valley had a population of 55,313. The population density was. The racial makeup of Fountain Valley was 31,225 White, 510 African American, 229 Native American, 18,418 Asian, 171 Pacific Islander, 2,445 from other races, and 2,315 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,250 persons.
The Census reported that 54,876 people lived in households, 257 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 180 were institutionalized.
There were 18,648 households, out of which 6,341 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 11,142 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,102 had a female householder with no husband present, 970 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 646 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 108 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,451 households were made up of individuals, and 1,772 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94. There were 14,214 families ; the average family size was 3.34.
The population was spread out, with 11,643 people under the age of 18, 4,624 people aged 18 to 24, 13,310 people aged 25 to 44, 16,020 people aged 45 to 64, and 9,716 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
There were 19,164 housing units at an average density of, of which 13,458 were owner-occupied, and 5,190 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 40,718 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 14,158 people lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 United States census, Fountain Valley had a median household income of $81,212, with 6.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

As a suburban city, most of Fountain Valley's residents commute to work in other urban centers. However, in recent years, the city has seen an increase in commercial jobs in the city, with the growth of a commercial center near the Santa Ana River known as the "Southpark" district.
Although the economy of the area was once based mainly on agriculture, the remaining production consists of several fields of strawberries or other small crops, which are gradually being replaced by new office development. Efforts to bolster economic activity are evidenced by the city enacting policies to benefit small businesses, and even going so far as to paint a mural on the facade of a large water treatment building facing the freeway that depicts two shopping bags headlined by the words, "Shop in Fountain Valley."
Fountain Valley is home to the national headquarters of Hyundai Motor America and D-Link Corporation, the global headquarters of memory chip manufacturer Kingston Technology, and the corporate headquarters of Surefire, LLC, maker of military and commercial flashlights. The Southpark commercial area is also home to offices for companies such as D-Link, Starbucks, Satura and the Orange County Register. There are also a limited number of light industrial companies in this area. In addition, Fountain Valley is the location for Noritz, a tankless water heater manufacturer, and the main west coast offices of Ceridian, a professional employer organization.
The increasing commercial growth can be evidenced by the frequent rush-hour traffic bottlenecks on the San Diego Freeway through Fountain Valley.

Top employers

According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top ten employers in the city are:
#Employer# of employees
1Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center1,563
2UCI Health - Fountain Valley1,518
3Memorial Health Services913
4Hyundai Motor America749
5Kingston Technology609
6Memorial Health Medical Foundation493
7Costco400
8SureFire326
9Spec Services, Inc.238
10Sam's Club219

Arts and culture

Fountain Valley holds an annual Summerfest in June in Mile Square Regional Park. The event features a car show, rides, music, and booths.
The city has 18 churches, one Reform synagogue, a mosque and a public library.

Parks and recreation

Fountain Valley is home to Mile Square Regional Park, a park containing two lakes, two 18-hole golf courses, playing fields, picnic shelters, and a urban nature area planted with California native plants, a recreation center with tennis courts, basketball courts, racquetball courts, a gymnasium, and the Kingston Boys & Girls Club; There is also a community center and a senior center that opened in September 2005. A major redevelopment of the recreation center and city-administered sports fields was completed in early 2009.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Fountain Valley is in, and in.
In the United States House of Representatives, Fountain Valley is in.

Politics

Fountain Valley is a reliably Republican stronghold in presidential elections; however, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton won a plurality of the city in 2016, becoming the first Democrat in over four decades to carry the municipality. However, in 2020, the city moved back into the Republican column, as Donald Trump carried the city with 51.0% of the vote, having made gains in Orange County's Vietnamese community.
According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 22, 2018, Fountain Valley has 32,884 registered voters. Of those, 12,935 are registered Republicans, 9,674 are registered Democrats, and 8,967 have declined to state a political party/are independents.

Education

There are three high schools, three middle schools, nine elementary schools, one K-12 school, and two K-8 schools. However, some students who live in the city of Fountain Valley actually attend schools in other cities.
Fountain Valley is also home to Coastline Community College. Community colleges in the area include Orange Coast College and Golden West College, located nearby in the cities of Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, respectively.
High schools in Huntington Beach Union High School District:
High schools in Garden Grove Unified School District:
Middle schools in Fountain Valley School District:
  • Harry C. Fulton Middle School
  • Kazuo Masuda Middle School: Named for Kazuo Masuda, a soldier who fought in World War II and now is buried in Midway City, California.
  • Talbert Middle School
Middle schools in Ocean View Middle School District:
  • Vista View Middle School
Elementary schools in Garden Grove Unified School District:
  • Allen Elementary School, a 2011 Blue Ribbon Award winner
  • Monroe Elementary School
  • Northcutt Elementary School
Elementary schools in Fountain Valley School District:
  • Courreges Elementary School
  • Cox Elementary School
  • Gisler Elementary School
  • Plavan Elementary School
  • Tamura Elementary School
  • Newland Elementary School
  • Oka Elementary School

Private schools

  • Shoreline Christian School
The Lycée International de Los Angeles previously had its Orange County campus in Fountain Valley, but it moved to Orange by 2001.

Media

Fountain Valley has its own newspaper, the Fountain Valley View, operated by the ''Orange County Register.''

Infrastructure

In addition to the San Diego Freeway, which bisects the city, Fountain Valley is served by several bus lines operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority. Bus routes 33, 35, 37, 43, 70, 72, 76 and 543 cover the city's major streets.
Most of the major roads are equipped with bicycle lanes, especially around Mile Square Park, which offers wide bike paths along the major streets that mark its boundary. Dedicated bike paths along the Santa Ana River run from the city of Corona to the Pacific Ocean.
Historically, Fountain Valley had Red Car service along the Santa Ana/Huntington Beach Pacific Electric Spur Line. This line ran along Bushard Street. Passenger service started in 1909, ended in 1922, and the lines were torn out in 1930.
Fire protection and emergency medical services are provided by two stations of the Fountain Valley Fire Department. Law enforcement is provided by the Fountain Valley Police Department. Ambulance service is provided by Care Ambulance Service.
The Orange County Sanitation District's administrative offices and primary plant is located in Fountain Valley next to the Santa Ana River. The agency is the third-largest sanitation district in the western United States. Fountain Valley is also home to the offices of the Municipal Water District of Orange County, a member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and of the Orange County Water District. The Orange County Water District manages the groundwater basin in central and northern Orange County and operates the Groundwater Replenishment System, the world's largest water purification plant for groundwater recharge.
Fountain Valley has two fully accredited major medical centers: the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital with 400 beds available, and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center with 230 beds, a medical clinic, and an outpatient medical building.

Notable people