Founded by fifty German families in 1857 and incorporated on February 10, 1870, Anaheim developed into an industrial center, producing electronics, aircraft parts, and canned fruit. It is the site of the Disneyland Resort, a world-famous grouping of theme parks and hotels which opened in 1955, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Honda Center, and Anaheim Convention Center, the largest convention center on the American west coast. Its name is a blend of "Ana", after the nearby Santa Ana River, and "heim", a common German place name compound originally meaning "home".
Anaheim's city limits stretch from Cypress in the west to the Riverside County line in the east and encompass a diverse collection of neighborhoods and communities. Anaheim Hills is a highly wealthy master-planned community that is home to many sports stars and executives located in the city's eastern stretches. West Anaheim is notable for its more mature neighborhoods dating from the 1950s, which comprise part of the continuous suburban sprawl extending from Los Angeles. The Anaheim Resort, a commercial district, includes Disneyland and the neighboring hotel and retail complexes. The Platinum Triangle, a neo-urban redevelopment district surrounding Angel Stadium, is planned to be populated with mixed-use streets and high-rises. Finally, The Canyon is an industrial district north of the Riverside Freeway and east of the Orange Freeway.
As of the census of 2000, there were 345,556 people, 96,969 households, and 73,502 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,587.8/km² (6,842.7/mi²). There were 99,719 housing units at an average density of 786.7/km² (2,037.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.72% White, 3.70% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 11.98% Asian, 0.42% Pacific Islander, 24.21% from other races, and 5.02% from two or more races. 46.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 96,969 households out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34 and the average family size was 3.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,122, and the median income for a family was $49,969. Males had a median income of $33,870 versus $28,837 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,266. About 10.4% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Anaheim is served by two public bus transit systems (Metro and OCTA) and 2 rail systems (Amtrak and Metrolink). Anaheim is serviced by John Wayne Airport located 15 miles (24 km), Long Beach Airport located 20 miles (32 km) away, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Ontario Airport, located 35 miles (56 km) away and San Bernardino International Airport located about 45 miles (72 km) away. Anaheim is serviced by five airports in all, but its primary airport is the John Wayne--Orange County Airport. The John Wayne Airport carries "Orange County" as its destination moniker, which is displayed on most arrival and departure monitors and gate signs in airports throughout the country. Orange County is used as the common name for the Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine Area.
Anaheim will soon be home to a regional transportation gateway (known as "ARTIC"), which will connect many different types of transportation medians in one location. A monorail has been proposed to connect the Artic transportation hub to the resort district.
In addition, a not-for-profit organization called the "Anaheim Transportation Network" provides local shuttle service in the Disneyland Resort area serving local hotels and both the California Adventure and Disneyland theme parks.
Disney GOALS, a major southern California not for profit organization also operates daily free bus service for low income youth in the central Anaheim area. This bus service enables access to local, high end athletic competition for youth who would otherwise have no way to access those activities (or venues).