As of the census , the city had a population of ,, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most populous city in California , and the 56th-most populous city in the United States. Anaheim was founded by fifty German families in and incorporated as the second city in Los Angeles County on March 18, ; [ 1 ] Orange County was split off from Los Angeles County in Anaheim remained largely an agricultural community until Disneyland opened on July 17, This led to the construction of several hotels and motels around the area, and residential districts in Anaheim soon followed.
The city also developed into an industrial center, producing electronics, aircraft parts and canned fruit. Anaheim is a charter city. Anaheim's city limits extend almost the full width of Orange County, from Cypress in the west, twenty miles east to the Riverside County line, encompassing a diverse range of neighborhoods. In the west, midth-century tract houses predominate. Downtown Anaheim has three mixed-use historic districts, the largest of which is the Anaheim Colony.
South of downtown, a center of commercial activity of regional importance begins, the AnaheimβSanta Ana edge city , which stretches east and south into the cities of Orange , Santa Ana , and Garden Grove. This edge city includes the Disneyland Resort , with two theme parks, multiple hotels, and its retail district ; Disney is part of the larger Anaheim Resort district with numerous other hotels 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. The city's eastern third consists of Anaheim Hills , a community built to a master plan, and open land east of the Eastern Transportation Corridor SR toll road.
Anaheim's name is a blend of Ana , after the nearby Santa Ana River , and German -heim meaning "home", which is also a common Germanic place name compound compare Trondheim in Norway and many place names in Germany.
