Check out these fun facts about Villa Park, CA. The city of Villa Park’s origins go back to the 1800s and as such there are many little known facts about this Hidden Jewel.
- There are only two street lights in Villa Park (a few more if you count the city border).
- Fireworks are legal in Villa Park on the Fourth of July.
- There is a Dry Land Boat Parade the first Sunday in December. In 1982 NBC News carried the first event live across the Western states.
- A $45 million dollar science center was built on VPHS’s campus as part of Measure S.
- Villa Park’s motto is the “Hidden Jewel” but it also could be “The Donut Hole” since it is completely surrounded by Orange.
- Villa Park is not the smallest city in Orange County by size. La Palma is the smallest city, at 1.8 square miles (Villa Park is 2.1 square miles). By population, Villa Park is smallest, with about 5,900 residents.
- Much of the city’s character comes from the large lot sizes where half-acre zoning used to be in effect. Now some lots can be as little as 8,000 square feet or 3 units per acre but most of the homes are a half acre or much more.
- There is one shopping center.
- The Town Center had to be zoned commercial (from residential) which many Villa Park residents originally did not want and refused to shop in the center.
- There is a suspended A-4 Skyhawk hanging over an infinity pool. Go to Taft and Ludwig or Briley and look North up Ludwig or Briley to view. It hangs on the only hillside above those streets.
- There used to be a bridge in Villa Park and that got washed out by a flood in 1969. You can still see both ends of the road where Santiago Blvd. dead ends at Santiago Creek.
- There is rumored to be a haunted house in Villa Park.
- During Halloween famous guitarist Jose Feliciano’s house on Lemon and Mesa was the place to go for great Halloween treats. His large acreage property has since been sub-divided into what is now Martinique Ct.
- The VPHS students were tagged with the moniker “Weenies on the Hill” by Orange High School.
- Pranks resulting from the moniker included Orange students throwing hot dogs on the field/court or tying hot dogs in the trees at VPHS. VPHS students responded with oranges. Orange students also put a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia into the VPHS pool in the 1980s.
- Candid Camera, one of the original reality shows, came to VPHS in 1989.
- There are no parks in Villa Park. Some say the yards are the parks.
- Villa Park is an official bird sanctuary.
- The Hummingbird is Villa Park’s official city bird.
- Green parrots can be seen flying above throughout the day and Turkey Vultures in the trees. You can even get a Green Cheek beer at a local brewery in honor of the local parrots.
- 6 time capsules were buried in Villa Park in the year 2000 and filled with items from children and Villa Park groups. It will be opened up on January 1, 2025.
- At 5,800 residents it’s easily the smallest city population in Orange County. Second smallest in terms of square miles next to La Habra.
- Horses, cows, sheep, pigs and goats may be kept for recreational purposes.
- The Villa Park Dam is not located in Villa Park but was located in the former Villa Park District.
- Nor was the Villa Park Country Club (9661 Windes Dr, Orange, CA) but it was started by VP, OPA and Tustin residents in the 60s and closed in the early 80s. The 9-acre club featured a club house, stables, 2 riding rings and a swimming pool.
- There used to be a Miss Villa Park and the first one was crowned in 1971, Millicent Strahan.
- In 1973, Villa Park briefly considered going against the rest of Orange County (and country) by moving to a year round daylight savings time (Villa Park Daylight Time (VPDT)) to combat the energy crisis.
- The Southern Pacific railroad ran through Villa Park on Wanda Rd with a train depot (Wanda Station) on Wanda and Katella/Villa Park Rd. The railroad tracks are still there and buried underneath the sidewalk on Wanda.
- Fitschen Ranch Road is the only street nobody lives on in Villa Park.
- Eucalyptus trees used to line Center Dr. The trees were originally planted because the trees grew fast and people incorrectly believed it would make great wood for building and railroads.
- The oldest commercial building in the city, was built in 1919, located at Villa Park Elementary and was torn down in 2017 due to dilapidated conditions and the multi-million dollar cost to restore.
- There is a home on Santiago between Center and Lemon that was built between 1876 and 1880 and still stands today.
- The community picnic is one of the oldest traditions, dating back to at least 1881 when the community would travel by wagon to Irvine park.
- Villa Park was incorporated on January 11th, 1962.
- Villa Park was known as Mountain View in 1860.
- The Post Office refused to deliver mail because there already was a Mountain View in California so it became Villa Park.
- Before Villa Park was a city it was known as Villa Park District and was much larger until the cities of Orange and Anaheim incorporated significant parts of the district.
- Horse and buggies and a few automobiles was the norm.
- Villa Park was primarily orchards with oranges and lemons and only a few houses. Prior to citrus, it was walnuts, apricots and grapes.
- Pioneers of Villa Park remain in the street names such as Abbott, Adams, Brewer, Collins, Durfee, Fitschen, Florence, Hazel, Knuth, Mary, Morrow, Nichols, Squire, Sterling and Workman.
- Notable Villa Park Residents (past and present)
- Bert Blyleven – MLB Hall of Famer, former Angel, also owned Blyleven’s Dugout in the Villa Park Center (now Bagel Me!)
- Aaron Boone – Former MLB baseball player, current Yankees manager.
- Bob Boone – Former MLB baseball player, manager.
- Foster Brooks – Variety show actor, newscaster, Las Vegas show act.
- Cindy Brown – Former professional basketball player and 1988 Olympic gold medal winner.
- Dieter Brock – Former CFL, Ram QB.
- Adolphus Busch – Co-founder of Anheuser-Busch. Owned 38 acres in the Villa Park district from 1909 until his death in 1913.
- Rod Carew – MLB Hall of Famer, former Angel player and hitting coach.
- Rosalind Chao – Actress.
- Eric Chenowith – Former VPHS, Kansas and NBA player.
- Josh Childress – Former NBA player.
- Roy Choi – Celebrity chef and creator of the gourmet Korean taco truck, Kogi.
- Bartolo Colon – MLB pitcher, Cy Young award winner for the Angels.
- Anthony Davis – Running back in NFL, USFL. Won 5 National Championships at USC (2 football, 3 baseball).
- Doug DeCinces – Former MLB baseball player.
- Leigh Donovan – Hall of Fame Mountain Biker.
- Jose Feliciano – Singer, Entertainer.
- Vince Ferragamo – Quarterback for Cal, University of Nebraska, NFL.
- Freddie Freeman – MLB baseball player.
- Jo Frost – The Super Nanny.
- Bruce Furniss – 1976 two time Olympic gold medalist swimmer.
- Danielle Gregorio – Real Housewives of Orange County.
- Carl Karcher – Founder of Carl’s Jr.
- Lance Larson – 1960 gold medal winning Olympic swimmer.
- Susan McCaw – Former U.S. Ambassador to Austria.
- Pat McInnally – Former NFL player (only NFL player to score a perfect 50 on the Wonderlic Test)
- Bill Medley – Member of the Righteous Brothers.
- Robert Rotunda – Assistant majority counsel for the Watergate Committee. Adviser to Ken Starr during the inquiry into President Clinton.
- Nolan Ryan – MLB Hall of Famer.
- Ervin Santana – MLB baseball player.
- L.J. Smith – Author, The Vampire Diaries.
- Moose Stubbing – MLB player, scout, coach, interim manager of Angels
- James T. Workman – 1928 Olympic Gold medalist in rowing, led effort to incorporate Villa Park, served on first Villa Park City Council as Mayor Pro Tem and Workman Cir. in Villa Park is named after him.
- Del Worsham – NHRA Funny car driver.
Read all about Villa Park’s history.
Other places with the Villa Park name include:
- Villa Park, IL – A city in Illinois
- Villa Park, Denver – A neighborhood in Denver, CO
- Villa Parke, Pasadena, CA – A neighborhood in Pasadena, CA
- Villa Park – A park in Chino, CA
- Villa Park, Roseville – The 5th largest park in Roseville, MN
- Villa Park Stadium- A football (soccer) stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, home to the Aston Villa Football Club
- Villa Park Dr – Streets located in Richmond, VA, Austin, TX, Rosemead, CA and Hubert, NC
- Villa Park St – A street located in La Puente, CA
- Villa Park Cir – A street located in Dallas, TX
- Villa Park Jacket – A jacket by Columbia Sportswear
- Vila Park – A restaurant in Kosovo
- Villa Park – The fifth largest park in Roseville, MN
- Villa Park Orchards – An agricultural cooperative association organized for the purpose of packing and marketing oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and lemons for its members. Originally located in Orange, CA