Los Alamitos is a small town of approximately 11,500 people encompassed in a relatively small area of 4.3 square miles in western Orange County. It’s situated between three freeways, the San Gabriel River (I-605) Freeway, the Garden Grove (22) Freeway and the San Diego (I-405) Freeway, and borders Los Angeles County.
The region was once part of a 1784 land grant, when thousands of acres were awarded to a Spanish soldier, Manuel Nieto, by the colonial government in Mexico City. Nieto divided his land holdings, selling off large parcels and giving other chunks to his children. A portion of the property was named Rancho Los Alamitos, meaning “Ranch of the Cottonwood trees” for the stands of poplars situated around local water sources.
Long before California became a state, nearly all of Orange County had belonged to one of the rancho owners. Most had used their vast land holdings to raise cattle, but the drought of 1863-64 wiped out the herds, bringing about the end of the famous Rancho Era of California history.
Following the drought, Rancho Los Alamitos came under the control of the Bixby family, whose descendants continue to be influential in Southern California.
<!—had belonged to Abel Stearns, often called “horseface,” because of his homely looks that had been made even worse by a knife wound. Stearns built an adobe house on a gentle hill overlooking the flatlands of Los Alamitos. After the drought, Stearns, struggled financially from the unexpected economic losses and sold the property to the Bixby family. (The Bixby descendents continue to be movers and shakers in Southern California.)
–>Much of the acreage that made up Rancho Los Alamitos was bottom land that had been covered with layers of silt deposited by Coyote Creek, a river that currently runs along the western edge of Los Alamitos.
Sugar beets grew well here, and in the early years of production, the harvested crops were sent to Chino for processing,
In 1896, former-Sen. William Clark of Montana bought around 8,000 acres of land from the Bixbys and established the Los Alamitos Sugar Company and a little town named for the Bixby’s rancho was established to accommodate the workers. The town thrived until a 1921 insect infestation wiped out the region’s sugar beet crop.
Though the factory closed, the community continued to grow, most likely because of its proximity to Long Beach and other larger, successful cities that provided jobs for Los Alamitos residents.
The facility in Los Alamitos that had once transformed beets into sugar was leased to Dr. Ross, who used it to make wild horse meat into dog food. The processing plant operated until 1933, when the Long Beach earthquake damaged the aging building, forcing Ross, the town’s largest employer, into bankruptcy. It proved to be the last major industrial business venture in the city of Los Alamitos.
Incorporated in 1960, the city has been deliberately maintained as a bedroom community – sugar beet factories and dog food plants wouldn’t be allowed in today’s Los Alamitos. Local zoning ordinances prevent heavy manufacturing or industry from doing business in the city.
This small community has a few strip malls; wonderful restaurants, including the well-known Katella Deli; and other small businesses to service the needs of the local population.
At the present time, Los Alamitos is best known as the location of the Joint Forces Training Center, which takes up about 40 percent of the city’s 4.3 square miles.<!— The 1,400 acres were originally purchased in 1941 from one of the members of the Bixby family, who likely felt she was doing her patriotic duty. After all, the United States had entered the war in response to Pearl Harbor, and the military had decided to create a naval air station slightly inland from the shipyards in neighboring Long Beach.
Completed in 1942, this was the first military base constructed in Orange County. Since that time it has served as a base for training Reservists and other military operations. —>
The Army Airfield (LAAAF) at the base has two state-of-the-art runways that can accommodate almost every type of military aircraft, including huge transport carriers. There are still an estimated 1,000 take-offs and landings a month.
On many occasions, the airfield has hosted Air Force One, a safer and more secure landing site for the President of the United States when flying into Southern California.
A number of citizen soldiers have seen service in Iraq, transporting soldiers and cargo.
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Los Alamitos is home to Orange County’s only horse racing track. It was built in 1951 by Frank Vessels, Sr., who came to California from Kentucky in 1920. Growing up in Kentucky during the time when horse racing was second only to breathing, Vessels was determined to bring the “sport of kings” to Orange County. The Kentuckian purchased a 435-acre ranch and dedicated a large portion of the land to his beloved race course.
Since Los Alamitos Race Track was founded over 55 years ago, tens of thousands of fans from all over the southland have come to enjoy the year-round Quarter Horse racing. The track is home to Schwanie’s Grill and an upscale, gourmet restaurant, Vessels, named to honor the founder.
–>The city has sought to maintain a small-town feel. In 2006, city leaders invested $4.65 million in a 4.25 acre site previously owned by the Los Alamitos Unified School District to preserve as a park.
A Town Center at Katella Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard was launched in 1999 in a bid to give the city more pedestrian traffic and a physical center.
The community of Rossmoor, a small, county-governed community of large homes with a dedication to parks, is currently mulling its plans for the future. A 2006 survey found the majority of Rossmoor residents preferred to pursue cityhood, rather than annexation to Los Alamitos or neighboring Seal Beach.
Schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District enjoy a state and national reputation fo excellence, turning out students who excel at the Scholastic Aptitude Test and become National Merit Scholars.
Their knowledge goes beyond the theoretical.
Oak Middle School students were given a grant from the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization at Cal State San Bernardino, to pursue a space project in conjunction with Los Alamitos-based Lunar Rocket and Rover Co. The decelerator combines aspects of a parachute and a balloon made of Kevlar for recovery of radio transponders.
The Los Alamitos High drum corps and color guard participated in the 2006 The National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., becoming California’s only student musicians to do so in that year’s event.
An unusual alliance between city, military and private forces transformed a dilapidated 1941 pool at the Reserve Center into a world-class water polo training center. The pool is used by the U.S. Women’s water polo team, high school students and residents wanting a workout.
Los Alamitos Medical Center on Katella Avenue is a highly respected hospital located near the center of town. There’s a small museum in a restored firehouse filled with exhibits and photos of the city’s history.
With its quiet middle-class neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, and great schools, it’s no wonder that Los Alamitos (affectionately called “Los Al” by locals) is considered to be one of Orange County’s most desirable places to live.
