Anaheim was a vineyard colony before it was a theme-park city

Anaheim is easy to picture through theme parks and hotels, but the older story is farm fields. The city began in 1857 as a colony of German farmers and vintners. George Hansen surveyed the original 200 acres, which became the downtown area.

Even the name points back to that first idea. “Ana” came from the nearby Santa Ana River, and “heim” is German for home. The early settlers saw the place as a home by the river, with grapes and wine as part of daily work.

Vineyards did not stay the main crop. A disease badly damaged grape growing, and citrus took a larger role. That shift connects Anaheim’s old farm story to Orange County’s bigger citrus story, years before the city became known around the world for entertainment.

This is a useful layer to keep in mind when you walk older Anaheim streets. The modern visitor economy is real, but it grew on top of a small, planned farming community with its own language, crops, and town center.