Garden Grove City Hall is located at 11222 Acacia Parkway, Garden Grove, CA 92840.
Phone: 714‑741‑5000.
Beginnings [1]
In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago ended the Mexican-American war and began the American period for the Garden Grove area and all of Alta California. In 1868, Abel Stearns purchased the Rancho Las Bolsas land from Manuel Nieto's heirs. He acquired other lands and combined these lands with the Rancho Las Bolsas land to create the Stearns Rancho Company, a land company. Soon, parcels and tracts of land were sold to the newly arriving settlers.
Some of the earliest settlers in Garden Grove included Henry Evans and William Mitchell, who moved to the community in the late 1860s. Other settlers include John M. Teal, Andrew Mills, and J.D. Price, who moved to Garden Grove in the early 1870s. In 1874, Dr. Alonzo Cook purchased a 160-acre tract and donated some of the land located at the northwest corner of Main Street and Garden Grove Boulevard for a school. This started the town, and a general store and a blacksmith shop followed in 1876 and 1877, respectively. The town grew slowly and served the surrounding farming community.
The population did not increase dramatically until the Pacific Electric Railroad reached the community in 1905. Increased access to the community brought new settlers and businesses. A lumber yard, a bakery, two telephone companies, a newspaper, and a hardware store soon were part of the town along Euclid, which is now Main Street, and along Garden Grove Boulevard. Farming still provided the main occupation for the community with chili peppers, sugar beets, beans, and garden vegetables as the major crops grown.
Many Japanese families also settled in Garden Grove after the construction of the railways. They raised strawberries, celery, beans, and chili peppers on their farms. Garden Grove soon became the center for strawberries.
Following World War II, the population again increased dramatically, and the need for a city government became apparent. After five incorporation efforts, the city formally incorporated in 1956. At first a farming community, then a residential community, the City of Garden Grove today has developed a commercial and industrial base to support the community.
Nearby Towns: Anaheim City • Santa Ana City •