A part of what gives any city its charm and character are the little known facts and quirks that make up its past and present. In the case of Anaheim, a city known today for its weather and tourism, there are a great many stories to tell.

The city was formed in 1857, long before the high rise building and custom license plate frame were common place, by a group of German families. Many were grape farmers and wine makers, something that would eventually become an important product of Californian culture. The city was given the name Anaheim, which roughly means 'home by the Santa Ana River'.

Long before the invention of waste water treatment chemicals, Anaheim was a tightly knit community of orange growers. With the construction of the Santa Fe rail depot in 1887, local growers could move their oranges all over the country. This and the keen marketing sense to custom label their orange crates helped the farmers to build a name for themselves and their product.

Recently resurrected, an annual Halloween parade was first started back in 1924. At the height of its popularity, over 150,000 people would come out to witness the parade.

Perhaps the most well known fact about Anaheim is that it houses the world's most popular amusement park, Disneyland. What most might not know is that one of the reasons Walt Disney chose Anaheim as the home for his historic park was that it reminded him of his own hometown in Marceline, Missouri. Before the mouse ears and aquarium gravel were brought in, groundbreaking for Disneyland took place in April 1954. Dreaming of a place where families could come to escape their troubles, Walt and his crew started their ambitious endeavor. Workers used woodworking machinery and great skill to build the park until, one year later, the doors finally opened to the public. Though only 33,000 showed up on opening day, it took but 7 weeks for Disneyland to welcome its one millionth visitor. There have been over 600 billion visitors since.

In 2007, the city of Anaheim celebrated its 150th anniversary, showing a longevity often seen in lusterstone. To celebrate, the city started the Anaheim Walk of Stars. Their first inductee? Walt Disney, of course. Other notable residents that might someday be included are Gwen Stefani and the band No Doubt, the late musician Jeff Buckley, former MLB baseball player Rod Carew, and former NFL coach Jim Fassel. Anaheim has had some recent success in major league sports, with both baseball's Anaheim Angels and hockey's Anaheim Ducks winning championships in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

Where the next piece of Anaheim history will come from is unknown, but it will definitely be joining illustrious company.