Fullerton

^{Saber-toothed cats and mammoths were once a part of the prehistoric animal habitation in Fullerton, evidence of which can be seen in Ralph B Clark Regional Park. Gaspar de Portola, who led a Spanish expedition north to Monterey, was among the first of Europeans to pass through Fullerton in 1769. According to a diary that belonged to Father Juan Crespi, he and his party set up a campsite near what we now know as Laguna Lake. In 1771, the Tongva people were called “Gabrielinos”, named after the Mission of San Gabriel. What we now call Fullerton was a part of Rancho San Juan Cajon de Santa Ana and was granted to Juan Pacifico Ontiveros who was a Spanish soldier.}

^{After the 1849 Gold Rush, Ontiveros started to sell parcels of his land to migrant Americans who were beginning to settle and develop California. Among the Americans who bought the land was Abel Stearns. Stearns sold it in the 1860s to Domingo Bastanchury who was a Basque shepherd. Later, in 1886, two brothers named George and Edward Amerige were visiting the area on a duck hunting vacation. It was brought to their attention that the California Central Railroad was looking for land so they decided to purchase 430 acres of Anaheim for about $68,000. Shortly after, the brothers and George H Fullerton were in negotiations. Fullerton was the president of the Pacific Land and Improvement Company which was a Santa Fe subsidiary. These negotiations led to surveys being revised to include the proposed town and Edward Amergie officially named his claim at what is now the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Commonwealth Ave.}

^{In the 1890s, oil was discovered in the area. It became the cornerstone of the city’s economy. In 1894, Charles Chapman bought an orange orchard in the eastern portion of Fullerton. He was a retired Chicago publisher and descendant of John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman. He promoted oranges from his Santa Ysabel Ranch. These oranges were a blessing to producers and Fullerton had a grand display of more orange groves than any other municipality in the United States. Alongside the production of oranges, walnuts and avocados were in full bloom and the town grew to become an agricultural center.}

^{While the city was mostly known as an agricultural center, it also gave way to petroleum extraction, transportation and manufacturing. These days, Fullerton College, Fullerton and California State University are among the higher educational institutions available in the city. For about half of a century, from 1940s to 1990s, it was a home base to large industrial aerospace contractors, canneries and paper product manufacturers. Fullerton is also known as the home of the electric guitar because of Leo Fender, an American inventor and manufacturer of electronic musical instruments. The first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar was created by Fender and Fullerton in 1948.}

^{This area was once dominated by Caucasian Americans but at the beginning of the 21st century, class division was introduced to the area. Undeveloped land was less and less available and the demographics of the area changed to include Asian and Latino immigrants.}

^{Rejuvenation of the DTF (Downtown Fullerton) attracted coffee shops, specialty stores and restaurants. The South-eastern part of Fullerton is known as the industrial sector while the northern and western portions of the city are home to the Coyote Hills while the lands to the southern area are known as the Sunny Hills.}

^{The median household income is $79,978 as of 2019.}

^{Population: Approximately 139,611 as of 2019}

^{Well Known Places In Fullerton}

^{Laguna Lake Park}

^{Fullerton Museum Center}

^{Fullerton Arboretum}

^{Fact Sheet}

^{Fullerton is 22.4 square miles and 0.01 square miles of water.}

^{There are more than 50 city parks in the area.}

^{Founded in 1887, the city of Fullerton was not incorporated until 1904 and was not officially recognized until 1907.}

^{The city is home to Golden Baseball League’s Orange County Flyers.}