Vans In an iconic pop culture shoutout, our city’s name features prominently in a line of Vans shoes known as the Anaheim Factory collection. The line pays tribute to the history of Vans, which brothers Paul and Jim Van Doren started in 1966 with a factory making sneakers with those unmistakable waffle soles in downtown Anaheim. While Vans now has its headquarters in Costa Mesa, the brand is forever associated with Anaheim and the enduring cool of skateboarding and California streetwear. Set in San Francisco The German American settlers who founded Anaheim came here by way of San Francisco. And so did our city’s name. Anaheim was picked in 1858 — shortly after our official founding — during a San Francisco meeting of settlers who had bought 1,165 acres in what is today downtown Anaheim. At the meeting, the settlers picked the Anaheim name to reflect their vision for a peaceful agricultural community by the river. An alternative considered was “Anaberg,” drawing on “berg” — German for mountain — for the hills and mountains just to the east. But Anaheim won out and is known around the world today. Anaheim Bay Unlike Long Beach, Anaheim isn’t a coastal city. But we do have a bay proudly named after us. Anaheim Bay is nestled between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach and is the site of historic Anaheim Landing, an early wharf that supplied our young city. Before the railroad came to Anaheim in 1874, the Pacific Ocean was the lifeblood of the young Anaheim Colony about 10 miles away. Anaheim cofounder and former City Council member August Frederick Langenberger formed the Anaheim Landing Co. at Anaheim Bay to bring goods to our city and to all of what would become Orange County. It was a closer, better alternative to what today is the Port of Los Angeles a bit farther up the road. At Anaheim Bay, large ships would anchor out in deeper water with smaller boats hauling goods to shore. The wharf thrived for about 15 years, serving as an entry port for goods from San Francisco and as far as the East Coast. While more efficient cargo trains came to eclipse the wharf, Anaheim Bay went on to play a role in military operations during World War II. Anaheim Bay lives on today as a testament to the formative role our city played throughout our region, with a historical plaque at the site commemorating the legacy of Anaheim Landing. 14 ANAHEIM I Summer–fall 2025 Anaheim Bay: early wharf for our young city, lives on as historic site today Vans Anaheim Factory collection: forever tied to our city
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