Olive, California facts for kids
Olive is a small area of land, about 32.67 acres, completely surrounded by the city of Orange. It's located along Lincoln Avenue, between Eisenhower Park and Orange Olive Road. Think of it like a tiny island of land inside a bigger city!
Contents
A Look Back: Olive's History
Early Days and Native People
Long ago, this area was home to Native American groups like the Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño nations. They lived here for many years. A village called Totpavit was located right where Olive is today.
Spanish Explorers Arrive
In 1769, a Spanish group led by Father Junipero Serra explored the area. They named it Vallejo de Santa Ana, which means "Valley of Saint Anne." On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the first permanent European settlement in this part of Alta California, which was then part of New Spain.
Big Ranches and Land Changes
In 1801, the Spanish Empire gave a huge piece of land, about 62,500 acres, to Jose Antonio Yorba. He called it Rancho San Antonio. This giant ranch included the land where Olive and many other cities like Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa, and Newport Beach are located today. Over time, smaller ranches, like the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, were created from this large one.
After the Mexican-American War, which ended in 1848, Alta California became part of the United States. Many people who owned land before this time, called Californios, lost their land titles.
How Olive Got Its Name
In 1875, American settlers were trying to decide on a name for their new town. They thought about names like Richland, Lemon, Walnut, and Olive. In the end, they chose Orange because there was already a city named Richland in California. When the city was named Orange, California, the other three names – Lemon, Walnut, and Olive – were used for streets in the new town. Today, Orange Olive Road runs through the Olive community.
Where is Olive?
The community of Olive is in the northern part of the city of Orange. It's about 2 miles west of Anaheim Hills and close to the Anaheim border. Olive sits on a small hill, about 50 feet higher than the land around it.
Olive was started in 1887 by someone who worked in the olive industry. Many of the original 63 land lots in Olive have been divided into smaller pieces. Now, most are at least a quarter-acre in size, which follows the county rules for the area.
With 258 residents, Olive is one of the smallest "island communities" in Orange County that people recognize by name.
The area doesn't have sidewalks, and many of its houses built before 1930 are set far back on their lots. Because Olive is small, there isn't much through traffic, which makes it quiet for the people who live there. The only sign that tells you you're in the community says "Olive Heights" at the corner of Palm and Lincoln Avenues. Students who live in Olive go to Olive Elementary School. This school temporarily closed in the 1990s because not enough students were enrolled, but now it has 376 students.
Notable People
- Major League Baseball pitcher Russ Heman, born February 10, 1933.
- Jazz Composer/Arranger Bill Holman, born May 21, 1927.
