Rancho Los Nietos was one of the first, and the largest, Spanish land concession in Alta California. Located in present-day Los Angeles County and

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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Rancho Los Nietos was awarded to Manuel Nieto in 1784. The rancho remained intact until 1834, when Governor Jose Figueroa officially declared the Rancho Los Nietos grant under Mexican rule and ordered its partition into six smaller ranchos. Today, all parts of the following places are located on what was once Rancho Los Nietos, spanning the cities of Southest LA and north Orange County: * Anaheim * Artesia * Bellflower *

Buena Park Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 m ...

* Bolsa Chica State Beach— Bolsa Chica Reserve * Cerritos * Cypress *

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* Fullerton * Garden Grove *

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* Lakewood *

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* Los Alamitos *

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* Norwalk *

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* Sunset Beach * Whittier

History

Spanish grant

In 1784, Spanish governor Pedro Fages granted to Manuel Nieto, a former sergeant in the Spanish army, provisional use of all land between the Santa Ana River and the

Los Angeles River , name_etymology = , image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg , image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge , image_size = 300 , map = LARmap.jpg , map_size ...

from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to the sea. The original grant was , but the San Gabriel Mission contested the Los Nietos grant on the grounds that it encroached upon the southern portion of its property. A decision in favor of the mission was reached and Rancho Los Nietos was reduced to nearly half of its original size, but still leaving Corporal Nieto with . At first it was called La Zanja, but later it was known simply as Rancho Los Nietos. Upon Manuel Nieto's death in 1804, Rancho Los Nietos passed to his wife and four children.

Mexican declaration and partition

The rancho remained intact until 1833, when the Nieto heirs petitioned Mexican Governor

José Figueroa José Figueroa (1792 – 29 September 1835), was a General and the Mexican Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835. He wrote the first book to be published in California. Background and governorship Figueroa was a Mestizo of Spanish ...

for a partition and distribution of the land. In 1834, governor Figueroa officially declared the Los Nietos grant under Mexican rule and ordered its partition into six smaller ranchos. HARRISON v. ULRICHS et al., (Circuit Court, Southern District California, August 12, 1889)
/ref> Rancho Palo Alto was the smallest of the six ranchos. It is unknown exactly where or how large was Rancho Palo Alto as it did not appear on the partition map. It included the Coyote Hills and most of the Arroyo de los Coyotes, and may have been combined into Rancho Los Coyotes.

Legacy

Los Nietos Road in Santa Fe Springs and the unincorporated community known as West Whittier-Los Nietos are named after the rancho.

References

{{coord, 33.86, -118.01, region:US-CA, display=title Nietos, Los Los Nietos Los Nietos History of Los Angeles County, California History of Orange County, California History of Long Beach, California 1784 in Alta California 1784 establishments in Alta California Anaheim, California Buena Park, California Cerritos, California Cypress, California Downey, California Fullerton, California Garden Grove, California Lakewood, California Norwalk, California Santa Fe Springs, California Whittier, California 18th century in Los Angeles