Fountain Valley is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

an city in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

. The population was 57,047 at the 2020 census.

History

Indigenous

The Indigenous people of the Fountain Valley area are the

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

. The closest village to present-day site of the city was the village of Pasbenga. The village was part of a series of villages along what the Spanish would refer to as the

Santa Ana River The Santa Ana River is the largest river entirely within Southern California in the United States. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows for most of its length through San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino and Riversid ...

Spanish

European settlement of the area began when Manuel Nieto was granted the land for

Rancho Los Nietos 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 Orange County, California. Rancho Los Nietos was awarded to Manuel Nieto in 1784. After an appea ...

, later Rancho Las Bolsas, which encompassed over , including present-day Fountain Valley. Control of the land was subsequently transferred to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

upon independence from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and then to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as part of the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

Talbert

Talbert was a settlement at what is now the intersection of Talbert and Bushard. It was also known as Gospel Swamp by residents. Thomas B. Talbert was born outside

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

Piatt County, Illinois Piatt County is a County (United States), county in Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 16,673. Its county seat is Monticello, Illinois, Monticello. Piatt County is part of the Champaign-Urbana Metropo ...

, in 1878. When Talbert was 13, his family moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

. Around 1896, the family purchased more than of peat and swampland in what is now Fountain Valley. The Talberts opened a general store and thus the settlement of Talbert was established. The area was full of farms growing beets that were processed at some of the nation's largest plants at Huntington Beach (

Holly Sugar The Holly Sugar Corporation was an American beet sugar-producing corporation. Founded in 1905 in Holly, Colorado, it expanded during the first half of the 20th century, opening a number of beet sugar refineries in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Texa ...

Plant) and at Delhi, now part of southwestern Santa Ana. The post office was established in 1899, with Thomas B. Talbert serving as the first postmaster. The All-Saints Church is the only structure remaining from that era. The Santa Ana–Huntington Beach Line of the

Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...

passed through Talbert and opened on July 5, 1909.

Incorporation

The city was incorporated in 1957. The name of Fountain Valley refers to the very high

water table The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater, which may be fresh, saline, or brackish, depending on the loc ...

in the area at the time the name was chosen, and the many corresponding

artesian wells An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of impermeable roc ...

in the area. Early settlers constructed drainage canals to make the land usable for agriculture, which remained the dominant use of land until the 1960s, when construction of large housing tracts accelerated. The first mayor of Fountain Valley was James Kanno, who with this appointment became one of the first Japanese-American mayors of a mainland United States city. After the

Fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

in 1975, there was a large influx of

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

refugees A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

settling in Fountain Valley, especially in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, forming a large percentage of

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans with Asian diaspora, ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are Immigration to the United States, immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). A ...

in the city.

Geography

The city is located southwest and northeast of the

San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway is one of the named principal Southern California freeways. It consists of the following two segments: *Interstate 5, from California State Route 94 in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of South ...

(Interstate 405), which diagonally bisects the city, and is surrounded by

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as o ...

on the south and west,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

and Garden Grove on the north, Santa Ana on the northeast, and

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

on the southeast. Its eastern border is the

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , 0.14% of which is water.

Demographics

Fountain Valley first appeared as a city in the 1960 U.S. Census as part of the North Coast census county division.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Fountain Valley had a population of 57,047. The population density was . The racial makeup of Fountain Valley was 41.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 39.8% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 6.4% from other races, and 10.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.5% of the population. The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized. There were 19,157 households, out of which 30.7% included children under the age of 18, 56.2% were married-couple households, 4.4% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 25.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.7% of households were one person, and 11.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 14,498

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(75.7% of all households). The age distribution was 18.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% aged 18 to 24, 22.5% aged 25 to 44, 28.6% aged 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 45.2years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. There were 19,561 housing units at an average density of , of which 19,157 (97.9%) were occupied. Of these, 68.6% were owner-occupied, and 31.4% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 32.0% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 53.9% spoke only English at home, 9.7% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 3.2% spoke other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, 29.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 3.7% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 90.4% were high school graduates and 44.9% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income was $111,797, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $48,238. About 3.8% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Fountain Valley had a population of 55,313. The population density was . The racial makeup of Fountain Valley was 31,225 (56.5%)

(49.2% Non-Hispanic White), 510 (0.9%)

, 229 (0.4%) Native American, 18,418 (33.3%) Asian, 171 (0.3%)

, 2,445 (4.4%) from other races, and 2,315 (4.2%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 7,250 persons (13.1%). The Census reported that 54,876 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 257 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 180 (0.3%) were institutionalized. There were 18,648 households, out of which 6,341 (34.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 11,142 (59.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,102 (11.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 970 (5.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 646 (3.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 108 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,451 households (18.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,772 (9.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94. There were 14,214

(76.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.34. The population was spread out, with 11,643 people (21.0%) under the age of 18, 4,624 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 13,310 people (24.1%) aged 25 to 44, 16,020 people (29.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 9,716 people (17.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. There were 19,164 housing units at an average density of , of which 13,458 (72.2%) were owner-occupied, and 5,190 (27.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 40,718 people (73.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 14,158 people (25.6%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States census, Fountain Valley had a median household income of $81,212, with 6.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

As a

an city, most of Fountain Valley's residents commute to work in other urban centers. However, in recent years, the city has seen an increase in commercial jobs in the city, with the growth of a commercial center near the

known as the "Southpark" district. Although the economy of the area was once based mainly on agriculture, the remaining production consists of several fields of

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

or other small crops, which are gradually being replaced by new office development. Efforts to bolster economic activity are evidenced by the city enacting policies to benefit small businesses, and even going so far as to paint a mural on the facade of a large water treatment building facing the freeway that depicts two shopping bags headlined by the words, "Shop in Fountain Valley." Fountain Valley is home to the national headquarters of

Hyundai Motor America Hyundai Motor America, doing business as Hyundai Motor North America is the operating subsidiary that oversees all operations of Hyundai Motor Company in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Along with Hyundai's USA manufacturing plant in Mont ...

and

D-Link D-Link Systems, Inc. (formerly Datex Systems, Inc.) is a Taiwanese multinational manufacturer of networking hardware and telecoms equipments. It was founded in 1986 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. History Datex Systems was founded i ...

Corporation, the global headquarters of memory chip manufacturer

Kingston Technology Kingston Technology Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, sells and supports flash memory products, other computer-related memory products, as well as the HyperX gaming division ( ...

, and the corporate headquarters of Surefire, LLC, maker of military and commercial flashlights. The Southpark commercial area is also home to offices for companies such as

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

, Satura and the Orange County Register. There are also a limited number of light industrial companies in this area. In addition, Fountain Valley is the location for Noritz, a

tankless water heater Tankless water heaters — also called instantaneous, continuous flow, inline, flash, on-demand, or instant-on water heaters — are water heaters that instantly heat water as it flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally ex ...

manufacturer, and the main west coast offices of

Ceridian Dayforce, Inc., formerly Ceridian, is a provider of human resources software and services with employees across its global footprint in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Latinamerica, Africa ( EMEA), and the Asia Pacific Japan (A ...

, a

professional employer organization A professional employer organisation (PEO) is an outsourcing firm that provides services to Small and medium-sized enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses. Typically, the PEO offering may include human resource consulting, safety and risk ...

. The increasing commercial growth can be evidenced by the frequent rush-hour traffic bottlenecks on the San Diego (405) Freeway through Fountain Valley.

Top employers

According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top ten employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Fountain Valley holds an annual Summerfest in June in Mile Square Regional Park. The event features a car show, rides, music, and booths. The city has 18 churches, one

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, a mosque and a public library.

Parks and recreation

Fountain Valley is home to Mile Square Regional Park, a park containing two lakes, three 18-hole golf courses, playing fields, picnic shelters, and a urban nature area planted with

California native plants California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century. California includes parts of at least three phytochoria. The largest is the California Floristic ...

, a recreation center with tennis courts, basketball courts, racquetball courts, a gymnasium, and the Kingston Boys & Girls Club; There is also a community center and a senior center that opened in September 2005. A major redevelopment of the recreation center and city-administered sports fields was completed in early 2009.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Fountain Valley is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Fountain Valley is in .

Politics

Fountain Valley is a reliably Republican stronghold in presidential elections; however, former Secretary of State

Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

won a plurality of the city in 2016, becoming the first Democrat in over four decades to carry the municipality. However, in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, the city moved back into the Republican column, as

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

carried the city with 51.0% of the vote, having made gains in Orange County's Vietnamese community. According to the

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's o ...

, as of October 22, 2018, Fountain Valley has 32,884 registered voters. Of those, 12,935 (39.34%) are registered Republicans, 9,674 (29.42%) are registered Democrats, and 8,967 (27.27%) have declined to state a political party/are independents.

Education

There are three

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s, three

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

s, nine

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s, one K-12 school, and two K-8 schools. However, some students who live in the city of Fountain Valley actually attend schools in other cities. Fountain Valley is also home to Coastline Community College. Community colleges in the area include

Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC) is a Public college, public community college in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Ar ...

and

Golden West College Golden West College (GWC) is a public community college in Huntington Beach, California. Organization GWC is a public community college located in Huntington Beach, California. Together with Orange Coast College, and Coastline Community Colleg ...

, located nearby in the cities of Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, respectively. High schools in

Huntington Beach Union High School District The Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) is a public school district serving portions of the Orange County cities of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Westminster. It oversees eight sites, offering courses ...

: *

Fountain Valley High School Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) is a public high school in Fountain Valley, California. It is a part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District. History Fountain Valley was established in 1966. It is notable for its rivalry with Ed ...

* Valley Vista High School High schools in Garden Grove Unified School District: * Los Amigos High School Middle schools in

Fountain Valley School District Fountain Valley School District is a district of ten schools located in Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The population was 57,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

: *Harry C. Fulton Middle School *Kazuo Masuda Middle School: Named for Kazuo Masuda, a soldier who fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and now is buried in

Midway City, California Midway City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) that forms part of the county land controlled by Orange County, California. The only area in Orange County that Municipal corporation ...

. *Talbert Middle School Middle schools in Ocean View Middle School District: *Vista View Middle School Elementary schools in Garden Grove Unified School District: *Allen Elementary School, a 2011 Blue Ribbon Award winner *Monroe Elementary School *Northcutt Elementary School Elementary schools in Fountain Valley School District: *Courreges Elementary School *Cox Elementary School *Gisler Elementary School *Plavan Elementary School *Tamura Elementary School *Newland Elementary School *Oka Elementary School (located in Huntington Beach)

Private schools

*Shoreline Christian School (K-8) The

Lycée International de Los Angeles The International School of Los Angeles (, LILA) is a private, international school for students aged 4 to 18. The International School of Los Angeles holds accreditation by the French Ministry of Education, the Western Association of Schools an ...

previously had its Orange County campus in Fountain Valley, but it moved to

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

by 2001.

Media

Fountain Valley has its own newspaper, the ''Fountain Valley View,'' operated by the ''

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...

.''

Infrastructure

In addition to the San Diego Freeway, which bisects the city, Fountain Valley is served by several bus lines operated by the

Orange County Transportation Authority The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for ...

. Bus routes 33, 35, 37, 43, 70, 72, 76 and 543 cover the city's major streets. Most of the major roads are equipped with

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

lanes In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...

, especially around Mile Square Park, which offers wide bike paths along the major streets that mark its boundary. Dedicated bike paths along the

run from the city of

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. Historically, Fountain Valley had Red Car service along the Santa Ana/Huntington Beach Pacific Electric Spur Line. This line ran along Bushard Street. Passenger service started in 1909, ended in 1922, and the lines were torn out in 1930. Fire protection and emergency medical services are provided by two stations of the Fountain Valley Fire Department. Law enforcement is provided by the Fountain Valley Police Department. Ambulance service is provided by

Care Ambulance Service Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (England) West Midlands, Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency team, a team of doctors & p ...

. The Orange County Sanitation District's administrative offices and primary plant is located in Fountain Valley next to the Santa Ana River. The agency is the third-largest sanitation district in the western United States. Fountain Valley is also home to the offices of the Municipal Water District of Orange County, a member of the

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. The name is usually shortened to "Met," "Metropolitan," or "MWD." It is a cooperative of fourteen cit ...

and of the Orange County Water District. The Orange County Water District manages the groundwater basin in central and northern Orange County and operates the Groundwater Replenishment System, the world's largest water purification plant for

groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in ...

. Fountain Valley has two fully accredited major medical centers: the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital with 400 beds available, and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center with 230 beds, a medical clinic, and an outpatient medical building.

Notable people

Summer Altice Summer Danielle Altice (born December 23, 1979) is an American model and former actress. She was named after Miss USA 1975, Summer Bartholomew. Early life and education Altice was born in Fountain Valley, California. She studied and played vo ...

, model, actress, August 2000 ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month. * Nicholas Altobelli, musician. * Rony Argueta, soccer player. *

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; moved to Fountain Valley. *

Tara Lynne Barr Tara Lynne Barr (born October 2, 1993) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Roxy in the dark comedy film ''God Bless America'' (2011), which earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feat ...

, actress; raised in Fountain Valley. * Jenny Benson, soccer player. * Kenney Bertz, soccer player. *

Brian Brushwood Brian Allen Brushwood (born January 17, 1975) is an American Magician (illusion), magician, podcaster, author, lecturer, YouTuber and comedian. Brushwood is known for the series ''Scam Nation'' (previously ''Scam School''), a show where he teach ...

, magician, podcaster, author, lecturer known for ''Scam School'' * Roger H. Chen, businessman; moved to Fountain Valley. * Don Clark, football player. * Brandon Crouch, evangelist. *

Travis Denker Travis Norton Denker (born August 5, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current assistant hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants. Prio ...

, baseball player. * Jack Evans, professional wrestler. *

Willie Eyre William Mays Eyre (born July 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles. Baseball career High school & college E ...

, baseball player. *

Amanda Freed Amanda Louise Freed (born December 26, 1979) is an American, former professional softball utility player and pitcher. She played college softball for UCLA, winning the national title for the Bruins in the 1999 Women's College World Series. In t ...

, Olympic gold medal-winning softball player. *

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is a Canadian and American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Freeman made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and played ...

, baseball player. * K. J. Gerard, football player. *

Kim Gruenenfelder Kim Gruenenfelder is an American author and screenwriter. She became known for writing women's fiction, specifically chick lit, romantic comedy fiction novels. Her debut novel, ''A Total Waste of Makeup'', has been published in six languages an ...

, writer, attended high school in Fountain Valley *

Ryan Hansen Ryan Hansen (born July 5, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Dick Casablancas on the noir drama series ''Veronica Mars'' (2004–2007, 2019), as Kyle Bradway on the Starz comedy series '' Party Down'' (2009–2010, 2023 ...

, actor. * Carl Harry, football player. * Mike Hessman, baseball player. * Michael Hoyos, soccer player. * Luke Hudson, baseball player:

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

pitcher. * Justin Huish, Olympic gold medalist. *

Casey Janssen Robert Casey Janssen (born September 17, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for two seasons in various levels of the Toronto Blue Jays' minor league organization before his debut in 2006 as a starting pitcher. J ...

, baseball player. * Duy Khánh, musician; lived in Fountain Valley. * Chay Lapin, Olympian. * Ken Margerum, football player,

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

wide receiver,

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

college football assistant coach * Dan McClintock, basketball player. * Jerry M. Patterson,

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

California's 38th congressional district California's 38th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in suburban eastern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and Orange County, California, Orange County, California. The distri ...

(1975–1985); Resident of Fountain Valley. *

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

, actress, graduate of

Class of 1976 *

Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American retired politician who served in the First presidency of Donald Trump#Administration, first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fr ...

, US Secretary of State (2018–2021), Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2017–18) *

Isiah Robertson Isiah "Butch" Robertson (August 17, 1949 – December 6, 2018) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams (1971–1978) and the Buffalo Bills (1979–1982). He was selected to six Pro Bowls during ...

, NFL player,

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

; lived in Fountain Valley. *

Keri Russell Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is an American actress. She played the title role in the drama series '' Felicity'' (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, and later portrayed El ...

, actress. * Art Satherley, record producer. * Nick Scandone, Paralympian. *

Aaron Schoenke Aaron Schoenke is an American film and television actor, screenwriter, film director, film editor, film producer, and cinematographer. He is known for the films ''Super Power Beat Down'', ''Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe, Ninjak vs The Valiant ...

, actor, screenwriter, director, editor, producer, cinematographer. * M. Shadows, lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold * David Sias, soccer player. *

Andre Sommersell Andre Sommersell (born June 26, 1980) is a former National Football League (NFL) linebacker. He was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2004 NFL draft, and was selected 255th overall by the Oakland Raiders. Sommersell was born in Guyana but played high scho ...

, football player. * Vai Taua, football player. * Dale Thayer, baseball player. * Chris Tillman, baseball player. *

Brian Van Holt Brian Van Holt (born July 6, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Bo and Vincent Sinclair in ''House of Wax (2005 film), House of Wax'' and List of Cougar Town characters#Bobby Cobb, Bobby Cobb on the TV series ''Cougar Town' ...

, actor, graduate of

Class of 1987 * Craig Wilson, baseball player. * C. J. Wilson, baseball player. * Beau Wirick, actor. * Chung Yong Taek, martial artist; lived in Fountain Valley. * Tom McEwen, drag racer, lived in Fountain Valley. *

Lilia Vu Lilia Kha-Tu Du Vu (born October 14, 1997) is an American professional golfer and LPGA Tour player. In 2023, she rose to number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings and became LPGA Tour Player of the Year after winning four titles, including t ...

, professional golfer * Laura Yeager, U.S. Army general, grew up in Fountain Valley.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Orange County, California Populated places on the Santa Ana River Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1957 1957 establishments in California