Los Alamitos is a community rich in history, from its early days as part of a Spanish land grant to its development as a thriving city. Learn how this unique area evolved from vast ranchos and sugar beet fields to the vibrant and cherished city it is today.
In 1784, when Corporal Don Manuel Nieto retired from the Spanish army, Alta California Governor Pedro Fages granted him a vast tract of land stretching from the Whittier foothills to the ocean. Nieto used this coastal plain to graze cattle for many years.
Upon Nieto’s death, his land grant was divided into five large ranchos, which were distributed among his children. Two of these ranchos are well-known today: Los Cerritos (“The Little Hills”) in northwest Long Beach near the Virginia Country Club, and Los Alamitos (“The Little Cottonwoods”), with its ranch house atop a hill at the south end of Palo Verde Avenue in Long Beach.
After years of disuse, John Bixby leased Rancho Los Alamitos in 1878 to grow grain and raise sheep. In 1881, I.W. Hellman and the J. Bixby Company purchased the rancho, which by then had been reduced to 28,087 acres due to parcel sales. They set aside 5,000 acres for a future township, which began developing after Bixby’s death.
In 1896, former Senator William Clark of Montana bought 8,139 acres of the rancho to grow sugar beets. He founded the township of Los Alamitos and built Southern California’s first sugar refinery here. Clark also provided housing and recreational facilities for workers and guaranteed to buy all sugar beets produced in the surrounding 70 square miles over the next five years. This transformed the land between modern-day Lakewood and the Santa Ana River into a vast field of sugar beets.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. Navy moved its aircraft training field from Terminal Island to Los Alamitos, commissioning a 1,300-acre tract. The Los Alamitos Naval Air Station became a training ground for Navy and Marine pilots, as well as airmen from Australia, New Zealand, England, Free France, Poland, and Norway. The base revitalized Los Alamitos, attracting new settlers and businesses.
After World War II, the air base was used as a reserve training facility. It was reactivated during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, after which it was transferred to the California National Guard. Now known as the Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB), it serves as a reserve training center for all branches of the military.
Los Alamitos, named for the cottonwoods in the area, once consisted of six square leagues (85,000 acres) granted to Nieto’s son, Juan Jose. He soon sold it to Governor Figueroa for $500. After Figueroa’s death, the land was acquired by Abel Stearns in 1842 for $5,934, which included the land and its cattle.
Stearns, a Massachusetts native, had settled in Los Angeles as a successful trader and shopkeeper. To own land in California, he became a Mexican citizen, joined the Catholic Church, and married Arcadia Bandini, a member of a prominent family. Over the years, Stearns acquired vast properties but faced severe losses due to a prolonged drought in 1863-64, forcing him to default on a large mortgage.
Shortly after the Bixby partnership’s purchase, Los Alamitos township began to grow. The first school was built in 1881 at what is now Katella Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard. While many field workers were Mexican, immigrants from Belgium, France, and Germany also came to work and establish their own farms and businesses.
When nematodes devastated the sugar beet industry, the refinery closed and was later leased in 1921 to Dr. Ross, who processed wild horse meat for dog food. This venture ultimately failed due to the 1929 Depression and damage from the 1933 earthquake.
In its early days, Los Alamitos resembled a classic Wild West town. Reagan Street served as the main thoroughfare until Los Alamitos Boulevard was paved in 1921-22. Two hotels lined the streets, and reports of shootings or stabbings were common. Katella Avenue, named after a farmer’s daughters “Kate” and “Ella,” led to the entrance of a farm on the edge of Coyote Creek.
On March 1, 1960, Los Alamitos became an officially chartered city. Fondly referred to as “A Jewel of a City,” Los Alamitos maintains its small-town charm while offering excellent recreational facilities, a stellar police department, and a vibrant Chamber of Commerce.
The city’s seal, designed by longtime resident William A. Daniels, reflects its rich history, and the official flower, the daisy, was nominated by a young resident in honor of his mother’s favorite bloom.
With outstanding schools, welcoming neighborhoods, and its location at the crossroads of major freeways, Los Alamitos stays connected to its historical roots while looking forward to a promising future as a cherished community.