| Buena Park is a city located in northwestern Orange County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city
had a total population of 78,282. It was founded by James A. Whitaker, a wholesale grocer from Chicago, Illinois in 1887 and incorporated in 1953. An agricultural center at its
founding, particularly dairy, wine, and citrus products, the city is now primarily a residential suburb of the greater Los Angeles area
and home to several tourist attractions, notably Knott's Berry
Farm (see Points of interest).
Geography
Buena Park is located at 33°51'22" North, 118°0'15" West (33.856214, -118.004169)1.
According to the United States Census
Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.6 km˛ (10.6 mi˛). 27.4 km˛ (10.6 mi˛) of it is land and 0.2 km˛ (0.1 mi˛) of it is water. The
total area is 0.56% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 78,282 people, 23,332 households,
and 18,735 families residing in the city. The population
density is 2,859.5/km˛ (7,403.1/mi˛). There are 23,826 housing units at an average density of 870.3/km˛ (2,253.2/mi˛). The
racial makeup of the city is 52.99% White, 3.83% Black or African American, 0.96% Native
American, 21.06% Asian, 0.51% Pacific Islander, 15.19% from other races, and 5.46% from two or more races. 33.50% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,332 households out of which 43.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% are married couples living together, 14.8% have a female householder with no husband present,
and 19.7% are non-families. 14.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years
of age or older. The average household size is 3.32 and the average family size is 3.64.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from
45 to 64, and 9.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 98.3 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $50,336, and the median income for a family is $52,327. Males have a median
income of $37,471 versus $30,287 for females. The per capita
income for the city is $18,031. 11.3% of the population and 8.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and
older are living below the poverty line.
Government and politics
Buena Park is a California general law city with a council-manager government system. Everyday management
of city functions is directed by a professional city manager, who is overseen by an elected City Council of five non-partisan
members elected at large and whose chair acts as mayor.
Points of Interest
Buena Park is home to many popular Southern California
tourist attractions in the so-called E-Zone district: the
venerable Knott's Berry Farm theme park, the Movieland wax museum, and the Medieval
Times dinner show. It neighbors Anaheim, California, with
Disneyland only a few exits south on Interstate 5.
External links
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