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Fountain Valley Education
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Served by Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Ocean View and Huntington Beach Union High school districts. Rankings are difficult to break down because kids from outside Fountain Valley may be included. Scores at Fountain Valley High, compared to school statewide, are generally in the 80th and 90th percentiles. Fulton Middle School often wins the county academic pentathlon.
In Fountain Valley grade schools take on the names of community founders.
New and novel: a public school that divides all students by sex: girls go in one set of classes, boys another. School is run by the County Superintendent of Schools and draws students from several towns.
Coastline Community College offers a variety of high quality programs for those who will either go on to a four year university or just need to update their skill set for competing in the demanding high tech job market present in area.
- Fountain Valley School District
17210 Oak Street Fountain Valley, 92708
Phone: (714) 843-3200
- Fountain Valley High School
17816 Bushard Street Fountain Valley, 92708
Phone: (714) 962-3301
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Fountain Valley Employment
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Some high tech firms provide plenty of employment opportunities within Fountain Valley, however most homeowners will find employment in neighboring cities or commute to any number of other locations in the vast Los Angeles and Orange County employment markets. Fountain Valley's per capita income is around $23,489 and with a median income of $61,984.
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Fountain Valley History
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The marsh that has blossomed into Fountain Valley once was known as Gospel Swamp, where cattle grazed and itinerant preachers set up tents on small islands. A severe drought in the late 1870's turned this marsh which was fed by the Santa Ana River, into rich farmland, however many natural springs and artesian wells remained.
The 1950s brought freeways through the area which was at that time known as Talbert. Threatened with real estate development from other cities many homeowners who supported city independence, favored a return to what they considered the town's original name, Fountain Valley. Fountain Valley had fewer than 400 residential homes in 1957 when it was finally incorporated and renamed Fountain Valley, after the old school and because of the many artesian wells in the community. This gave local residents control over planning and development rather than leaving it in the hands of Orange County planners.
Many of City leaders had been long-time farmers and knew that growth was coming so they drew up a master plan to build in accordance with the wishes of local property owners. Following this plan, Fountain Valley built about 40 percent of its current housing stock in the 1960s and 45 percent in the 1970s. Then as vacant land became less available, housing starts dropped. In the 1980s, the city built about 1,600 additional housing units. In the 1990s, new housing starts dropped to the hundreds and over the past seven years or so, the city built fewer than 300 new homes.
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Fountain Valley Housing
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Homes, condos and apartments well-maintained. Lawns mowed, shrubs and trees planted and trimmed. Your everyday middle to upper middle Orange County neighborhood. Apartments near the freeway. Proactive, progressive attitude on part of city government. Almost all cities these days run into problems of crime but not all try to head off problems. Fountain Valley sends its police officers into local schools to get to know the kids (and vice versa). Neighborhood watches have been set up.
Before California became a state, surveyors used to plot out streets and real estate lots. The difference in Fountain Valley is one of degree. Modern "planned" cities decide where parks and schools will be located, where shopping clusters will be allowed. They pay close attention to traffic movement and try to shield residential streets from arterial traffic, which is usually faster and heavier.
Like Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley divided its city into squares surrounded by walls, inside of which are the housing tracts of one and two story single family homes, which are usually three and four bedroom houses.
Of single family homes in Fountain Valley, the four-bedroom unit is the most popular, about 37 percent of all occupied housing units, as reported in the 1990 census. The state in 1999 counted 18,232 housing units, of which 12,386 were single homes, 2,116 single detached, 3,314 multiples and 416 mobile homes. Population in 1999 was estimated at 56,445.
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Fountain Valley Lifestyle
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Within each square block in Fountain Valley, there is usually a park or a school or both providing Fountain Valley children nearby access to places to play and serves to bind the community. Evening strolls or jogs will often lead past or through a park where picnics are taken and birthdays are celebrated by homeowners and their families. Block parties are also popular in Fountain Valley.
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Fountain Valley Recreation
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Fountain Valley offers seventeen parks, two movie complexes, a bowling alley, recreation center and a seniors center. The Pacific Ocean and beaches are just a few miles away. Every spring parents and volunteers host baseball tournament that draws about 1,200 players and 115 teams. Mile Square Park offers playing fields, tennis and basketball courts, picnic grounds, trails, a golf course and a lake where many homeowners enjoy fishing on weekends.
The Boys and Girls Club offers after school activities for Fountain Valley children. The state of California recommends cities should set aside three acres of park land per 1,000 residents. Fountain Valley has 12 acres per 1,000 residents. Heritage Park, a collection of historic buildings placed in a country setting, is perfect for special events and social functions.
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Fountain Valley Transportation
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Interstate Highway 405 cuts across Fountain Valley at about its middle. There are four access points to the freeway within the city limits. Commuter rail is nearby in Santa Ana, provided by both Metrorail and AmTrak.
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Fountain Valley Weather
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