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is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. In 2009, the city's population was estimated at 174,715. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral, from which religious broadcasts are made.
The city has a distinct community within it, West Garden Grove, which is located in the westernmost portion of the city.
Garden Grove was founded by Alonzo Cook in 1874. A school district and Methodist church were organized that year. It remained a small rural crossroads until the arrival of the railroad in 1905. The rail connection helped the town prosper with crops of orange, walnuts, chili peppers and -- later -- strawberries. In 1933, much of the town's central business district was destroyed by the Long Beach earthquake, and one person was killed. The post-World War II boom led to rapid development, and Garden Grove was incorporated as a city in 1956 with about 44,000 residents.
By 1960, population had grown to 85,000; by 1970 it was 120,000. In the late Seventies and Eighties a significant Asian population (primarily Vietnamese and Korean) began to locate in the area. In recent years, Harbor Boulevard has become a booming entertainment and tourism area, served by nine high-rise hotels. Well-known Garden Grove residents include actor Steve Martin, adventurer Steve Fossett and baseball stars Lenny Dykstra and Alan Trammell. Garden Grove also lends its name to a song by the famous Southern California band Sublime, on their eponymous album.
The annual Strawberry Festival, over Memorial Day weekend, is one of the largest community festivals in the western United States, attracting an estimated 250,000 visitors. It celebrates the city's agricultural past, which include crops such as chili peppers, oranges, walnuts and strawberries. One strawberry field remains within city limits, at Euclid Street and Hazard Avenue.