Brea

Located off of the 57 freeway in the northern end of Orange County with an estimated population of around 40,000 residents, Brea has a rich history. The name of the city means “oil” or “tar” after the discovery of crude oil in the area. The city is actually a merger of two smaller towns, Olinda and Randolph, created during the oil boom in the 1800’s. The two cities merged in 1911 and by 1917, Brea was officially incorporated. When crude oil production slowed the area's growth was driven by the citrus industry. In the 1970s, the 57 Freeway was expanded and Brea Mall was built turning the city into a retail hub. In the 1990’s a portion of Brea Blvd. and Birch St. were turned into the Brea Downtown featuring shopping, dining and entertainment. Now, Brea is known as a city to dine, shop, and enjoy. In the mid 1970s the city started their Art in Public Places program and visitors and residents can see a variety of art all through the city. It was named as one of Sunset Magazine’s top five suburbs to live in the Western United States in 2006.

 

The city is home to the Brea-Olinda School District which features 6 elementary schools, in addition to Brea-Olinda High School. Many of the schools are blue ribbon award winning schools including Arovista Elementary and Brea-Olinda High School among others.