Sarangnha, Orange

Sarangnha, Orange
Charter city
City of Sarangnha, Orange
transcription(s)
• Hangul	사랑냐, 오렌지
• Vietnamese	Sa-ran-nhà, Tỉnh Orange
Asian Garden Mall (Phước Lộc Thọ)
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Love Home, S-Town, City of Love
Motto(s): Absit invidia Latin: (Let ill will be absent)
Location of Sarangnha within Orange
Sovereign state	Kingdom of Sierra
Country	Sierra
Province	Orange
County	St. Anne
Incorporation	March 27, 1957 (as Garden Grove) May 1, 1989 (as Sarangnha)
Founded by	Alonzo Cook
City hall	Sarangnha City Hall
Government
• Type	Council–manager government
• City council	Mark Ngo (mayor; R) Rosaline Diep (R) Kevin Park (R) Susan Napolitano (DR) Judy Joung (DR)
• City manager	Richard Olivarez (R)
• Ceremonial Viscount	Alan Moss, 3rd Viscount of Garden Grove and Westminster
Area
• Total	70.21 km2 (27.108 sq mi)
• Land	70.16 km2 (27.090 sq mi)
• Water	0.05 km2 (0.018 sq mi)  0.05%
Elevation	12 m (39 ft)
Population (2015)
• Total	233,895
Demonym(s)	Sarangnhaen(s)
ZIP codes	92683–92685
Call codes	657/714
Freeways
Website	sarangnha.org
National Register of Historic Sites Reference no.         612

Sarangnha (Korean: 사랑냐, Vietnamese: Sa-ran-nhà) is a city located in western St. Anne County, Orange and is the 31st most populous city in Sierra, and is the 5th most populous in Orange. Roughly divided into halves by KS-22, Sarangnha was formally incorporated on June 18, 1956 as Garden Grove, including only the northern side of the present-day city. On May 1, 1989, Garden Grove and the neighboring city of Westminster were merged to form the City of Sarangnha. According to the 2010 Census, 229,781 were counted as residents of the city and the 2015 estimate was 233,895. It is bordered by Orange and St. Anne to the east, by Huntington Beach and Gospel Springs to the south, by Pinnipède Landing to the west, and by New Rothenburg, Stanton, Cypress, and Los Alamitos to the north.

Sarangnha
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Sa-ran-nhà
Chữ Hán	情𢞅家
Korean name
Hangul	사랑냐
Hanja	愛家
Transcriptions - Revised Romanization Salangnya - McCune- Reischauer Salangnya

Sarangnha was founded by American-Sierran physician and attorney Alonzo Cook in 1874 as Garden Grove. Purchasing 160 acres of land in the Orange farmlands, Cook established a civic center, a school district, a Methodist church, and other buildings. The town was formally incorporated as a city in 1957 with about 44,000 residents. By the 1970s, the city saw a large influx of Vietnamese and Korean refugees moving into the city with a majority of them settling in the neighboring city of Westminster in Little Saigon and Little Seoul respectively. By the 1980s, the Asian population had become the majority racial group in both Garden Grove and Westminster, and the decision was made by both cities to merge through a referendum. The newly merged city was reorganized under the name of "Sarangnha", an amalgamation of the Korean word for "love" (sarang or salang; 사랑) and the Vietnamese word for "home" (nhà), a decision to reflect the city's new composition, heritage, and unity.

History

Historical affiliations

Spanish Empire 1777–1821

First Mexican Empire 1821–1823
Mexico 1823–1848
California Republic 1848–1858
Kingdom of Sierra 1858–present

In 1768, Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá discovered Orange as they were exploring inland Sierra. Along the way, they encountered the wide, grassy plain where present-day Sarangnha is situated in, and named the area St. Anne Valley. Claimed in the name of Spain, the area was incorporated into Alta California and later Las Californias where land was divided and sold as ranchos to soldiers and settlers. Rancho Los Nietos, one of the first and largest land concessions in Alta California, was given to Manuel Nieto and included control over present-day Sarangnha.

In 1822, Mexico gained independence from Spain and assumed control over California, preserving the Spanish tradition of the rancho system. In 1834, Rancho Los Nietos was partitioned into six smaller ranchos, among them being Rancho Las Bolsas which included Sarangnha. Rancho Las Bolsas fell under the ownership of Maria Catarina Ruiz, the daughter of Manuel Nieto before her death. The St. Anne Valley witnessed minimal development during the Mexican period although was a significant site of conflict during the Mexican-American War. When the California Republic gained independence, Sarangnha and the rest of the St. Anne Valley was included in the State of Porciúncula. The area was subsequently reorganized as the Province of Orange in 1858 following the creation of the Kingdom of Sierra.

Portrait of Abel Stearns who owned land that included Sarangnha.

After the death of Ruiz, other individuals attempted to claim inheritance to Rancho Las Bolsas before American businessman Abel Stearns purchased the rancho and renamed it Stearns Rancho. Eventually, Sterans sold the ranch to Alonzo Cook 160 acres for $15 an acre. Cook established a schoolhouse and a post office, and named the land, "Garden Grove", and encouraged outsiders to settle in. By 1889, the population had grown to 200 with a church and a civic center.

In 1870, southwest of Cook's Garden Grove, a temperance colony was founded by Presbyterian minister Rev. Lemuel P. Webber who purchased 7,000 acres from Stearns Rancho. Naming his new town Westminster after the Westminster Assembly of 1634, Webber hoped to promote a religious community with good morals and social upstanding. By 1874, the colony had grown to include 225 inhabitants with a general store, a schoolhouse, and several churches. A community newspaper called the Tribune was established in 1878.

As settlers continued to move into both communities from the railroads in the east, residents worked in the dairy farming industry and collectively operated creameries. During the Sierran Civil War, most settlers were supporters of the Monarchy and few individuals even enlisted and participated in the conflict. By the turn of the 20th century, farmers in Westminster began growing grape vineyards, a departure from the founders' pledge to never grow such in fear of producing grapes into wine. The dairy industry had become quite refined in Westminster that its dairying center was viewed as the Kingdom's finest. Immigrant workers from China, Japan, and Mexico arrived to farm the rich soil, and added to the diversity to the community. While ethnic tensions existed, interracial relations improved considerably over the course of the early 20th century due to the nationwide Sierran Cultural Revolution phenomenon.

As Porciúncula began to develop and expand, Garden Grove and Westminster began transitioning from agrarian communities to industrial towns, aided by the construction of new railroads connecting the United States and Brazoria to the Pacific. Telephone, gas, and electric services were introduced, and a new flourish of tourists boosted both communities' economies. In 1916 however, after four days of intense rainfall, a severe flood damaged the town center of Garden Grove. Despite this, Garden Grove recovered and in 1925, a general aviation field, the Alozno Cook Air Field, was constructed, kick-starting the town's aviation industry.

When the Great Depression struck Sierra, economic growth was briefly stunted but the influx of immigrants affected by the Dust Bowl from Brazoria arrived, offering fresh laborers willing to work for Garden Grove and Westminster's farms. The Association of the Unemployed was founded in Westminster, seeking to acquire, ration, and distribute food to the community. On March 10, 1933, an earthquake struck, damaging the Garden Grove City Center, and the majority of Westminster's infrastructure. Despite this catastrophe, both communities quickly recovered. When World War II began, hundreds of residents enlisted and joined the war effort while others began working on producing war supplies and ammunition, fastening the transformation of the farm towns into full-fledged industrial cities. When servicemen returned to the communities, the decision was made to establish Garden Grove as an incorporated town in 1956. Westminster followed suit the next year.

During the 1960s and 70s, local commerce boomed with the construction of new malls, businesses, residential areas, and freeways. Streets and public facilities received renovations and improvements, and migrants from the Gold Coast moving into Orange settled in the cities, reflecting a demographic shift towards former urbanites with the rise of suburban development.

Towards the end of the 1970s, Southeast Asian refugees, particularly the Vietnamese, moved into Garden Grove and Westminster, and quickly developed a thriving business center in Westminster. Other Asian groups including the Koreans also moved into the city for various reasons ranging from fleeing political persecution to affordable housing. By the end of the 1980s, the city's growth broke records, seeing an influx of new demographics that dramatically changed the community. In seeking to consolidate the expanding community and offset mounting debt, the Westminster City Council petitioned to merge with the City of Garden Grove to form a new charter city. At the time, both cities were general law towns which meant the towns were both subjected to the Orange Municipal Code laid by the Orange Legislature. In 1988, voters from both towns passed a referendum that would authorize a merge between the two cities which was recognized by the Provincial Legislature. Taking in the radical change and direction of the community, the new town would be renamed to its current name, Sarangnha, and the city administration would be centered in the former center of Garden Grove.

Geography

Location of Sarangnha in relation to Sierra.

Sarangnha is located on the flat, low-lying plains of St. Anne Valley with the St. Anne River straddling across its eastern boundary with the city of St. Anne. It is located approximately 26 miles southeast of downtown Porciúncula, the national capital, and 4 miles west of downtown St. Anne, the county seat of St. Anne County and the capital of Orange. It is roughly 5 miles away from the Pacific Ocean.

According to the Royal Bureau of Census, Sarangnha has a total area of 27.108 square miles (70.2 km²), 27.090 square miles of which are land, and 0.018 square miles of which are water.

Sarangnha is bordered by Orange and St. Anne to the east, by Huntington Beach and Gospel Springs to the south, by Pinnipède Landing to the west, and by New Rothenburg, Stanton, Cypress, and Los Alamitos to the north. A major city in the Southwest Corridor, Sarangnha is part of the Greater Porciúncula Area and the Porciúncula–Grands Ballons–St. Anne Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Climate

Sarangnha experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with characteristically warm and dry summers, and mild and wet winters. Generally, daytime temperatures peak in August with averages of 83 °F (28.3 °C) and a nighttime low of 63 °F (17.2 °C). Winter, which occurs between the months of mid-December and early March witness daytime high of 70 °F (21.1 °C)and a nighttime low of 48 °F (8.9 °C), and is the wettest season of the year. Precipitation primarily peaks in the month of February which as much as 3.3 inches of rain. Annually, on a normal year (when there is no drought or El Niño), Sarangnha sees about 13 inches of rainfall (345 mm) with an average of 36 days of significant precipitation. Sarangnha usually sees up to or even more than 300 days of sunshine each year.

Cityscape and landmarks

Sarangnha and the vicinity as seen from the air.

Neighborhoods and districts

Sarangnha is divided unofficially into Downtown Sarangnha, Central Sarangnha, Northwest Sarangnha, Northeast Sarangnha, Southwest Sarangnha, South Central Sarangnha, and Southeast Sarangnha. Politically, the city is divided into four districts which are each further divided into four wards. The four districts are Garden Grove, Midway City, Westminster, and Northwest Sarangnha. Several prominent communities within Sarangnha include Little Saigon, Little Seoul, Colonia Manzanilla, West Grove Valley, Midway City, and Rustic Lane.

• Little Saigon — Home to one of the largest and densest concentrations of Vietnamese people outside Vietnam, Little Saigon is situated in South Central Sarangnha, south of KS-22 and includes Vietnamese and Chinese-owned businesses, residential homes, and facilities. With over 80% of residents within this cultural district of Vietnamese or Vietnamese-Chinese descent, the area has seen rapid development as one of the city's fastest growing communities. There are numerous phở restaurants and French-Vietnamese eateries in the area as well boba shops, karaoke bars, and open air markets. It falls within District Four and is represented by Councilwoman Rosaline Diep (R).
• Little Seoul – One of the largest Korean Sierran communities in the nation, Little Seoul is situated in parts of Central and Northeast Sarangnha, north of KS-22. Massive development has led to the rise of many Korean-owned businesses including O.P. Entertainment, one of Sierra's largest and wealthiest companies, that is now based in Irvine, was founded in Little Seoul. The Asian Cultural and Historical Museum, which houses over 2,500 individual pieces of art of various mediums (paintings, porcelain, silk, and bronze pottery) from all regions of Asia, as well as over 6,200 documents and artifacts, is located in Little Seoul, and overlooks the local favorite Ujeong Park, a 20-acre recreational park with a man-made lake and community center.

Government and politics

Local government

Mark Ngo (R), the current mayor of Sarangnha.

Sarangnha is a charter city, which, under Orange law, permits the city the power to enact its own ordinances and laws independent of most provincial laws. The City of Sarangnha officially functions as a council–manager government with a city manager appointed by the city council. The Sarangnha City Council, the city's legislature, is led by the mayor, who is currently Mark Ngo (R) while the current city manager is Richard Olivarez (R). Together, the two run the executive branch of the city government and civil service. As the head of the city council, the mayor leads and attends all meetings of the city council and serves as the city's ceremonial head of state. Aside from his/her duties as head councilperson, the mayor has the power to appoint a city manager. Outside of this, the mayor lacks any other special powers or legislative benefits. In the vacancy of the mayor, the most senior member in the city council functions as the mayor before a new mayor is formally selected. Unlike the mayor and the city council who only work part-time during active council sessions, the city manager is charged with supervising and overseeing day-to-day municipal affairs and the bureaucracy, and ensures that the policies of the mayor and the city council are implemented effectively and cost-efficiently. Every six-months, the city manager prepares a financial report of the city and proposes a budget to be approved by the city council.

The ranking members of the Sarangnha City Council are Rosaline Diep (R), Kevin Park (R), Susan Napolitano (DR), and Judy Joung (DR), who were each elected from the four single-member districts of Sarangnha, the primary municipal divisions of the city. Each district is further divided into four wards, with each ward led by an alderman. Historically, aldermen played an important function in the municipal government and formed a part of the Westminster City Council in a now defunct lower chamber called the Council of Alderman. When Sarangnha was incorporated, the Council of Alderman was not adopted but the election of aldermen was retained. Today, ward aldermen functions as official spokespeople outside of the Council and serve in ceremonial functions and organizing local community events.

Although the city council is responsible for passing laws and appropriations, direct ballot initiatives are also used to pass legislation in the city. City elections for most elected officials are held on every four years with the exception of the ward aldermen who are elected every two years. Appointees to major offices are generally made by the mayor and require the approval of the city council.

Local, provincial, and federal representation

A Royalist stronghold, the city has consistently voted for Royalist candidates for Prime Minister since its founding. In the Sierran Senate, Sarangnha is represented by Orange's Ryan Pimentel (R) and Mark Chan (R). In the House of Commons, Sarangnha is divided into two districts, with northern Sarangnha located in Orange's 17th parliamentary district, and represented by Harrison Liu (R). Southern Sarangnha falls within Orange's 18th parliamentary district, and is represented by Linda Truong (R). In the Orange Provincial Legislature, Sarangnha is in the 2nd Senatorial District, (represented by Councilor Julian Fong–R), and in the 5th Assembly District (represented by Assemblywoman Jessica Maria Flores–R). In St. Anne County, Sarangnha falls under the jurisdiction of Supervisor Ricky Martinez (R), who represents the 2nd Supervisory District, which also includes Anaheim Resort, Fountain Valley, and Stanton.

Courts

Federal District Court for the North Central District of Orange Sierran Bankruptcy Court, 2nd Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel Sierran Bankruptcy South Coastal District of the Southwest Corridor

Provincial Orange Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three Superior Court of Orange, County of St. Anne

Demographics

In 2010, the K.S. Royal Bureau of Census officially counted and reported 221,945 residents living in Sarangnha. The population density for the city was 8,187.43 per square mile (3,161.6/km²), making the city one of the densest in the province. As of 2015, there is an estimated population of 233,895 living in Sarangnha. The racial makeup of Sarangnha was 83,983 (37.84%) Asian, 77,925 (35.11%) White, 50,825 (22.9%) from two or more races, or other races, 6,214 (2.8%) Black, 2,441 (1.1%) Pacific Islander, 556 (0.25%) Native Sierran. 31.7% of Sarangnhanese (70,356) were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites made up 59,481 (26.8%) of the population.

Religion

The Crystal Cathedral, a Christian megachurch, is a prominent landmark in Sarangnha.

Economy

Top employers

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Sarangnha Unified School District	2,260
2	Aerodynamics Industry Corp.	1,910
3	Southwest Corridor Electric	793
4	Walmart	764
5	City of Sarangnha	600
6	Bolsa Textiles and Apparel	519
7	Wilheim Health Network	516
8	Saint-Catherine Hospital Sarangnha	488
9	Lee-Le Holdings, LLC	412
10	Golden World International Supermarkets	400

Arts and culture

Institutions

Sarangnha is home to the Asian Cultural and Historical Museum, as well as the National Society of Asian and Pacific Islander Sierrans, (NSAPIS) the umbrella organization for local and regional associations representing the various Asian ethnic groups in Sierra including East Asians, Southeast Asians, and South Asians. The respective Korean and Vietnamese friendship associations are also based in Sarangnha.

Events

The most popular annual event in the city is the Sarangnha Lunar New Year Festival and Fair, officially held by the city government, at the 90-acre Abel Steams Historic Park, which attract over 1.1 million visitors per year, making it the largest Asian cultural event in the Americas. The festival, held for two weeks following the start of the new Chinese lunisolar year (around late January or early February), celebrates the Lunar New Year, and the cultures of China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Hani, and features dragon dance parades, art shows, theatrical and musical performances, talent shows, rides and attractions, food bazaars, and friendly competitions. Due to the popularity of the event, there has been efforts to establish off-site satellite venues to accommodate the increased volume of visitors, and to allocate more space for main event stages and attractions. Some events held during the festival are televised and broadcast nationwide, including the Opening Ceremony and the Parade of Dragons and Lions.

The second most popular event is the smaller-scale Sarangnha Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival, which is also held at the Abel Steams Historical Park, include a mooncake baking contest,a parade, lantern crafting, and public folk games.

Sister cities

• Anyang, Korea
• Bình Dương, South Vietnam
• Fushun, China
• Kent, Rainier
• Oldenburg, Germany
• File:Flag of New England.png Springfield, MA, New England
• Toulon, France
• Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada

Notable people

• Emma Chae – Sierran K-pop singer and actress