Westminster, California

History

Westminster was founded in 1870 by Rev. Lemuel Webber as a Presbyterian temperance colony. The name is derived from the Westminster Assembly of 1643, which established the basic tenets of the Presbyterian faith. During the early years of its history, farmers refused to harvest grapes since they associated grapes with alcohol.

During the late 1800s, arable land held dairy farms alongside agricultural plots which cultivated walnuts, strawberries, celery, and lima beans until they were replaced by the sugar beet industry at the turn of the century.

A change in tariffs laws along with an influx of beet pests resulted in the collapse of the Southern California Sugar Beet Industry and was supplemented by goldfish farms.

Transitions from agricultural spacing to suburban housing was delayed by the economic strain of the Great Depression and later 1933 earthquake as well as a severe flood in 1938. The varied residential landscape is a direct result from the relatively early homeowner development of less uniform spaces.

Westminster was incorporated in 1957, at which time it had 10,755 residents. Originally, the city was named Tri-City because it was to be the amalgamation of three cities: Westminster, Barber City, and Midway City. Midway City ultimately refused incorporation, leaving only Barber City to be absorbed into the new city, which changed its name to Westminster in a vote just five months later. The former Barber City was located in the western portion of the current city of Westminster.

The city has attracted large numbers of immigrants, refugees, and LGBTQ+ groups due to historic accessibility and community that had been built. One of the most notable examples of this is the influx of a Vietnamese refugee population during the 1970s due to the Vietnam War. Westminster hosts a portion of Little Saigon, the largest population of ethnically Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. The heart of the enclave runs along Bolsa Avenue, where historic shops such as Danh's Pharmacy (one of the first Vietnamese businesses on the street) and cultural icons like Asian Garden Mall (also known as Phước Lộc Thọ) line the street. The area is the first officially recognized Vietnamese business enclave.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.0 sqmi, all land. The San Diego Freeway and a short segment of the Garden Grove Freeway pass through Westminster.

Westminster is bordered by the city of Seal Beach on the west, by Garden Grove on the north and east, and by Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley on the south. Santa Ana, the county seat of Orange County, is east of Westminster, although a small portion of Garden Grove lies between the two cities. Westminster borders the unincorporated area of Midway City, except for a small portion where Midway City borders Huntington Beach on the south. The Little Saigon district of the town is mostly situated on Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia Street and Brookhurst Street.

Climate

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1870 1880–1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Westminster had a population of 90,911. The population density was 9,056.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Westminster was 23.1% White, 1.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 51.4% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 14.3% from other races, and 8.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.6% of the population. The most reported ancestries were:

• Vietnamese (45.5%)
• Mexican (20.3%)
• English (5.8%)
• German (5.6%)
• Irish (5.2%)
• Chinese (2.9%)
• Filipino (2.2%)
• Italian (2.1%)
• Japanese (1.3%)
• French (1.3%)

The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.4% were institutionalized.

There were 27,025 households, out of which 34.6% included children under the age of 18, 52.5% were married-couple households, 5.1% were cohabiting couple households, 26.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 16.1% of households were one person, and 9.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.34.

The age distribution was 19.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% aged 18 to 24, 23.8% aged 25 to 44, 28.9% aged 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 42.8years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males.

There were 27,910 housing units at an average density of 2,780.4 /mi2, of which 27,025 (96.8%) were occupied. Of these, 53.7% were owner-occupied, and 46.3% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $82,686, and the per capita income was $34,477. About 14.0% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Westminster had a population of 89,701. The population density was 8,926.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Westminster was 32,037 (35.7%) White (25.6% Non-Hispanic White), 849 (0.9%) African American, 397 (0.4%) Native American, 42,597 (47.5%) Asian, 361 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 10,229 (11.4%) from other races, and 3,231 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21,176 persons (23.6%). A total of 36,058 residents were of Vietnamese ancestry (40.2% of city residents), the highest concentration of Vietnamese Americans of any community in the United States.

The census reported that 89,031 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 381 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 289 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 26,164 households, 10,759 (41.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 14,986 (57.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,681 (14.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,810 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,114 (4.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 151 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,247 households (16.2%) were one person and 2,170 (8.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.40. There were 20,477 families (78.3% of households); the average family size was 3.74.

The age distribution was 20,920 people (23.3%) under the age of 18, 8,568 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 24,065 people (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 23,356 people (26.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 12,792 people (14.3%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

There were 27,650 housing units at an average density of 2,751.5 per square mile, of the occupied units 15,135 (57.8%) were owner-occupied and 11,029 (42.2%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%. 51,408 people (57.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 37,623 people (41.9%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Westminster had a median household income of $52,633, with 16.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Westminster is in , and in .{{Cite web | access-date = January 7, 2023

In the United States House of Representatives, Westminster is in California's 45th congressional district, represented by Democrat Derek Tran.{{Cite web | access-date = January 4, 2023

In the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Westminster is in first district represented by Janet Nguyen since 2024.

Westminster has a city council form of local government. The city council is the legislative body of Westminster, and councilmembers are elected to four-year terms in their respective districts, a total of four. The city council focuses on maintaining order and resolving issues to progress development of the city. Westminster also has a mayor who is elected at-large by the citywide electorate. Currently, the Westminster City Council is made up of:

• Chi Charlie Nguyen, Mayor (elected in 2022)
• Amy Phan West, Councilmember, District 1 (elected in 2022)
• Carlos Manzo, Vice Mayor, District 2 (elected in 2020)
• Mark Nguyen, Councilmember, District 3 (elected in 2024)
• NamQuan Nguyen, Councilmember, District 4 (elected in 2022)

Crime

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Business sector

The city's major shopping mall was Westminster Mall, which consisted of more than 160 stores until its closure in October 2025. The mall was located south of the 405 freeway, between Goldenwest Street and Edwards Street.

Westminster's Little Saigon community is home to the Asian Garden Mall (Phước Lộc Thọ), a large Asian mall.

Since joining the Sequential Brands company, the DVS Shoes footwear brand relocated from Torrance, California to Westminster. The company's headquarters is located on Fenwick Lane.

Education

Four school districts have boundaries that cover parts of Westminster:

• Westminster School District (elementary)
• Garden Grove Unified School District (unified K-12)
• Huntington Beach Union High School District (covers the Westminster and Ocean View areas)
• Ocean View School District (elementary)

Huntington Beach Union HSD operates Westminster High School, while Garden Grove USD operates La Quinta High School.

Some sections of HBUHSD Westminster are zoned to Ocean View High School.

Asahi Gakuen, a part-time Japanese school, leases La Quinta on Saturdays for its Orange County campus. Previously Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove, next to Westminster housed the Asahi Gakuen Orange County campus.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Orange County Transportation Authority operates bus service in Westminster.

Water services

Water in Westminster is supplied by the City of Westminster Water Division, which sources its water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California via Municipal Water District of Orange County. This water is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. In addition, groundwater is pumped from an underground aquifer managed by Orange County Water District by 9 wells within the city.

Landmarks

• A memorial for the victims of the Pan Am plane involved in the Tenerife Disaster of March 27, 1977, is located in Westminster.
• The Vietnam War Memorial is located Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, next to the Westminster Civic Center. The project was initiated by Westminster City Councilman Frank G. Fry in 1997 and completed in 2003.
• Final resting place for frontman Bradley Nowell of the band Sublime. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in his San Francisco hotel room on May 25, 1996.
• A statue is dedicated to Trần Hưng Đạo, with the road Bolsa Avenue given an alternative name "Đại Lộ Trần Hưng Đạo", translating to "Trần Hưng Đạo Boulevard".
• Westminster Museum
• The All-American Way street by Westminster Civic Center was designated as "Charlie Kirk Way" in November 2025 by the Westminster City Council following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The effort was led by Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen.

Notable people

• Ron McNeil, co-founder of Emmy Award-winning Beatles tribute band The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute
• Harrod Blank, documentary filmmaker
• Jeromy Burnitz, MLB player
• Mike Burns, MLB player
• Paul Caligiuri, soccer player
• Mark Eaton, former Utah Jazz player
• Danny Flores (1929–2006), head of the rock group The Champs
• Ken Hoang, professional video gamer and contestant on Survivor Gabon
• Gerard Huerta, designer of the AC/DC logo and other logos
• Ryan Klesko, former MLB first baseman
• Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (1930–2011), former Prime Minister of South Vietnam, lived in exile in Westminster, where he ran a liquor store
• Iris Kyle, 10-time overall Ms. Olympia professional bodybuilder
• Trent McDuffie, NFL Cornerback Kansas City Chiefs
• Carlos Palomino, former welterweight boxing champion
• Vang Pao, Hmong former Major General of the Royal Lao Army
• Nam Phan, professional mixed martial artist and a contestant in The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck
• Poreotics, dance crew who won ABDC Season 5 in 2010
• Dylan Rieder, professional skateboarder, artist, and model
• Stafford Repp, film and television actor
• Westminster Chorus, won the Pavarotti Trophy of Choir of the World 2009
• Geoff Zanelli, prominent Emmy Award-Winning film and TV composer

References

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