La Habra is a Spanish term that means, 'Gorge,' 'Canyon,' or 'Pass
Through the Hills.' This land was once part of the San Gabriel Mission Land
holdings. In the Rancho Days, these hills were used for grazing cattle. In
the 1860's, Basque farmers began to arrive and they used the hills to graze
sheep. By 1896, there was a post office, general store, and a school. The
citrus and walnut industries began.
Index Citrus and other
grower cooperatives were formed.
Pacific Electric and Union Pacific Train Depots opened. In 1926,
Rudolph Hass
somewhat accidentally developed the Hass Avocado. This remains a very
important avocado type. The sub-tropical climate of La Habra allows
macadamia trees to grow here.
Lois Elsie James, a
Whittier College and Stanford Graduate was well known for her work in La
Habra at developing macadamia plants for commercial use in California. Today, La Habra Heights has a large number of acre-sized
or more lots and has zoning that is friendly to livestock-raising families.
To learn more about La Habra's history, see below:
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