Cypress California City Guide

Cypress, California is an urban community with a premier location in Orange County that attracts many families and young professionals alike.

The first settlers to call the land home were the Gabrielino, which was a Native American faction of the Tongva people. The land traded hands to Spain until 1821, when Mexico won its independence and officially owned the land. The United States gained what would later become Cypress after the Mexican-American War.

Originally nicknamed Waterville, the village was later incorporated as Dairy City in 1956. However, following World War II, the land’s focus shifted from dairies to farming and ranching. In 1981, the city of Cypress was officially inaugurated.

Today, Cypress is known for having highly rated schools, low crime rates, and a diverse population of about 50,000 residents. With multiple community parks, local attractions, and short commutes to Disneyland, Cypress has a reputation for being a great place to live.

Of about 50,000 residents, an estimated 3% are unemployed, and about 5.9% are below the poverty line. 51% of the population is female, while 49% is male. The median individual income is about $38K, while the median household income is $90K.

As for racial diversity, about 40% of residents are White, and 33% are Asian. 20% of residents are Hispanic, 4% are African American, and 3% are biracial or multiracial.

33% of residents have little college experience or an associate’s degree, and 26% have a bachelor’s degree. Another 15% of the population has a master’s degree or a higher degree.

Cypress is known for having top-tier schools, and students throughout the city benefit from multiple highly-rated school districts seeing to their educational needs.

Cypress Elementary School District includes 6 elementary schools in the city, all of which are well-rated. Margaret Landell Elementary School, Frank Vessels Elementary School, A.E. Arnold Elementary School, and Juliet Morris Elementary School are the best overall early education campuses in the city.

Los Alamitos Unified School District supplies Cypress students with middle schools and a high school campus that rank well on a statewide level. Sharon Christa McAuliffle Middle School, Oak Middle School, and Los Alamitos High School have overall A+ ratings on Niche.com, which indicates each school is excellent.

When it comes to high school education, Anaheim Union High School District makes sure that students in Cypress have access to enriching academic settings like Oxford Academy, Cypress High School, and John F. Kennedy High School.

Additionally, there are multiple private schools in Cypress.

Cypress School District serves just under 4,000 students and feeds into Anaheim Union High School District, which is located in neighboring Anaheim.

Cypress School District is known for having impressive teachers, a great record for academic achievement, and excellent health and safety statistics. The student populations across this district’s campuses tend to be ethnically and economically diverse, and generally each campus has varied clubs and activities for students to participate in.

Because Cypress School District consists of 6 elementary school campuses, students living in Cypress may also attend Los Alamitos Unified School District, which is rated as the #3 best school district in Orange County.

The city’s overall cost of living is estimated to be 55% over the national average. Goods and services in Cypress track as being 10% higher than the national average, and local housing costs are also 158% over the national average.

However, when compared against California’s overall average, living in Cypress is about as expensive as can be expected in the state. Goods and services, grocery costs, and healthcare expenses all track as being about average with California’s reported estimates.

That said, housing in Cypress is 62% more expensive than California’s average. Transportation costs here are 30% higher than the U.S. average and about 2% higher than the state’s average.