Almanac note · History and culture
Cypress has dairy roots and a racetrack with another town's name
Cypress grew from farmland and Dairy City into today's city, while Los Alamitos Race Course keeps a nearby-town name on one of its best-known landmarks.
Cypress has a little naming twist that is easy to miss. Los Alamitos Race Course is one of the area’s best-known landmarks, but the property sits in Cypress. So the city has a major sports place with a nearby town’s name on the sign.
Cypress also has a strong farm chapter. The city traces its name to the Cypress School District, formed in 1895, where cypress trees were planted around the schoolyard to help block strong winds. The Pacific Electric Railway station later used the Cypress name in 1906.
Dairy came next in a big way. Cypress incorporated as Dairy City on July 24, 1956, when the area still had deep agricultural roots. The next year, residents voted in a straw ballot to use the name Cypress instead. During the “Moo Valley” years, the area had about 1,000 residents and more than 13,000 cows.
The racetrack adds another layer. Informal match races began on Vessels Ranch in 1947, and the first pari-mutuel meeting came in 1951. The track grew into a major California home for Quarter Horse racing.
That history matters because the racecourse area is also part of the Town Center Commons planning discussion. Future plans there sit on land with a long local sports history, a dairy-era city story, and a name that started with a schoolyard windbreak.
Where to see it
Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress and the Town Center Commons project area near Katella Avenue.
Official sources
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Reviewed July 5, 2026
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Cypress separates service requests from business and planning questions
Cypress residents can report city maintenance issues through service requests, while business licenses, building permits, code enforcement, engineering, and planning questions use separate city contacts.
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