Fullerton provides an amazing quality of life.  Renowned for its unique mix of residential, commercial, industrial, educational, and cultural environments Fullerton is good for the folks who live here as well as the flourishing business community.  Fullerton is a dynamic community with a rich heritage and a vibrant, emergent downtown.  Our charming community retains a rich heritage of architecture with landmark buildings found throughout the historic downtown area.  Downtown has become a popular stop for people looking for a few quaint reminders of yesteryear.  Much of historic downtown has been preserved and is filled with antique and vintage shops, a variety of eateries, art galleries, and clothing boutiques.  The city has also restored the Fox Fullerton Theater, where "talkies" debuted in Orange County and where Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. once appeared in person. Fullerton offers historic homes and neighborhoods that are unique among Orange County cities.  From custom homes to hillside executive houses there is a beautiful home to fit everyone.  And, from Victorian Queen Anne to Spanish Colonial Revival and California Bungalows, many of Fullertons historic homes could be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Many celebrities in the sports and entertainment industries have a Fullerton home.  Fullerton truly is unique in many ways.  We are proud to be known as "The Education Community," with five colleges and universities, including Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton College, a law school and two other private schools.  Though one of the largest cities in Orange County, Fullerton is still very much a community with a strong sense of tradition, one that treasures its historic past as it prepares to meet the challenges of its future.  With its small town atmosphere and thriving economy, Fullerton is a great place to live, work and play.

One of Fullertons top priorities is the education of the more than 100,000 students who are enrolled in its elementary, high schools, colleges and universities. In Fullerton education is taken seriously. Parents appreciate this, and students benefit.  Six of Fullertons elementary schools have been recognized as California Distinguished Schools, which honors Californias most outstanding educational institutions.  Others have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools and Golden Bell Winners.  Fullertons High School District has a reputation for educational excellence, which attracts students and potential staff members to the Fullerton community from within as well as from outside the State.  Outstanding curriculum is the standard for all students in all interests and fields of study and District schools are continually recognized for academic excellence.  Troy High School won the National Science Olympiad in 1999 and 2000 and was again the runner up in the U.S. Department of Energys National Science Bowl finals in 2001.   Fullerton High School is one of the premier fine arts high schools in the country.  Sunny Hills High School has been rated as one of the top schools in the nation, based on the success of their advanced placement program.  If you value a great education as much as we do, you wont want to miss out on the amazing opportunities young learners have in Fullerton.  In addition Fullerton offers amazing opportunities for undergraduate education.  Fullertons five colleges and universities interact with each other, share facilities, and give credit for courses taken in each others schools.  The presidents of these institutions meet several times a year to better work together and also to work directly with Fullertons public and private school systems as well as with local government, community, and businesses.  Fullerton College is consistently ranked in the top 10 among community colleges in California.  California State University, Fullerton was ranked among the top 10 of the nations "Top Public Western Universities-Masters" institutions by U.S. News & World Report.  The universitys College of Business and Economics is home to the nation's second largest undergraduate enrollment in business.  Education is a community affair and high levels of success are the standard in Fullerton. 

Fullerton boasts a broad range in business, including high tech aerospace firms, manufacturing businesses, financial institutions, health care facilities and educational institutions. The balance of diverse businesses in Fullerton helps improve Orange Countys economy as a whole.  Fullerton prides itself on a prospering business community.  We recently welcomed a wave of new developments in 2003.   A twelve-block area of downtown has received a fusion of local investment and new business worth $20 million. The marketing area within a ten-mile radius of Fullerton contains nearly two million people. Vacancies have fallen from 20% to 9% in the last decade. Fullertons labor force consists of 65,000 diverse and highly educated residents.  More than 64% of Fullerton residents have some college education.  At the center of a market of more than 14 million, Fullerton serves a local trade area with an average household income over $50,000 and the City of Fullerton has an average household income of more than $68,000.   As noted in the university's Economic Impact Report of April 2002, Cal State Fullerton and its students generate $828.5 million in economic activity annually and support 11,679 full and part-time jobs.  Top employers including St. Jude Medical Center, Beckman Coulter Inc., Fairchild Fasteners, Kraft-Fullerton Foods, Albertson's Inc., SKC West Inc., and ITA Inc. are more than happy to call Fullerton home.

Theater, art, musical and other fine art endeavors continue to flourish within Fullerton. The Fullerton Civic Light Opera is one of the largest musical theater companies in Southern California and is celebrating its 30th year of bringing quality musical theater to our area.  The Fullerton Museum Center presents the best in multi-disciplinary exhibitions and educational programs in the areas of history, science, and art.  The Muckenthaler Cultural Center is dedicated to the study, exhibition, and collection of multicultural arts and the staging of the performing arts.  This Italian Renaissance-style villa features an art gallery with rotating exhibits and an amphitheater, which is home to plays and musicals, including everything from Shakespeare to modern musicals.  It is a multidisciplinary venue that celebrates the traditions of a variety of cultures and encourages appreciation and creative expression in art, music, dance, literature, drama, local history, landscaping and botanical gardening.  The surrounding lush green lawn and palm trees frequently play host to weddings and private receptions.  The Fullerton Arboretum features more than 3,500 plant specimens and more than 100 types of birds over 26 acres.  Visitors can stroll through gardens with a waterfall and pond area. "This is a beautiful place in an urban environment," "You walk through the gates and you're in a whole new world."  The Heritage House was built in 1894 as the home and office of Fullertons pioneer physician, Dr. George C. Clark. In 1972 the house was moved from its original town site at the corner of Amerige and Harvard (Lemon) to the Fullerton Arboretum. The restored house now serves as a museum of family life and medical practice of the 1890s.  You can tour Heritage House, an 1894 Victorian house.   Student plays and musicals are common on the university and community college campuses, and due to our great number, we have plenty to see.  Two theaters are located at Fullerton College and Cal State Fullerton stages productions in three venues within its Performing Arts Center, hosts a variety of productions both from the university and elsewhere including the Fullerton Children's Repertoire Theater, the Fullerton Union High School Academy of the Arts and the Fullerton Civic Light Opera.

There is no better way to kick off the New Year than at First Night Fullerton.  Every New Year's Eve, downtown streets are closed for some nonalcoholic revelry, complete with live bands, street performers, a wide selection of food and a fireworks show at midnight.  The scene is fairly relaxed and family friendly, and usually draws about 7,000 partyers.  Night in Fullerton, not to be confused with First Night Fullerton, is a night of art, music, and drama.  This night has it all.  For the past 36 years, Night in Fullerton has highlighted the town as an artists' community.  Spectators are shuttled to their choice of art venues, usually about a dozen throughout the city, where you can take in some music or tour an art gallery.  Each year the Fourth of July Fireworks celebration brings together aerial pyrotechnics and community spirit.  Block parties are common around the stadium since the fireworks can be seen from just about anywhere in the city, but the observers inside the stadium get a good sense of a community unity. Green Scene answers all your gardening questions like "How do I grow better tomatoes?" or  "How can I build a better birdhouse?."  The answers to these and a multitude of other gardening questions can be found at the Cal State Fullerton Arboretum, this event has been an annual tradition since 1975 at the arboretum, and is a good way to meet people with similar interests.  Its kids helping kids at the Florence Arnold Children's Art Festival, where for one weekend children can discover the artist within while helping to support art programs in local elementary schools.  For the automobile aficionado in you or a loved one, check out the Annual Muckenthaler Motorcar Festival. The Community for Kids Golf Tournament is a great way to help the community by playing a sport you probably already love, with all proceeds going to benefit the Crittenton Services for Children and Families.

If the outdoors is your thing, golf, tennis, or just a walk in the peace and quiet, well Fullerton has that covered too.   We have two golf courses, the Fullerton Golf Course and the Coyote Hills Golf Course.  Designed by Cal Olson and the PGA Tour Legend Payne Stewart, Coyote Hills Golf Course is beautiful and challenging. Coyote Hills is hidden away in the foothills with elegant waterfalls, cascading streams, cobblestone bridges and breathtaking views.  Its quite a golfing experience. The Fullerton Tennis Center is a first class facility for recreational and advanced tennis players alike with 11 lighted courts.  There are plenty of ways to get involved whether to improve your skill or just have a good time.   There are private and group lessons for children and adults, USTA Teams, Leagues, and Tournaments, a Senior Men's Group and the North Orange County Tennis Club.  Test your climbing abilities on one of two 9-foot climbing walls, or take a dip at the Janet Evans swim complex.  Plenty of outdoor opportunities abound in Fullerton's 49 parks.  Craig Park is a community favorite.  With rolling hills, a large variety of mature trees, open space, a small pond, two year round creeks and a rose garden, this unique landscape is a great way to get away for a little while.  There are walkways, picnic tables and park benches scattered throughout the park's 124 acres.  Local kids take part summer camps that revolve around a variety of themes, including science, fishing and literature.

Whether its unique homes, industry, small business, education or art, Fullerton continues to thrive and places well above the competition.  There is no smarter decision than Fullerton.

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