Today was the 52nd anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Cypress. Today's photo helps explain why Cypress originally incorporated under the name "Dairy City." Like its neighbor, La Palma, Cypress incorporated largely to keep housing developments out and to allow the existing dairy farms to stay. Ultimately, the ploy was unsuccessful, but it's an interesting and rare example of a city being formed with the intent to keep people out and keep cows in. The photo above was taken in Cypress in June 1969. The guy in the lower right-hand corner worked for the County Roads Dept..
Two years late, the City of Newport Beach has installed a 2,000 lb. monument to their history at the foot of the Newport Pier. The giant orb looks really cool, but I wish they'd put that $510,000 toward preserving the recently demolished Allison & Allison tower at Newport Harbor High School, or toward the preservation of other important historical sites in Newport.
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Does it make sense to demolish your history and simultanously build a monument to it? I'm reminded of that U2 line: "All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief."
