Brea is a thriving city of 40,377 residents. More than 100,000 people visit the city daily to work, shop or play. Brea Mall, conveniently located just off the 57 freeway, has four major anchor stores: Nordstrom, Macy’s, Sears and JC Penney, with over 175 specialty stores and restaurants and Glen Ivy Day Spa. Located adjacent to Brea Mall, the full-service 299-room Embassy Suites Hotel attracts visitors, conferences and small conventions from domestic and foreign locales. Homestead Village, an extended stay hotel, opened in1998.
Brea is also very proud of its bustling downtown popularly known as “Birch Street,” with over 50 acres of shopping and entertainment. This village-style pedestrian-oriented promenade features Taps Fish House & Brewery, Old Navy, The Yardhouse, the Improv Comedy Club and Edwards Stadium Cinema Complex, to name a few.
City Hall Park, located on Brea Boulevard, includes a large community plunge and hosts a popular summer Concerts in the Park series, as well as the annual July 4 Country Fair. The Brea Scout Center, housed in the renovated old City Hall at the park, is now open. The renovation project was a labor of love spearheaded by the Brea Lions Club to benefit many community service groups including the Brea Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Monetary donations are always welcomed to offset operating expenses.
The Brea Marketplace, Brea Gateway Shopping Center, Union Plaza and East Imperial Center offer residents extensive choices for specialty retail and services, and create more reasons to “Shop Brea” and keep tax dollars working in their own community. Brea Boulevard and Imperial Highway, both retail corridors, host a number of smaller neighborhood shopping centers, all conveniently located.
Brea’s housing market is booming with newer developments like Olinda Ranch (662 housing units) located at the corner of Lambert Road and Valencia; Walden Estates (54 single family homes) located on the north side of Lambert Road just east of Kraemer; and Tonner Hills (795 housing units) proposed for an unincorporated area of Orange County just north of Brea that is expected to be annexed into the City in the future. Brea also welcomed its very first Brea Sports Park, which opened on February 2009 and is located on the northwest corner of Valencia and Birch.
The Brea Olinda Unified School District is one of the smaller school districts in North Orange County, however it has managed to achieve big accolades, with several of the schools receiving the National Blue Ribbon and California Distinguished School awards. The Brea Olinda Unified School District (BOUSD) is popular with families looking for a place where their child can excel in school and sports, and benefit from an un-crowded atmosphere. Some of the elementary schools include: Mariposa Elementary, Fanning Elementary, Olinda Elementary, Arovista Elementary, Country Hills Elementary and Laurel Elementary. Brea Junior High School and Brea Olinda High School are the city of Brea’s Middle School and High School.
