A Brief History
Where the saber-toothed cats once roamed, a flourishing city emerged. Brea, which means "tar" or "pitch" in Spanish, was originally settled by the Tongva, a Native American tribe formally known as the Gabrielino Mission Indian Tribe. Thousands of years later, the Union Oil Company struck it rich in Brea, leading to a "Black Gold" rush. This eventually created a thriving city, home to over 42,000 people as of 2017. Schools, movie theaters, restaurants, and grocery stores were built, city council members were elected, and people continued to move in. Despite its hardships in the first few years after it had been formally recognized as a city, Brea soon became an important industrial center, offering a tight-knit community of opportunity.