In the final days of August 2025, the Southern California sun blazed down intensely. People were whispering to one another: “There’s a heat wave, if your house gets too hot, head to a park to cool off.”
That’s true, if you don’t have air conditioning, being indoors can feel unbearable. But what if there’s no park nearby to escape to? On one scorching afternoon, we drove out to Villa Park, one of the most “park-deprived” cities in Orange County, to see how residents manage life in a city with no “green lungs.”
No place to walk, no space for pets
Villa Park is a small city in northern Orange County, covering just 2.1 square miles (5.38 km²) with a population of about 5,800 (according to the 2020 census). Wikipedia plainly states: “There are no public parks within city limits; many homes have pools and/or tennis courts.”
On a sunny, silent street, the heat discouraged even the most dedicated walkers. We stopped by Villa Park High School on Taft Avenue. Since it was still summer break, only a group of boys were playing basketball on the school’s outdoor courts.
Outside, we spotted a few girls chatting. One of them, Eliana, told us her family lives nearby. “I can bike to school, but usually my dad drops me off, and my mom picks me up,” she said.
“Even though we live close to school and there are shady trees on our street, I still wish we had a park nearby,” Eliana continued. “I want to take Bella, my dog, for walks. But there’s no park anywhere in Villa Park. When we want to have a family gathering or celebrate a birthday, my parents usually take us to Irvine Regional Park. It’s not far, but we still have to drive there.”
Located at 1 Irvine Park Rd, Orange, CA 92869, Irvine Regional Park is just a 5–10 minute drive from Villa Park. The park offers walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and rentals for bikes, boats, and even a mini train ride. It is great for families and outdoor activities. However, visitors must pay a $5 parking fee.
“It’s only five bucks, surely, but if I go every day, I have to pay $150 a month!” Tommy Pham – a Villa Park resident said. “So we usually just walk around our neighborhood. Occasionally, we’ll drive to Santiago Oaks Regional Park in the city of Orange. It’s a 14-minute drive, with parking available, unless it’s the weekend when it gets too crowded, and you have to park outside.”
Santiago Oaks is a vast natural area of about 1,269 acres, with trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It’s a favorite among nature lovers, offering rugged beauty, forests, and streams ideal for trail runners or long-distance walkers.
“But my son has a dog named Lucky who loves the outdoors, and we can’t always make it out to Santiago Oaks,” Pham explained. “So really, our dream is to have a park close to home, where we can walk daily and where the kids can take their pets out.”
If only…
During a recent bonsai club event hosted by Bonsai Vietnam-USA at Liberty Park in Westminster, I met Loan Tran, a resident of Midway City. Looking out over the sprawling green park, she sighed, “We have nothing like this in our city – Midway City.”
After some research, we learned that Midway City is not an incorporated city, but rather a census-designated place governed directly by Orange County. This means services like parks and recreation are managed by the county or special service districts, rather than a city government with its own budget for public parks.
That said, Midway City does have Stanton Park, a small green space established in 1987 and named in 1989. According to the Los Angeles Times, residents of Midway City have consistently rejected annexation into Westminster over concerns about higher taxes, losing control over utilities, and changes in public services.
This desire to maintain independence, combined with limited county resources, has resulted in Midway City being known as a community “without large public parks.”
Loan is one of approximately 8,000 residents in Midway City. Like many of her neighbors, she often drives to Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley for fresh air, family events, or a place to walk.
“It takes about 13 to 15 minutes to get there from Midway City, depending on traffic,” Loan said. “My brother’s family lives in Fountain Valley and they can walk to the park. So convenient! In August, there was a festival at Mile Square Park called ‘50 Years of the Vietnamese Journey in America,’ which lasted three days. I only managed to go once. I just wish my city had a public park too, so my elderly parents could take a stroll, or we could host youth sports events and senior activities. That would be amazing.”
A patch of green for every city
Many Californians are lucky to live near beautiful parks, where just stepping outside means stepping into nature. But some cities, like Villa Park and Midway City in Orange County remain exceptions.
While Villa Park lacks a public park within city limits, residents still have access to excellent outdoor options nearby, especially in the City of Orange and surrounding areas. Midway City residents, likewise, can drive to Westminster, Garden Grove, or Fountain Valley for green space.
Still, as Pham put it, “It’s not the same as having green space in your own city.”
“Garden Grove is building a new Public Saving Building in a park more than 42,000 square feet in size,” he noted. “It’ll be a place for community activities and large events, holding over a thousand people. I see that, and I can’t help but wish: If only my city had something like that…”
