Cypress

Cypress covers about 6.6 square miles in northwest Orange County, with La Palma and Buena Park to the north, Anaheim and Stanton to the east, Los Alamitos to the south and west, and Long Beach, Hawaiian Gardens and Lakewood across the county line. It began in the early 1900s as a dairy settlement on the Pacific Electric line, incorporated in 1956 and then filled in quickly with single-family tracts.

Most homes are single-family houses from the 1960s and 1970s, with townhomes, condos, apartments and two mobile home parks mixed in, and the largest future housing site is Los Alamitos Race Course land. Cypress suits buyers who want a single-family house in north Orange County with several freeways in reach and who will check school district lines and base noise maps address by address. Weighing the city next door? See our Los Alamitos guide.

Neighborhoods and housing in Cypress

The city's 2021-2029 Housing Element says more than two-thirds of its homes were built between 1960 and 1979 and fewer than 5 percent since 2000. State estimates cited there count nearly four in five units as single-family houses, detached or attached, and about one in five in multifamily buildings.

Lincoln Avenue and the original town

The town grew around a rail stop at what is now Lincoln Avenue and Walker Street, and Lincoln Avenue became the main commercial corridor. The Lincoln Avenue Specific Plan, adopted in 1999, now allows apartments, condos and mixed-use buildings at up to 30 units per acre in some districts.

Single-family tracts

Away from the corridors, the city is mostly single-family tracts built after incorporation. The RS-5000 zone allows zero-lot-line homes that may share common areas and private streets, which usually means a homeowners association; our townhome buying guide covers the dues and documents to review.

Cypress Business Park

The master-planned Cypress Business Park, developed from the mid-1970s through the 1980s, covers about 800 acres concentrated along Katella Avenue west of Knott Avenue. It is an employment district with its own specific plan, not a residential area.

Los Alamitos Race Course

Despite its name, Los Alamitos Race Course is in southern Cypress. The site falls under the Cypress Town Center and Commons Specific Plan, which voters expanded with more residential capacity through Measure S in 2024. On August 25, 2026, the City Council approved the race course's buildout project, including a vesting tentative tract map, an environmental impact report and a development agreement, for land bounded by Cerritos Avenue, Katella Avenue, Lexington Drive and Winners Circle/Walker Street. The environmental review covers up to 1,791 homes and 440,000 square feet of commercial space on about 134 acres. No construction is part of these approvals; the owner plans to sell lots to future developers who must apply separately, and the track has no defined closing date.

Getting around

• City planning documents list I-605, SR-91, I-405, SR-22 and Beach Boulevard (SR-39) as regional routes; Katella Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, Valley View Street and Walker Street are among the major local roads.
• OCTA's 405 Express Lanes, which require a FasTrak transponder, run from I-605 to SR-73, with access from I-605 and SR-22.
• OCTA Route 50 runs along Katella Avenue between Long Beach and Orange.
• Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB) Los Alamitos, along the city's southern edge, is a military airfield; for airline service, Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport are within reach.

Schools

City planning documents place most of Cypress in Cypress School District for kindergarten through sixth grade and Anaheim Union High School District for grades 7 through 12. Parts of the city are in Centralia Elementary School District or Savanna School District, the southeast portion is in Garden Grove Unified School District, and a small part of the race course area is in Los Alamitos Unified School District.

Check any address with the School Locator on the Cypress School District website or with the other district's office. For test results and other data, use the California School Dashboard.

Parks, beaches and things to do

• Arnold Cypress Park on Watson Street has softball fields, pickleball and a half-mile walking path; Oak Knoll Park on Graham Street has baseball and softball fields.
• Lexington Park on Cerritos Avenue has soccer fields and reservable picnic sites.
• The Nature Park is on Ball Road, and the Civic Center on Orange Avenue has a public library and tennis courts.
• Cypress College, opened in 1966, fills about 110 acres southeast of Valley View Street and Lincoln Avenue.
• There are no beaches in the city; the coast at Seal Beach is a short drive south.

Local rules and costs to know

Utilities

The city lists Southern California Edison for electricity, Golden State Water for water, SoCalGas for natural gas and Valley Vista Services for trash. The Orange County Sanitation District handles wastewater.

Short-term rentals

We found no short-term rental permit program in the Cypress Municipal Code. The code does prohibit renting an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or junior ADU for 30 days or less, and second units or duplexes added in single-family zones under section 3.17.260 must be rented for at least 31 consecutive days.

ADUs

The city describes an ADU as a unit of up to 1,200 square feet on the same lot as a main home. Applications are reviewed ministerially through plan check, with a decision due within 60 days of a complete application, and a deed restriction must be recorded before the building permit is issued. An ADU can be rented but not sold separately. We did not find a city pre-approved ADU plan program; see our ADU guide.

Airport noise and disclosure

The Orange County Airport Land Use Commission's plan for JFTB Los Alamitos, amended August 17, 2017, covers Cypress and nine other Orange County cities. It maps 60 and 65 dB CNEL noise contours and does not support new homes inside the 65 CNEL contour. The Housing Element notes that some residential areas south of Cerritos Avenue fall within the base's noise impact zones, and the city lists a JFTB noise hotline. State law requires a Notice of Airport in Vicinity when a home in an airport influence area is sold.

Flood and fire

The Housing Element, citing the Safety Element, says a 100-year flood would stay within the Carbon Creek and Bolsa Chica channels; confirm a parcel on FEMA's flood maps. CAL FIRE's March 24, 2025 set of local fire hazard maps for Orange County includes no map for Cypress. Our homeowners insurance guide explains how flood coverage fits into a purchase.

Property taxes

A purchase resets the assessed value, and voter-approved bonds and special assessments add to the 1 percent base rate. Read our Orange County property tax guide and test numbers in our property tax calculator.

Buying in Cypress

1. Check noise early. South of Cerritos Avenue, look at the base's noise contours and visit at different times of day.
2. Confirm the school district. Parts of six districts fall within city limits.
3. Read the race course approvals. Near the track, build-out timing depends on future developer applications.
4. Plan ADU income realistically. Leases must run longer than 30 days, and the deed restriction stays with the property.
5. Request HOA documents for small-lot and townhome developments before removing contingencies.

Selling in Cypress

1. Gather permits for additions, garage conversions and ADUs, plus any recorded ADU deed restriction.
2. If the home is in the base's airport influence area, provide the required notice; our seller disclosure guide covers California's rules.
3. Point buyers who ask about the race course to the city's project page.
4. In an HOA community, order association documents before listing.

How Remark Homes can help

We are a veteran-owned brokerage in Tustin, and we help Cypress buyers sort out school district lines, noise maps and ADU rules, and help sellers prepare permits and disclosures. Reach us on our contact page, or read how we work with buyers and sellers.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cypress in Orange County?

Yes. Cypress is a northwest Orange County city on the Los Angeles County line, incorporated in 1956.

What school district is Cypress in?

Mostly Cypress School District for kindergarten through sixth grade and Anaheim Union High School District for grades 7 through 12. Parts of the city are in Centralia, Savanna, Garden Grove Unified or Los Alamitos Unified, so check by address.

Is Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress?

Yes. Despite its Los Alamitos mailing address, the track is in Cypress. In August 2026 the City Council approved a buildout plan that studies up to 1,791 homes there, with no construction approved yet.

Are short-term rentals allowed in Cypress?

The municipal code has no short-term rental permit program and bans stays of 30 days or less in ADUs and junior ADUs. Check with the Planning Division before buying for nightly rental income.

Sources

• City of Cypress: Utilities Information
• City of Cypress: Los Alamitos Race Course Specific Plan 3.0 Buildout Project
• City of Cypress: 2021-2029 Housing Element (HCD copy)
• City of Cypress: Housing Element Implementation Project Draft EIR (CEQAnet)
• Cypress Municipal Code: Standards for Specific Land Uses (ADUs)
• City of Cypress: Facility and Park Locations
• Orange County Airport Land Use Commission
• Office of the State Fire Marshal: Fire Hazard Severity Zones