An
expansion franchise, the club was founded in Los Angeles in 1961.
Then the Los Angeles Angels, the team was based at Los Angeles's
Wrigley Field (not to be confused with Chicago's legendary sports
venue of the same name). The team has gone through several name
changes in their history, first changing to the California Angels
in 1965 to emphasize their status as the only AL team in
California. When the Disney Company took control in 1997, they
extensively renovated Angel Stadium with two requirements: that
both the stadium's name and the team's name have "Anaheim" in it.
Disney was hoping to make Anaheim, the home of Disneyland Park, a
major tourist destination and thus the team became the Anaheim
Angels.