From Clock Tower to Koreatown, Buena Park’s Metrolink Station Has Plenty Worth Stopping For
- Joel Beers
- Oct 20
- 7 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
Surrounded by housing yet full of surprises, Buena Park’s Metrolink station offers history, charm and nearby attractions worth the walk.
This story is a part of our series OC by Metrolink, discovering what what makes each stop worth the stop.
One year ago, Metrolink – the five-county commuter rail system Orange County joined in 1994 – rolled out the biggest expansion in its history.
With ridership still hovering at barely half its pre-pandemic levels, the system shifted from a commuter service to a regional transportation network. This means more trains, especially midday and later at night, better transfers between its seven lines, and greater flexibility for riders to see Metrolink stations not just as launch pads or places between their final destination, but as destinations themselves.
READ THE INTRODUCTION TO THIS SERIES
No line has felt that shift more than the Orange County Line, Metrolink’s second busiest. Running from Los Angeles’ Union Station to Oceanside, with 11 stops inside the county, it added seven weekday trains, including one that now leaves Union Station at 10 p.m.
So with the county suddenly easier to criss-cross by rail, at least along a route that mostly shadows the 5 freeway, the question becomes: What’s worth stopping for?
In the coming weeks, Culture OC will try to answer that. Each story will spotlight one or two stations: from the architecturally striking (Santa Ana, Anaheim), to the ones at the heart of lively downtowns (Fullerton, Orange, San Juan Capistrano), and even those that, at first blush, seem to be just there.
But each station is unique, whether due to its history, design, location or how to get beyond the platforms, whether it’s walking to nearby landmarks or catching a bus to hotspots like Disneyland, John Wayne Airport or the coast.
We’ll take the tour north to south, from Buena Park down to San Clemente.
First stop: Buena Park
Although the first stop on the first railroad to nose into what would eventually become Orange County – the Southern Pacific, in 1875 – was in present-day Buena Park (where Orangethorpe Avenue now crosses Dale Street), and two more were built in the late 1880s, by 1964 the city’s last depot was shuttered. For nearly 50 years, the only way to ride a train in Buena Park was on the two preserved at Walter Knott’s Ghost Town – a short trip guaranteed to end in a bandit holdup.
But in the late 1980s, as Orange County joined the region’s push to create a commuter rail system, Buena Park planned its comeback. But it would take 13 years after the Orange County line opened in 1994 for rail passenger service to return to Buena Park.
When it finally did, the station was unlike any other in the county, blending history, charm and even a touch of “Twilight Zone” strangeness.
Location: Houses, Houses Everywhere
The first thing you notice about the station is that it’s surprisingly easy to miss. Unlike most of the county’s Metrolink stops – set downtown or alongside freeways – Buena Park’s is tucked just south of Malvern Avenue and Dale Street, about a mile from Beach Boulevard and 2.5 miles from the nearest freeway exit. Housing hugs it on all four sides.
Its very existence stems from a housing partnership with Cal State Fullerton. In 2002, the city acquired 12 acres of barren flood-control land, gave eight to the university for affordable faculty housing, and used the remaining four acres for the station. The university built the housing; the city collects property taxes.
Encircled by townhomes, condos and single-family residences, the station is a miniature transit village – residential life organized around a rail hub. From the outside it feels tucked away, almost secret. But that seclusion also makes it the most relaxing of O.C.’s 11 stations, adding to its curious charm.
Key Features of the Buena Park Metrolink Station include, from left, the clock tower (modeled after the one at Knott's Berry Farm and Philadelphia's Independence Hall), the gazebo (with its backdrop of towering palm trees, illustrating the blend of the station's old-school Americana and Southern California topography) and the pedestrian bridge (with sleek modern functionality and small-town Americana that typifies the station's design). Photos by Joel Beers, Culture OC
Design: Modern Meets Retro
The second thing you notice is its design, which blends modern functionality with a touch of “The Twilight Zone.” The pedestrian overpass – glass panels, open sightlines – feels thoroughly 21st century, as do the LED lighting and platforms. But the dominant feature is a 70-foot clock tower topped with a weathervane. Add the gazebo, old-style lighting and the station’s remarkable cleanliness, and it feels like you’ve stepped into Willoughby from the 1959-64 TV show – or the Americana section of an amusement park. That’s no accident: The tower nods to Walter Knott’s clock tower at Knott’s Berry Farm, itself a brick-by-brick replica of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. More than functional, it lends the stop civic charm, hinting at history and place, not just transit.
Surrounding Neighborhood: No Easy Stroll
Getting to Buena Park’s main attraction, Knott’s Berry Farm, takes 35-40 minutes by bus, 18 minutes by bike, or about an hour and 10 minutes on foot. Not exactly a marathon, but this walk in the (Buena) Park is no scenic stroll either – just a mile of housing and pavement between you and anything interesting.
Two points of interest lie about a mile away in opposite directions. Southeast is Fullerton Municipal Airport, the county’s only general aviation field, with history dating back to 1913. It hums with Cessnas, Pipers, twin-engine props, the odd corporate jet and a squadron of helicopters. It’s no John Wayne airport – more like a living model train set with wings, where the small stuff steals the show. You can also charter a helicopter, take a flying lesson, or grab a meal at Wings Café, where some rave about the breakfasts and others rave about its beer and wine selection.
About a mile northeast is the northern end of Orange County’s newest official ethnic community: Buena Park’s Koreatown. Scores of restaurants, grocery stores and retail stores and services line the four corners of Malvern and Beach, stretching nearly two miles down Beach Boulevard to The Source, an epicenter of Korean culture in Southern California. The city designated the stretch as Koreatown two years ago, but it became truly official Aug. 25 when a road sign was placed on the 5 Freeway.
Strip malls along Beach Boulevard in Buena Park are full of the Korea businesses that make up Koreatown. Photos by Joel Beers, Culture OC
Word to the wise
Until last year, any excursion from Buena Park’s Metrolink station had to wrap up early: The last train on the Orange County line heading south left at 7:08 p.m. and 5:54 p.m. heading north. But last year’s Metrolink expansion increased the number of weekday trains stopping at Buena Park from nine to 13, and southbound trains now leave as late as 10:12 p.m., while the last northbound train is at 8:12 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays remain tight, however, as there are still only four trains that stop at Buena Park, with the last southbound train departing at 4:58 p.m. and the last northbound leaving at 6:21 p.m.
(Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner doesn’t stop at Buena Park, but its last southbound train from Fullerton departs at 10:41 p.m. daily, and its last northbound train leaves Fullerton at 11:18 p.m.
In other words, make your reservation in Koreatown early on weekends and consider a ride share to Fullerton if eating dinner there or if Knott’s Scary Farm is your destination.
Must Sees
Glenn Ranch: Not really a ranch, but a remnant of one. This half-acre produce stand sits across Dale Street from the station. Once part of a 200-acre farm worked by the Glenn family since 1974, the land was razed in the 1990s for housing. Residents successfully lobbied the city to preserve a slice of it, and today the stand sells strawberries from the Glenns’ Chino farm and peaches from Reedley. 5702 Dale St., open March through September, hours vary.
H Mart and Zion Market: Buena Park’s sprawling Koreatown is a mecca for foodies, with nearly 100 dining options from Korean BBQ and over-the-top desserts to bingsoo and bulgogi pizza, straddling 2.5 miles of Beach Boulevard. But these two markets, located about a mile from the station, are also culturally immersive experiences. H Mart provides a pan-Asian experience, with Korean, Japanese, Chinese and other Asian ingredients, while Zion Market focuses more on Korean products. Both let visitors shop for fresh ingredients, specialty sauces and ready-to-eat meals, giving a broader taste of Asian cuisine than any single restaurant can offer. H Mart: 5111 Beach Blvd., Open daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Zion Market, 5400 Beach Blvd., open daily, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant: Hip, it isn’t. But for 89 years, this Buena Park classic has served Cordelia Knott’s original four-ingredient recipe: bird, oil, flour and salt. Nostalgia infuses its eight themed dining rooms, among which are the cozy Tea Room, rustic Panty, Western Farmhouse hall and outdoor patio. Two things have changed: In the 1950s, the restaurant phased out lard, and a chicken dinner that as late as 1991 cost $7.99 now starts at $26.50, a 35-fold increase from the original 65 cents. 8039, Beach Blvd., open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Another station?
Shortly after the Buena Park station opened, it was announced that it was in the sights of the California high-speed rail project, whose proposal for an electrified line connecting Los Angeles to Anaheim would require the relocation of the station and possible demolition of 25 condominiums. The new station would be located about three-quarters of a mile northeast of the existing one.
As of now, the final decision on the station's relocation is pending, with ongoing discussions and planning; then again, considering the travails of the California bullet train, who knows when or if any decision will ever be made.
Next Stop: Fullerton (Nov. 3)
Buena Park Metrolink Station
Address: 8400 Lakeknoll Drive, Buena Park
Opened: September 2007
Cost: $14 million
Parking: 302 spots
Ridership: 305 average weekday boardings
Amenities: Public restrooms
Route: Fourth stop, and first in Orange County, on the OC Line, which runs from Los Angeles Union Station to Oceanside; also part of Perris/91 line, which runs from Perris to Los Angeles.
Train Schedule*
Weekdays: 26 trains. First southbound train (from Los Angeles) arrives at 6:12 a.m; last southbound train arrives at 10:12 p.m. First northbound train arrives at 5:49 a.m.; final northbound train arrives at 8:39 p.m.
Weekends: Six trains. First southbound train arrives 9:10 a.m.; last southbound train arrives at 7:51 p.m. First northbound train arrives 8:44 a.m.; last northbound train arrives 7 p.m.
*subject to change
Amtrak: no service
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