The area now known as Cypress was originally known as Waterville due to its many artesian wells. It later became known as Dairy City when dairy cows outnumbered people. And it is unclear why it was finally called Cypress due to the alarming lack of Cypress trees. It is known that a school that opened in 1887 was called Cypress and when the town eventually incorporated in 1956, the name Cypress was decided on.

Today the dairies and sugar beet farms of the past century have given way to housing and retail development. Cypress prides itself on being a family oriented community. Its central location in Northern Orange County affords its residents easy access to all that Orange County and Los Angeles County has to offer.