Already in the 1970s sales of property parcels and lots in Anza were promoted with particular emphasis on the proximity of this unspoiled countryside to larger coastal cities of southern California. Though perceived by outsiders as friendly and open to newcomers, Anza has been among those unique rural communities determined to systematically avoid the social and environmental problems of over-urbanization and since the 1980s this close-knit community has sought to preserve its unique artistic and creative culture by closely scrutinizing any development plans that could give rise to dysfunctions experienced in other regions of the state.