Cypress, city, Orange County, southwestern California, a residential suburb of Long Beach; incorporated 1956. Cypress is the corporate headquarters for several electronics and insurance companies. Light manufacturing and research and development are also important. A large community college, a branch of Forest Lawn cemetery, and Los Alamitos Race Course are here. Formerly a farm center, the community was known as Dairy City until 1956, when it was renamed for its cypress trees. Large-scale residential development took place in the 1960s and 1970s. Industrial development occurred in the 1980s. Population 40,391 (1980); 42,655 (1990); 46,229 (2000).