A lot of Bay Area transplants ask about this specifically: what's it actually like living near Disneyland, not as a tourist, but as a neighbor. Here's the honest version, tradeoffs included.
The traffic reality
Streets immediately around the resort get genuinely congested, especially during peak season, weekends, and holiday events. A few miles out, it settles down to fairly normal Orange County traffic. The practical takeaway is that proximity to the resort itself matters more than proximity to "Anaheim" broadly, since the city is large and most of it isn't affected the same way.
Fireworks and noise
If you're close enough, you'll hear fireworks on show nights, and depending on the exact location, you might catch a glimpse over the rooftops. Some people love this. Others find it grating after the first few months. It's worth actually standing on a potential street at night before deciding it's a non-issue.
The annual pass math
For families who visit often, living nearby changes the economics in a real way: shorter trips mean you can do a couple of hours after dinner instead of committing to a full day. That convenience is part of what draws people to the area in the first place, and it's a legitimate factor, not just a nice-to-have.
The tourism economy around it
The resort supports a dense strip of hotels, restaurants, and retail nearby, which means more foot traffic and seasonal crowding than a typical OC neighborhood, but also more dining and entertainment options within walking or short driving distance than most residential areas get.
The honest tradeoff
Closer to the resort generally means more noise and traffic, and further out generally means a quieter, more standard residential feel with a longer drive for spontaneous visits. Neither is objectively right. It depends on how much you actually value proximity versus quiet, which is worth being honest with yourself about before you commit to an area.
For a broader look at Anaheim beyond just the resort area, including family-friendly Anaheim Hills, see the full Anaheim relocation guide.