Costa Mesa

The City of Costa Mesa boasts of being one of Orange County's leading cultural and business centers. Located 37 miles southeast of Los Angeles, 88 miles north of San Diego and 475 miles south of San Francisco, Costa Mesa encompasses a total of 16 square miles with its southernmost border only 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean. The current population of approximately 103,823 has grown from 16,840 at the time of incorporation in 1953. Since that time, it has evolved from a semi-rural farming community to a city with its local economy primarily based upon retail commercial business and light manufacturing.

Costa Mesa offers 26 parks, a municipal golf course, 26 public schools and 2 libraries. The home of Orange Coast College and Vanguard University as well as Whittier Law School and National University, a number of universities and colleges are in close proximity to Costa Mesa.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center, Orange County Fair Grounds, South Coast Repertory Theater and South Coast Plaza are prominent centers of cultural and economic activity within the City. The South Coast Plaza shopping center is the single largest commercial activity center in the City. The volume of sales generated by South Coast Plaza, on the strength of 322 stores, places it among the highest volume regional shopping centers in the nation.

Costa Mesa residents enjoy an ideally mild Southern California climate. Its location provides easy access to many of Southern California’s major attractions such as beaches, mountain areas, high and low deserts, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Palm Springs and Los Angeles with its sports arenas and major league teams. Surrounded by the cities of Newport Beach, Irvine, Huntington Beach, and Santa Ana, Costa Mesa is in an area where it is wonderful to live and work.