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Costa Mesa, CA


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Costa Mesa, California

Introduction to Costa Mesa California

Incorporated in 1953, Costa Mesa is a city located in Orange County, in Southern California. Costa Mesa is approximately forty-five minutes southeast of Los Angeles, twenty minutes south of Anaheim, five minutes east of Newport Beach, and an hour and a half northwest of San Diego. Costa Mesa's southernmost border is only 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean. Costa Mesa is also only 10 minutes from the John Wayne Orange County Airport.

The area that is now Costa Mesa was originally used as grazing land by Mission San Juan Capistrano. Early attempts to settle the area in the 1880s failed. Costa Mesa started as the Town of Harper, which changed its name to Costa Mesa in 1920. Costa Mesa means coastal tableland in Spanish

Orange County, California was ranked as one of the "Top 25 Cities for Doing Business in America" by Inc. Magazine in the "Large Cities" category in a 2004 study. Costa Mesa received a "League of California Cities Helen Putnam Awards of Excellence" in 2005 for "Internal Administration".

Costa Mesa Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

Costa Mesa residents can take advantage of all of the arts and entertainment attractions of Anaheim and Los Angeles to the north, as well as San Diego to the south. Some of the attractions of note in and around Costa Mesa include:

  • The Ampitheater
  • The Aquarium of the Pacific
  • The Bowers Museum
  • Disneyland
  • Knott’s Berry Farm
  • The Orange County Fairgrounds, home to the Orange County Fair every July
  • Orange County Fine Arts Inc. and the Showcase Gallery
  • The Orange County Museum of Art at South Coast Plaza
  • The Orange County Theatre District, home to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and the South Coast Repertory.
  • The Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace
  • The South Coast Repertory Theater

This part of Southern California has enough professional sports offerings to keep even the most demanding sports fans happy. Sports teams near Costa Mesa, include:

  • The Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League (AFL).
  • The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
  • Club Deportivo Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS).
  • The Lake Elsinore Storm of Minor League Baseball (MiLB). The Storm are a Class A Advanced affiliate of the San Diego Padres.
  • The Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
  • The Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
  • The Los Angeles Storm, and Southern California Seahorses who play in the United Soccer League's (USL) Premier Development League.
  • The Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.

For sports fans who do not mind an hour and a half drive south, the city of San Diego is also home to:

  • The Major League Baseball (MLB) San Diego Padres.
  • The National Football League (NFL) San Diego Chargers.
  • The ECHL Sand Diego Gulls hockey team.
  • The United Soccer League (USL) USL Premier Development League San Diego Gauchos and the USL W-League San Diego Gauchos Women.

High Points

Costa Mesa strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in California):

CategoryTrophy
Walking and Biking to Work
(vs. Peers)		Top 10%Costa Mesa Walking and Biking to Work
Well-Paid Single Men
(vs. Peers)		Top 17%Costa Mesa Well-Paid Single Men
Racial Diversity
(vs. Peers)		Top 17%Costa Mesa Racial Diversity
Public Transportation Use
(vs. State)		Top 19%Costa Mesa Public Transportation Use

Comparative Profile of Costa Mesa, CA

Comparing Costa Mesa to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in California (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Male Share of the Population109
Well-Paid Single Men98
Racial Diversity97
Well-Paid Single Women78
Children Under 5 Years Old66
Age of the Population34
Senior Citizens23
Female Share of the Population12

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Average Household Size74
Portion of People Married32

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
College Educated Adults77
Median Family Income66
People Above Poverty45
People in Middle Class or Better45

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Walking and Biking to Work109
Working at Home86
Public Transportation Use89
Short Commute Times68

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals1010
People Living Alone68
Seasonal and Vacation Housing65
Housing Recently Built65
Affordability of Property Taxes54
Affordability of Rents23

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Low Violent Crime77
Low Property Crime65

Detailed pages on related topics: Costa Mesa colleges • Costa Mesa travel • Costa Mesa mortgage and property.

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Additional Details

Costa Mesa CollegesCosta Mesa Colleges
Costa Mesa colleges and trade schools.
Costa Mesa Hotels & TravelCosta Mesa Hotels & Travel
Costa Mesa hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Costa Mesa MortgageCosta Mesa Mortgage
Costa Mesa property, mortgage, and real estate.

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