Costa Mesa, California

Costa Mesa is a diverse city of about 120,000 that serves as the hub for shopping and entertainment in Orange County. South Coast Plaza, one of the premier shopping centers in the nation, is located on Bristol Street near the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa. This indoor mall has over 300 stores and restaurants, ranging from Sears and Del Taco to Bloomingdale’s, Gucci, Chanel and Morton’s Steakhouse. There’s something for every taste at the Plaza.

Adjacent to South Coast Plaza is the Orange County Performing Arts Center and South Coast Repertory Theater. First class original and touring productions are featured at both venues throughout the year. On the other side of the 405 Freeway is the Orange County Fairgrounds, host to weekend swap meets and special events as well as the annual Orange County Fair. Pacific Amphitheater at the fairgrounds features some great nostalgic musical acts during the run of the Fair. Orange Coast College, one of the most popular community colleges in Orange County, is located right next to the Orange County Fairgrounds.

The population of Costa Mesa is for the most part middle class and working class. There may be more apartments than houses in the city. The ethnic mix is more diverse than in neighboring Newport Beach, with about a third of the population being Latino. Costa Mesa is north of Newport Beach and tends to get warmer than nearby cities located on the coast. Luckily the beach is just a couple of miles away when residents want to beat the heat.

I adored the city of Costa Mesa and still do for a number of reasons. The option of the beach was close by but still far enough that you didn’t have to deal with the constant summer beach traffic that places like Huntington Beach and Newport Beach have to deal with. Access to freeways like the 55, 405 and 73 which could get to you to just about anywhere in Orange County was a great plus. I also attended Orange Coast College for a few years and during that time there was no better place than Costa Mesa for me. I was happy and secretly jealous when a good friend of mine scored an apartment near Del Mar Ave. I was always happy to visit on weekends and stay over after classes were done. I think Costa Mesa is a great city for singles especially if you’re taking care of school in the area, you have entertainment and a fun night life just a few minutes away up the 55 freeway if you want to head into Newport Beach. One minor pet peeve with the Costa Mesa neighborhoods I did visit, is parking. With such small residential streets and cul-de-sac’s it was never easy finding a place to park no matter what time of day. So if you can score an apartment or home with its own driveway or garage, that’s perfect.

I love Costa Mesa! It is centrally located near the beach cities and the areas where most people work (Irvine, Anaheim, etc.). Traffic is pretty much non-existent (it does get a little bit backed up on Baker Street around 5pm each work day, but, that is it) and the 405, 55 and 73 make getting any where a breeze.

Culturally, Costa Mesa has a lot to offer. The Orange County Performing Arts Centre is located there. They hold concerts, musicals and plays throughout the year. In the summer, every Monday they project a classic movie on the wall outside and people are encouraged to bring blankets, wine and food and enjoy the free event. The Costa Mesa Fairgrounds always have something going on. There are car shows, sand expos and the annual Orange County Fair. On the weekends (excluding when the Fair is going on), they have a good sized market selling clothes, fresh fruits and vegetables, items for your home, beauty products, bakery goods, carved wood decorations and tons of other things. The best part is they sell beer!

Costa Mesa houses South Coast Plaza. It is fancier than your typical mall and there are very fancy stores inside. It’s cool to window shop at those stores, but South Coast Plaza also has the normal stores such as Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret for people that shop in my budget. It’s weird, because at one end of the mall, towards Sears, it definitely starts to get a ghetto vibe, while the rest of the mall is super fancy. Maybe it’s just me. Or maybe it’s just Sears.

A great city that is part of the Orange County family since 1953, Costa Mesa is a great town that has seen huge changes from being a rural farming region to a suburban district. Home to popular spots like the South Coast Plaza Mall, Costa Mesa is a great place to live with abundant sources of employment, great public services and good schools for all your children. Costa Mesa also has many lovely parks for their residents and visitors to enjoy themselves and relax in. The neighborhoods are maintained to remain aesthetically pleasing and have generally friendly people.

Arts and culture thrives in the city of Costa Mesa through their various art centers. You can find the world known Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Pacific Amphitheatre, the Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall amongst many great performance theatres. Costa Mesa is also home to the annual Orange County Fair and many beautiful golf courses and parks.

Costa Mesa offers much employment opportunities and a comfortable lifestyle for their residents. Apart from good and safe neighborhoods, Costa Mesa also provides the basic needs like protection. They also have ample parks with many recreational activities for their residents of all ages. This city is home to a wide range of schools from preschools to colleges – both private and public. Costa Mesa also has many good schools and colleges, including the Orange Coast College, Vanguard University, Whittier Law School and National University.

In all, Costa Mesa is a great town for their residents and visitors. It is home to great neighborhoods, happy people and is a great spot for shopping, fun and some arts and culture for the visitors. Costa Mesa is also situated close by to many famous tourist spots Like Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farms and is thus a great city to visit any day.