Costa Mesa

I will present at the American Association of Applied Linguistics next April and will be meeting with two dear colleagues from Venezuela.

It’s not as tolerant or cool as we’d like it to be, trust me. But it’s still a lot better than some places, and the niches I rely on here are worth it. And hey, I live in the place, so I gotta represent.

I grew up in Costa Mesa when there were chicken farms and strawberry fields! For Orange County, it is an ideal place to live, but for a tourist, it is not exactly a destination spot.

Great place to live, and for tourists. I lived right down the street from the Orange County Fairgrounds. There’s so much to do and see!

Blends in with all the other towns in Orange County, but doesn’t have anything unique, except for malls (which aren’t.)

I’v lived here all my life… except for a few years in huntington beach when my parents got divorced. Right off the 405 and 55 its so convenient to travel to many of the surrounding cities, and is only 45 min away from school. yay! my city is sooooooo COOL! woopie~

I lived here for many years. Definitely the best city in Orange County. Very temperate, good places to eat, and stuff to do.

Costa Mesa is a fine city. It’s still inexpensive enough to live here and it’s 5 minutes away from the beach.

Great place! The beach is nearby, there’s an awesome skatepark, and TRIANGLE SQUARE KILLS ALL!!!!

Costa Mesa is an often overlooked and underappreciated city. It has all the style of a typical beach city with some great places to shop & dine.

The Costa Mesa Story
The City of Costa Mesa is 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 Costa Mesa is 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 of electronics, pharmaceuticals and plastics. A general law city, Costa Mesa has a council-manager form of government and staff of approximately 600 full-time employees.

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 Fairgrounds, 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.

The 9.5 acre Costa Mesa Civic Center is located at 77 Fair Drive. City Hall is a five-story building where the primary administrative functions of the City are conducted. Also contained in the Civic Center complex are Council Chambers, the Police facility, Communications building and Fire Station No. 5. State Highways 55, 73 and Interstate 405 all run through Costa Mesa.

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, Fountain Valley, and South Coast Metro.

Costa Mesa is a wonderful place to live and work!