Mile Square Regional Park

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Mile Square Regional Park is a park located in Fountain Valley, California. It stretches over 640 acres of land. It contains many things including two lakes, three 18-hole golf courses, baseball and softball fields, picnic shelters, and a twenty acre urban nature area planted with California native plants, a 55 acre (223,000 m²) recreation center with tennis courts, basketball courts, racquetball courts, a gymnasium, and the Kingston Boys & Girls Club and also a community center.

[edit] Background

In 1942, the Navy purchased 640 acres of agricultural land for Mile Square Naval Outer Landing Field, which used as an auxiliary for Naval Air Station, Los Alamitos. Three landing fields were constructed in a triangular shape in the center of this area, with each field being approximately 2,200 feet in length. It was used for carrier deck qualification practice by Navy aircraft. In March of 1967, Orange County entered into a long term lease with the Navy Department for the perimeter acreage of the site which allowed the county to develop this acreage for regional park purposes. Military operations in the center airfield ceased in 1974.^[1]

The park has been built in several phases:

Phase I was opened 85 acre in 1970
Phase II added ball diamond and a children's play area in 1973
Phase III extending the park northward to Edinger Avenue in 1976
Phase IV development commenced in the spring of 1987 including an executive golf course.