Costa Mesa, California

Costa Mesa, California
City
City of Costa Mesa

An aerial view of Costa Mesa in March 2011.

Flag
Seal
Motto: "City of the Arts!"

Location of Costa Mesa within Orange County, California
Costa Mesa, California

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 33°39′54″N 117°54′44″W / 33.66500°N 117.91222°W / 33.66500; -117.91222Coordinates: 33°39′54″N 117°54′44″W / 33.66500°N 117.91222°W / 33.66500; -117.91222
Country  United States of America
State  California
County Orange
Incorporated June 29, 1953[1]
Government
 • Type Council-CEO
 • City Council[2] Mayor Stephen Mensinger
Sandra Genis
Gary Monahan
Katrina Foley
Jim Righeimer
 • Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch[3]
Area[4]
 • Total 15.700 sq mi (40.662 km2)
 • Land 15.654 sq mi (40.543 km2)
 • Water 0.046 sq mi (0.119 km2)  0.29%
Elevation[5] 98 ft (30 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 109,960
 • Rank 8th in Orange County
54th in California
 • Density 7,000/sq mi (2,700/km2)
Demonym(s) Costa Mesan
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 92626–92628
Area code(s) 714/657/949
FIPS code 06-16532
GNIS feature IDs 1652692, 2410239
Website www.costamesaca.gov

Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 United States Census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and edge city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing.

History

Members of the Gabrieleño/Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño nations long inhabited the area. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà, a Spanish expedition led by Junípero Serra named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the area's first permanent European settlement in Alta California, New Spain.

In 1801, the Spanish Empire granted 62,500 acres (253 km2) to Jose Antonio Yorba, which he named Rancho San Antonio. Yorba's great rancho included the lands where the communities of Olive, Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach stand today.

After the Mexican-American war, California became part of the United States and American settlers arrived in this area and formed the town of Fairview in the 1880s near the modern intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Adams Avenue. An 1889 flood wiped out the railroad serving the community, however, and it shriveled.

To the south, meanwhile, the community of Harper had arisen on a siding of the Santa Ana and Newport Railroad, named after a local rancher. This town prospered on its agricultural goods. On May 11, 1920, Harper changed its name to Costa Mesa, which literally means "coast table(land)" in Spanish. This is a reference to the city's geography as being a plateau by the coast.

Costa Mesa surged in population during and after World War II, as many thousands trained at Santa Ana Army Air Base and returned after the war with their families. Within three decades of incorporation, the city's population had nearly quintupled.

Economy

Costa Mesa's local economy relies heavily on retail and services. The single largest center of commercial activity is South Coast Plaza, a shopping center noted for its architecture and size. 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. It generates more than one billion dollars per year. Some manufacturing activity also takes place in the city, mostly in the industrial, southwestern quarter, which is home to a number of electronics, pharmaceuticals and plastics firms. Business services company Experian is the largest employer in the city and has their North American Headquarters in Costa Mesa.

The commercial district surrounding South Coast Plaza, which contains parts of northern Costa Mesa and southern Santa Ana, is sometimes called South Coast Metro.

A local newspaper, the Daily Pilot, is owned, operated, and printed by the Los Angeles Times. Ceradyne, El Pollo Loco, Emulex, Hurley, RVCA, Toyota Racing Development, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and Volcom are among the businesses headquartered in Costa Mesa.

Newport Boulevard, 1950s

Costa Mesa offers 26 parks, a municipal golf course, 26 public schools and 2 libraries.

Top employers

According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[6] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of employees
1 Experian 3,700
2 Coast Community College District Foundation 2,900
3 Orange Coast College 2,500
4 Coast Community College District 2,500
5 Fairview Developmental Center 1,500
6 Automobile Club of Southern California 1,200
7 First Team Real Estate 1,025
8 Pacific Building Care 850
9 IBM 750
10 FileNet 600
11 Hyundai Motor America 20,000

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

The Orange County Fair takes place at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa each July. The Fair receives more than one million visitors each year.

The Annual Scarecrow & Pumpkin Festival was first held in 1938, went on hiatus for seven decades, and then was restarted in 2013.[7]

Tourism

Adjacent to the Fairgrounds is the Pacific Amphitheatre, which has hosted acts such as Madonna, Bill Cosby, Jessica Simpson, Steppenwolf, Kelly Clarkson and many more.

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Repertory Theater are based in the city.

Government

Local

A general law city, Costa Mesa has a council-manager form of government. Voters elect a five-member City Council, all at-large seats, who in turn select a mayor who acts as its chairperson and head of the government. Day to day, the city is run by a professional city manager and staff of approximately 600 full-time employees.

Management of the city and coordination of city services are provided by:[8]

Office Officeholder
City CEO Thomas R. Hatch
City Assistant CEO Richard Francis
City Attorney Thomas Duarte
Director of Administrative Services
Director of Development Services Gary Armstrong
Director of Finance Vacant
Director of Public Works Ernesto Munoz
Fire Chief Dan Stefano
Police Chief Rob Sharpnack[9]

Civic Center

The 9.5 acre (38,000 m²) 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.

Emergency services

Fire protection is provided by the Costa Mesa Fire Department. Law enforcement is the responsibility of the Costa Mesa Police Department. Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Costa Mesa Fire Department and Care Ambulance Service.

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Costa Mesa is in the 37th Senate District, represented by Republican John Moorlach, and in the 74th Assembly District, represented by Republican Matthew Harper.[10]

In the United States House of Representatives, Costa Mesa is in California's 48th congressional district, represented by Republican Dana Rohrabacher.[11]

Transportation

Costa Mesa is served by several bus lines of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), but most transportation is by automobile. Two freeways terminate here, State Route 73 and State Route 55 (also known as the Costa Mesa Freeway). The San Diego Freeway, Interstate 405, also runs through the city.

Geography

Costa Mesa is located 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Los Angeles, 88 miles (142 km) north of San Diego and 425 miles (684 km) south of San Francisco, Costa Mesa encompasses a total of 16 square miles (41 km2) with its southernmost border only 1-mile (1.6 km) from the Pacific Ocean. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.7 square miles (41 km2). 15.7 square miles (41 km2) of it is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) of it (0.29%) is water.

Climate

Costa Mesa has a Mediterranean climate with mild temperatures year round. Rain falls primarily in the winter months, and is close to nonexistent during the summer. Morning low clouds and fog are common due to its coastal location. (Köppen climate classification Csa).

Climate data for Costa Mesa, California
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 70
(21)		 70
(21)		 72
(22)		 74
(23)		 76
(24)		 78
(26)		 83
(28)		 85
(29)		 84
(29)		 80
(27)		 74
(23)		 69
(21)		 76.3
(24.5)
Average low °F (°C) 47
(8)		 48
(9)		 50
(10)		 53
(12)		 57
(14)		 60
(16)		 63
(17)		 64
(18)		 62
(17)		 58
(14)		 51
(11)		 47
(8)		 55
(12.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.07
(52.6)		 2.68
(68.1)		 1.67
(42.4)		 .72
(18.3)		 .13
(3.3)		 .07
(1.8)		 .02
(0.5)		 .02
(0.5)		 .17
(4.3)		 .38
(9.7)		 .96
(24.4)		 1.82
(46.2)		 10.71
(272)
Source: Weather Channel [12]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
196037,550—
197072,66093.5%
198082,56213.6%
199096,35716.7%
2000108,72412.8%
2010109,9601.1%
Est. 2014112,784[13]2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

2010

The 2010 United States Census[15] reported that Costa Mesa had a population of 109,960. The population density was 7,004.0 people per square mile (2,704.3/km²). The racial makeup of Costa Mesa was 75,335 (68.5%) White (51.8% Non-Hispanic White),[16] 1,640 (1.5%) African American, 686 (0.6%) Native American, 8,654 (7.9%) Asian, 527 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 17,992 (16.4%) from other races, and 5,126 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39,403 persons (35.8%).

The Census reported that 106,990 people (97.3% of the population) lived in households, 2,232 (2.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 738 (0.7%) were institutionalized.

There were 39,946 households, out of which 12,298 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 16,478 (41.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4,369 (10.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,392 (6.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,013 (7.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 281 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,963 households (27.4%) were made up of individuals and 2,775 (6.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68. There were 23,239 families (58.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.30.

The population was spread out with 23,682 people (21.5%) under the age of 18, 12,847 people (11.7%) aged 18 to 24, 38,211 people (34.7%) aged 25 to 44, 25,106 people (22.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,114 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.6 years. For every 100 females there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.

There were 42,120 housing units at an average density of 2,682.9 per square mile (1,035.9/km²), of which 15,799 (39.6%) were owner-occupied, and 24,147 (60.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 42,517 people (38.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 64,473 people (58.6%) lived in rental housing units.

During 2009–2013, Costa Mesa had a median household income of $65,830, with 15.1% of the population living below the poverty line.[16]

2000

As of the census[17] of 2000, there were 108,724 people, 39,206 households, and 22,778 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,956.3 inhabitants per square mile (2,685.8/km²). There were 40,406 housing units at an average density of 2,585.2 per square mile (998.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.48% White, 1.40% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 6.90% Asian, 0.60% Pacific Islander, 16.57% from other races, and 4.27% from two or more races. 31.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 39,206 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,732, and the median income for a family was $55,456. Males had a median income of $38,670 versus $32,365 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,342. About 8.2% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Institutions of higher learning located in Costa Mesa include Orange Coast College, Vanguard University (affiliated with the Assemblies of God), Whittier Law School (a satellite of Whittier College) and National University (a private university based in La Jolla, California).

Costa Mesa has two high schools, Costa Mesa High School and Estancia High School. Costa Mesa has two public middle schools; Tewinkle Middle School, which was named after Costa Mesa's first mayor, and Costa Mesa Middle School which shares the same campus as Costa Mesa High School. Costa Mesa also has two alternative high schools that share the same campus, Back Bay High School and Monte Vista High School and another, Coastline Early College High School which is on its own facility. Olympic high jumper, Sharon Day, graduated from Costa Mesa High School in 2003.[18]

Sister city

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "California Cities by Incorporation Date" (Word). California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Costa Mesa City Council". City of Costa Mesa. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  3. ↑ "CEO's Office". City of Costa Mesa. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
  5. ↑ "Costa Mesa". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ City of Costa Mesa CAFR
  7. ↑ Graham, Jordan (October 18, 2015). "Scarecrows face off in Costa Mesa competition". The Orange County Register.
  8. ↑ City of Costa Mesa Website retrieved 2009-06-04
  9. ↑ "Chief Rob Sharpnack". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  11. ↑ "California's 48th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC.
  12. ↑ Weather Channel Retrieved 2013-10-21
  13. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. ↑ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Costa Mesa city". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  16. 1 2 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0616532.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  18. ↑ "USA Track & Field - Sharon Day". Usatf.org. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  19. ↑ "Sister City Program". City of Costa Mesa. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  20. ↑ Fadroski, Kelli Skye (July 19, 2014). "Bad Religion has good fun in Costa Mesa". The Orange County Register. p. Life 2.
  21. ↑ Kwiatkowski, Elizabeth (August 19, 2013). "'Whodunnit?' Crowns Kam Perez Winner and Unveils Cris Crotz as Killer". Reality TV World.
  22. ↑ Aimee Berg (2008-07-24). "The Perfect Mismatch". U.S. Olympic Committee web site. Retrieved 2008-07-24.

External links

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