Costa Mesa is a city located in Orange County in the state of California. During the 2010 census, the population of the city was 109,960 residents. After it was incorporated in the year 1953, the city was primarily a semi-rural farming location of about 16,840 residents. Today, it is an edge and suburban city whose economy is based on light manufacturing, commerce and retail.
Geography And Climate
The city ‘s location is as follows:
• 37 miles to the southeast of Los Angeles
• 88 miles to the north of San Diego
• 425 miles to the south of San Francisco
The city occupies a total of 16 square miles. The southernmost border of Costa Mesa is only a mile away from the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the city is 15.7 square miles of land while 0.05 square miles are water.
The city experiences mild temperatures throughout the year. Residents experience rainfall during the winter months which stops during the summer. Due to its coastal location, the city often experiences low clouds in the morning and fog.
History Of Costa Mesa
• First inhabitants
were the Juaneno/Luiseno and Gabrieleno/Tongva nation.
• The city was previously named the Valley of Saint Anne after the Gaspar de Portoia expedition of 1769 led by Junipero Serra.
• The first and permanent European settlement in the city was Mission San Juan Capistrano, in 1776.
• In the year 1801, 62500 acres were granted to Jose Antonio Yorba by the Spanish Empire and named Rancho San Antonio. These acres include areas such as Orange Villa Park, Santa Ana, Olive, Tustin and Newport Beach.
• After the conclusion of the Mexican-American war, the state of California became part of the US. American settlers arrived in the area and formed the Fairview town during the 1880s.
• There was a flood in 1889 that did some serious damage to the railroad serving community, causing it to shrivel.
• Named after a local rancher, a new community, Harper, rose on a siding of the Newport and Santa Ana rail road to the south. It became renowned for the agricultural goods. In 1920, the new community’s name was changed to Costa Mesa (meaning coast table) in Spanish. It was a reference of the city being located as a plateau in the coast region.
• During the Second World War, the city’s population surged since many soldiers were trained at the Santa Ana Army Air Base. After 3 decades, the city’s population quintupled and continues to do so today.
The Economy
The economy of Costa Mesa is heavily reliant on retail businesses and services. The largest center of commercial activity is the South Coast Plaza. It is a shopping center renowned for the size and amazing architecture. The center generates more than a billion dollars in revenue every year.
There is also some light manufacturing, especially in the industrial and southwestern quarter. Here, you will find a lot of pharmaceuticals, plastics and electronics firms. The largest employer in the city is Experian, a business services firm with the North American headquarters located in the city.