Costa Mesa,California
Why People Love Costa Mesa, CA
Parks & Recreation
Fairview Park and Talbert Regional Park give Costa Mesa substantial open space, trails and habitat within a dense part of central Orange County. City parks and sports facilities add fields, playgrounds and organized recreation closer to neighborhoods. The combination is especially useful in a built-out community, providing both preserved natural areas and conventional municipal recreation without requiring a trip outside the city.
Shopping & Dining
Costa Mesa has one of Orange County’s most distinctive shopping-and-dining mixes. South Coast Plaza anchors major retail, while The LAB Anti-Mall and The CAMP emphasize independent restaurants and creative businesses. Seventeenth Street adds another strong local dining and service corridor. Residents can move between luxury shopping, casual neighborhood favorites and design-focused commercial districts all within the same city.
Employment & Economy
Retail, hospitality, professional services and arts organizations all contribute to Costa Mesa’s employment base, while South Coast Metro adds a significant concentration of offices near I-405 and SR-55. South Coast Plaza and nearby cultural institutions create large service and visitor-oriented employment clusters. The freeway location also connects residents with major job centers throughout central Orange County.
Education & Schools
Newport-Mesa Unified School District serves Costa Mesa’s public K–12 students. Orange Coast College is a major higher-education presence within the city, providing transfer, technical and workforce programs. That combination gives families a clear local school district plus a substantial community-college option close to home, with additional universities elsewhere in Orange County accessible by regional roads.
Culture & Entertainment
Costa Mesa sits beside one of Orange County’s premier arts districts. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Museum of Art bring theater, music, exhibitions and major cultural programming to the city’s eastern edge. Local theaters and community events add smaller-scale options, giving residents a cultural calendar that is unusually strong for a suburban Orange County community.
Search Homes in Costa Mesa, CA
SEARCH COSTA MESA, CA HOMES FOR SALECosta Mesa, CA at a Glance
- Population111,918 (2020 Census)
- County / CountiesOrange County
- County Seat(s)Santa Ana
- Area Codes951 / 909 / 840 or 657 / 714 / 949 by local area
- Major HighwaysI-5; I-405; SR 55; SR 73; SR 133; SR 261 depending on location