Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast PlazaJohn Wayne Airport edge city. The city is one of the region's largest commercial clusters, with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. 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. It is located 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Los Angeles, 87 miles (140 km) northwest of San Diego and 425 miles (684 km)outheast of San Francisco. The population was 111,918 at the 2020 census, and is expected to rise to 110,000 by the end of the decade. It has a mild climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with mild temperatures year round and is close to nonexistent during the summer. Morning low clouds and fog are common due to its coastal location, and the city is located on the Santa Ana River, which is a tributary of the San Diego River. The town of Fairview formed in the 1880s near the modern intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Adams Avenue. In 1920, Harper changed its name to Costa Mesa, which means "table coast" or "coast mesa" in Spanish. This is a reference to the city's geography as being a plateau by the coast.

History

Members of the Tongva and Acjachemen nations long inhabited the area. 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. After the Mexican-American war, California became part of the United States. 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. On May 11, 1920, Harper changed its name to Costa Mesa, which means "table coast" or "coast mesa" 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. The city's population had nearly quintupled within three decades of incorporation, and it is now one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., with a population of more than 1.5 million. It is located on the Santa Ana River, which runs through the center of the city. The town of Newport Beach, California, is just to the south of Costa Mesa and is home to the Newport Beach Boardwalk and the California State University, Long Beach. The community of Olive, Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, and Costa Mesa stand today.

Geography

Costa Mesa has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) 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. Costa Mesa is located 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Los Angeles, 87 miles (140 km) northwest of San Diego and 425 miles (684 km)outheast of San Francisco. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.7 square miles (41 km²) of it is land and 0.05square miles (0.13km²) is water. The city's southernmost border is only 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It is located in the San Diego-San Francisco Bay Area and is located on the San Francisco Bay shoreline. It has a population of 2,788. It was founded in the early 1900s and is one of the first U.S. cities in the Central Coast region to develop in the mid-20th century. The town was named after an early settler, who is believed to be the first person to arrive in the area in the late 1800s. The current mayor of Costa Mesa has served in the U.N. Security Council since the 1950s. He was elected to a second term in 2008. He has served as mayor of the city since 2010. He is a member of the California State Assembly.

Demographics

At the 2010 census Costa Mesa had a population of 109,960. The racial makeup of the city was 69.48% White, 1.40% Black or African American, 6.90% Asian, 0.60% Pacific Islander, 16.57% from other races, and 4.27% 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 42,120 housing units at an average density of 2,682.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 15,799 (39.6%) were owner-occupied and 24,147 (60.4%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate is 5.9%. The median household income was $50,732 and the median family income is $55,456. Costa Mesa is located in the Central Coast region of Los Angeles County. The city is located on the Southern California coast. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, with a population growth rate of 7.7% in the past decade. The population has grown to more than 100,000 people per year, up from just over 80,000 at the start of the century.

Economy

Costa Mesa's economy relies heavily on retail and services. The largest center of commercial activity is South Coast Plaza, a shopping center noted for its architecture and size. Business services company Experian is the largest employer in the city. Wahoo's Fish Taco was founded in Costa Mesa in 1988 by Chinese-Brazilian brothers Eduardo "Ed" Lee, Renato "Mingo" Lee and Wing Lam. Costa Mesa offers 26 parks, a municipal golf course, 26 public schools and two libraries. The city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report lists the top employers as Experian, Ceradyne, El Pollo Loco, Emulex, Hurley, RVCA, Toyota Racing Development, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, Vans, and Volcom. A local newspaper, the Daily Pilot, is published by the Los Angeles Times. It is the second largest newspaper in Los Angeles County, after the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the third largest in Orange County, behind the San Francisco Chronicle. It has a circulation of more than 1,000,000 copies per week, making it one of the fastest-growing newspapers in the state. It was founded by three brothers in 1988, and has been around since the early 1990s. The Daily Pilot is published in English, Spanish, and Spanish. It also has a Spanish-language edition, published in Spanish and English, and in English in Spanish, with an English-language version of the English-Spanish edition in Spanish.

Arts and culture

Costa Mesa has been home to the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers training center, training camp and cooperate headquarters since 2017. The team has a 10-year lease on the building and plans to stay there until 2024 when it will depart it for a purpose built practice facility in El Segundo. The Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Repertory Theater are based in the city. The Pacific Amphitheatre has hosted acts such as Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Steppenwolf, and Kelly Clarkson. 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. The city is home to a number of cultural events, such as the Orange County Summer Festival, which is held every year in the summer. It is also the site of the annual Orange County State Fair, which takes place in September and is one of the largest state fairs in the United States, drawing more than 1 million visitors. The fair is held at the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds and runs through the end of the month on July 31. It was founded in 1938 and is the largest fair in Orange County, with more than 100,000 people attending each year, according to the Fair's website. It has been the home of the California State Fair since it began in 1961. It also hosts the annual Scarecrow and Pumpkin Festival in October.

Government

Costa Mesa has a council-manager form of government. In November 2016, voters approved changing the City Council seats from at-large to six voting districts and a directly elected mayor. The city is run by a professional city manager and staff of approximately 460 full-time employees. In 2008, Costa Mesa was one of four cities in Orange County to vote against Proposition 8 (along with Aliso Viejo, Irvine, and Laguna Beach), a statewide ballot measure that banned same-sex marriages.Needle exchange programs are prohibited in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa has 55,849 registered voters. Of those, 32.1% are registered Democrats, 17,900 (32.1%) are registered Republicans, and 17,019 (30.5%) have declined to state a political party/are independents. In the California State Legislature, the city is in the 37th Senate District, represented by Democrat Dave Min, and in the 74th Assembly District,represented by Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris. The U.S. House of Representatives is represented by Republican Michelle Steel in the 48th congressional district. Until 2008, the town was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Since 2008, it has mostly voted Democratic in presidential election. In 2016, it flipped back to Democratic, voting for Hillary Clinton by a 10.2% margin, and for Joe Biden by a 14.6% margin in 2020. In 2012, it voted for Barack Obama, the first Democrat to carry Costa Mesa in decades.

Education

Costa Mesa has two public high schools, Costa Mesa High School and Estancia High School. There are also two public middle schools; Tewinkle Middle School, which was named after Costa Mesa's first mayor, and Costa Mesa Middle School. Costa Mesa also has two alternative high schools that share the same campus. These are located in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Orange Coast College, Vanguard University (affiliated with the Assemblies of God) and National University (a private university based in La Jolla, California) are all located in Costa Mesa. Whittier Law School (a satellite of Whittiers College) is also located there. The city is home to the National University of Costa Mesa, which is a private university. The town is also home to a number of other colleges and universities, including the University of California, San Diego and California State University, Los Angeles. It is also the home of the California Institute of the Arts, which has a campus in San Diego. It was founded in 1883. The community is also known as the birthplace of the baseball team, the Los Angeles Raiders, and the California Golden Bears. It has been home to several professional sports teams, including Cal State Los Angeles, the California Angels and the San Francisco 49ers. It also hosted the California World Series in the 1980s and 1990s, and has hosted the World Series of Baseball in the 1990s and the 2002 Winter Olympics. The current mayor of the city is John Anderson, who was elected in 1998.

Infrastructure

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. The 9.5 acre (38,000 m2) Costa Mesa Civic Center is located at 77 Fair Drive. Law enforcement is the responsibility of Costa Mesa Police Department. Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Costa Costa Fire Department and Care Ambulance Service. The city is located in Orange County, California and is part of the Southern California region of the U.S. state of California. The Orange County Sheriff's Department is based in Costa Mesa. The Costa Mesa Fire Department is headquartered in the city's Civic Center complex. It provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city and its surrounding area. It is also the location of the City Hall, which is a five-story building with Council Chambers, the Police facility, Communications building and Fire Station No. 5. The town is located on the eastern edge of Orange County and is located near the San Diego County border. It has a population of 2,000,000 (2,100,000 people) and is home to the Santa Ana Airport, which has one of the largest airports in the United States. It also has a large airport hub, the San Francisco International Airport, that is located just south of the town.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California = 4.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 65. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Costa Mesa = 5.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 111,918 individuals with a median age of 35.5 age the population grows by 0.94% in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 7,080.73 residents per square mile of area (2,733.85/km²). There are average 2.76 people per household in the 38,554 households with an average household income of $63,665 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.60% of the available work force and has dropped -5.07% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.26%. The number of physicians in Costa Mesa per 100,000 population = 253.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Costa Mesa = 11.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 35. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 274. 72 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 46.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 54, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California which are owned by the occupant = 38.39%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 38 years with median home cost = $470,050 and home appreciation of -0.60%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.36 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,295 per student. There are 22.4 students for each teacher in the school, 5950 students for each Librarian and 956 students for each Counselor. 8.64% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 20.43% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.18% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).