Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa 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 a primarily suburban edge city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. Today, Costa Mesa is a major commercial and industrial center of Orange County. The 2005 Census noted population at 113,143. The city, which formally adopted the slogan "The City of the Arts” in 1999, is home to Pacific Symphony and the South Coast Repertory Theater.

The 3,000-seat Segerstrom Center for the Arts (previously known as Orange County Performing Arts Center) was completed in 1985. In 2006, both the 2,000-seat Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and the 500-seat Samueli Theater held their grand openings. World War II brought many thousands of people to the area for training at the Santa Ana Army Air Base, located on what is now the Orange County Fairgrounds; Orange Coast College; and the present site of the Civic Center.

When the war ended, many of these men and women returned with their families to begin the population boom which continues today. On June 29, 1953, the city was incorporated and the City Council-Manager form of government was chosen. The new city had an area of 3.5 square miles and a population of 16,840. Within 35 years, by 1988, the population had risen to 90,000 and the area to 17 square miles.