History - Costa Mesa was incorporated in 1953, beginning as a semi-rural farming community and turning into a suburban area with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. Members of the Gabrieleño/Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño nations long inhabited the area, followed by Spanish and then Mexican settlers, until the end of the Mexican-American war brought American settlers to the area. The population surged during WWII as many thousands trained at Santa Ana Army Air Base and then returned after the war with their families. The population of Costa Mesa today is 115,081.

Major employers - El Pollo Loco, Experian, Coast Community College District Foundation.

Parks - Tewinkle Park, Fairview Park, Canyon Park, Marina Park.

Shopping - The LAB Anti-Mall, South Coast Plaza, The Camp, The Triangle.

Attractions - Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Annual Orange County Fair, one mile from the Pacific Ocean.

Schools - Newport Mesa Unified School District; colleges: Orange Coast College, nearby University of California, Irvine.