Costa Mesa is located approximately midway between the cities of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. This prime location offers residents the advantages of living close to the Pacific Ocean at prices far below those found in the vast majority of Orange County beach communities. Offering a wide variety of housing options for sale, Costa Mesa has great appeal to prospective buyers of moderate single family homes, condominiums, townhouses, and income properties.
The majority of the real estate available in Costa Mesa was built prior to 1995, due in large part to the lack of new land parcels that can be sold for construction projects. With established, beautiful neighborhoods, residents of the area have many places of interest to visit, both in and around the city of Costa Mesa. Of course, the close proximity to the ocean beaches is a plus which cannot be over-emphasized.
A wide variety of community events are found throughout Costa Mesa. For example, the city is the site of the Orange County Fairgrounds. In addition to the other events held there, the fairgrounds are also home to one of the largest swap meets in the country each and every weekend. This is the place where one can find almost anything for sale, ranging from small trinkets all the way up to new and used automobiles! Naturally, the fairgrounds are also used for hosting the enormous Orange County Fair each summer.
Costa Mesa residents are also very fortunate to have other exciting points of interest nearby, including Disneyland (located in Anaheim) and Knotts Berry Farm (found in Buena Park). Also worth a visit are the famous Orange County beaches of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, not to mention the quaint beach towns of Laguna Beach and San Clemente. The weather in Costa Mesa is truly idyllic, thanks to the Mediterranean climate which guarantees summers that range from warm to hot, and winters that simply do not fall below the "cool" category!
With the excellent weather, it makes sense that beautiful, exclusive golf and country clubs are to be found and enjoyed in the Costa Mesa area. Residents will be pleased with the excellent courses and amenities located at the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club and the nearby Santa Ana Country Club. Costa Mesa also supports a lovely municipal golf course for public use.
The arts play a huge role in the Costa Mesa area, and the section of town known as South Coast Metro features both the Orange County Performing Arts Center--with an amazing 3000-seat auditorium and an intimate 250-seat concert hall--and South Coast Repertory Theater. These first-rate halls present year-round events, including Broadway touring productions, dance, jazz, classical music, cabarets, rock concerts, and all manner of great entertainment! Opera lovers will be delighted with the offering of well-established Pacific Opera company, offering nationally renowned productions throughout the season. In addition to the Costa Mesa Historical Society Museum for history buffs, the city is the site of the Orange County Museum of Art. This large museum, which was formed through the merger of the Laguna and Newport Harbor Museums in the mid-1990's, is located in Costa Mesa at the South Coast Plaza. Costa Mesa also offers truly world-class shopping at this mega mall! The popular South Coast Plaza is the third largest luxury shopping mall in the United States. With restaurants, shopping, museums, movies, and other activities available, there is truly something for everyone to be found at South Coast Plaza, which bills itself as "The Ultimate Shopping Resort."
The City of Costa Mesa is served by the Newport Mesa Unified School District (or NMUSD), which provides the administration for some of the finest schools in Southern California. High school students in Costa Mesa will usually attend one of the two public institutions, either Costa Mesa High School or Estancia High School. However, private and alternative high school options exist, as well, including two alternative institutions which are based out of the same building: Back Bay High School and Monte Vista High School. The private Waldorf School of Orange County, also located in Costa Mesa, offers a non-denominational independent school system being used at respected Waldorf campuses throughout the world. The Waldorf School serves children from kindergarten through high school. In addition, the Newport Mesa Campus of the Page Private School, founded in 1908, provides private instruction for students from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
Middle school and elementary school students also have numerous public and private options for their educational needs, with two middle schools--Tewinkle Middle School and Ensign Middle School. There are also numerous public elementary schools offered throughout the city. Private schools for younger children in Costa Mesa will include Montessori and a wide variety of denominational private schools, in addition to the numerous elementary public school offerings. There are two public libraries in the city to serve the needs of residents of Costa Mesa, as well.
Adult learning is also well supported in the Costa Mesa community, with a number of institutions of higher learning located in the area. These include Orange Coast College, Vanguard University (a private university affiliated with the Assemblies of God) and National University (a private university based in nearby La Jolla, California). Costa Mesa is also the site of Whittier Law School, which is the satellite legal education campus of Whittier College. There is also an active Adult Education Center for residents of Costa Mesa, with interesting classes ranging from hobbies to physical activities.
Residents who are dog owners will be thrilled with the Costa Mesa Bark Park, which is designed specifically for canines and their owners to enjoy. There is even a section of the park designated specifically for small, elderly, or disabled pets, making it the ultimate in a pet-friendly environment. The Bark Park is open every Wednesday through Monday from dawn to dusk, and closed on Tuesdays for maintenance.
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