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Costa Mesa offers 26 parks, a municipal golf course, 26
public schools and 2 libraries. It is also home to the Orange County
Fairgrounds, which hosts one of the largest fairs in California, the Orange
County Fair, each July. The Fair receives more than one million visitors each
year. The Fair also has the Pacific Amphitheater adjacent to it. The
Ampitheater has hosted acts such as Bill Cosby, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff,
the All-American Rejects and many more. Costa Mesa's local economy relies
heavily on retail and services. The single largest center of commercial
activity is South Coast Plaza, a shopping center noted for its architecture and
size a great amenity for appraisals. The volume of sales generated by South
Coast Plaza, on the strength of 322 stores, places it among the highest volume
regional shopping centers in the nation. It generates more than one billion
dollars per year. Some manufacturing activity also takes place in the city,
mostly in the industrial, southwestern quarter, which is home to a number of
electronics, pharmaceuticals and plastics firms. The Orange County Performing
Arts Center and South Coast Repertory Theater are based in the city. A local
newspaper, the Daily Pilot, is owned, operated, and printed by the Los Angeles
Times. Institutions of higher learning located in Costa Mesa include Orange
Coast College, a pioneer in the community college concept, a private
institution Vanguard University, affiliated with the Assemblies of God, and
Whittier Law School, a satellite of Whittier College. |
