Orange County residents enjoy an ideally mild Southern California climate. Its location provides easy access to many of Southern California’s major attractions such as beaches, mountain areas, high and low deserts, Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Palm Springs and Los Angeles with its sports arenas and major league teams. Highlighted by the cities of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine, Huntington Beach, and Santa Ana, it's in an area where it is wonderful to live and work.
The City of Costa Mesa boasts of being one of Orange County's leading cultural and business centers. Located 37 miles southeast of Los Angeles, 88 miles north of San Diego and 475 miles south of San Francisco, Costa Mesa encompasses a total of 16 square miles with its southernmost border only 1 mile from the Pacific Ocean. The current population of approximately 103,823 has grown from 16,840 at the time of incorporation in 1953. Since that time, it has evolved from a semi-rural farming community to a city with its local economy primarily based upon retail commercial business and light manufacturing of electronics, pharmaceuticals and plastics. A general law city, Costa Mesa has a council-manager form of government and staff of approximately 600 full-time employees.
