a history of costa mesa
During the California land boom of the late 1800s, settlers landed into the area that is now Costa Mesa.
By 1888, the small town of Fairview sprung up at the end of a rail line from Santa Ana. The Fairview Hotel, replete with mineral springs and mud baths, was once a popular site for vacationers, but became nearly a ghost town when the land boom swiftly ended.
Fairview and the farming towns of Paularino and Harper marked the future site of Costa Mesa. Harper, in southern Costa Mesa, was the heart of the expansion.
Harper was the home of acres of apples, which helped bolster the local economy. A railroad into the city brought land speculators in 1890, and the temptation of oil summoned many more.
The name Costa Mesa surfaced in 1920, after nearby Harperville received shipments intended for Harper. Businessman W. C. Spencer proposed a contest to replace the name, and an entry from former schoolteacher Alice Plumer swept first place. Costa Mesa is Spanish for "coast table land."
A Spanish presence has always been strong in Costa Mesa. Three adobes lined the bluffs overlooking the Santa Ana River, on land issued to Jose Antonio Yorba by the Spanish Crown. One, the Estancia Adobe, still stands.
The population of Costa Mesa in 1920 was about 200. By 1940, this figure grew to almost 5,000.
In 1930, rivalry between Costa Mesa and Newport Beach sprung up with the opening of Newport Harbor High School, which served both communities. Students from Newport Beach branded Costa Mesa with the nickname "Goat Hill." Costa Mesa residents retaliated by calling Newport Beach "Mackerel Flats."
Years later, Costa Mesa Mayor Arlene Schafer and Newport Beach Mayor Jackie Heather buried a hatchet to symbolically end decades of rivalry.
When the Great Depression hit Costa Mesa, unemployment soared and banks closed. The earthquake of 1933, which damaged nearly every store in downtown Costa Mesa, only made things worse. The Santa Ana River flooded and washed away homes in 1938.
Costa Mesa drew attention in the late '30s for its annual Scarecrow Carnival. One year, the event drew a crowd of 20,000 and reached the pages of Look magazine. The celebration ended after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941.
World War II brought the Santa Ana Army Air Base to Costa Mesa in 1941. The air base, 1,300 acres between Santa Ana and Costa Mesa, was a certification site for aviation cadets, one of the nation's largest. More than 220,000 men passed through the base during war time, some rubbing shoulders with Gene Autry, Joe DiMaggio and Tennessee Williams.
Today, many of the air base buildings have been destroyed or replaced. What was once a bustling military base is now Orange Coast College, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa High School, City Hall and Vanguard University of Southern California.
The year 1946 marked the city's first annual Fish Fry and Carnival. The Lions Club hosted the event to raise money for community improvement, and the tradition continued through 2000. It was called off for 2001 because of a legal dispute, but organizers immediately began planning for its return which it did in 2003.
Costa Mesa incorporated in 1953. Charles TeWinkle, Bertren Smith, Bruce Martin, Walter Miller and Claire Nelson were members of the original City Council. Within months, the five set about drumming up business in Costa Mesa.
Until the consolidation of the water district in 1960, restaurants on the east side of town served water in amber colored glasses to disguise its weak tea color, but no amount of tinkering could eliminate its sulfurous smell. This year the water district is expected to open a treatment plant to again tap the since unused water source, only this time eliminating the color and odor.
The Segerstrom family were poor immigrants who became the largest independent lima bean growers in the world by the 1950s. But they saw growth coming, and saw their land could not stay in agriculture forever.
In 1966, the Segerstroms plowed under acres of their lima bean fields to make way for South Coast Plaza. The mall, which became the nation's highest-grossing shopping center, also became the centerpiece for South Coast Metro, a booming downtown that includes the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel
By 1888, the small town of Fairview sprung up at the end of a rail line from Santa Ana. The Fairview Hotel, replete with mineral springs and mud baths, was once a popular site for vacationers, but became nearly a ghost town when the land boom swiftly ended.
Fairview and the farming towns of Paularino and Harper marked the future site of Costa Mesa. Harper, in southern Costa Mesa, was the heart of the expansion.
Harper was the home of acres of apples, which helped bolster the local economy. A railroad into the city brought land speculators in 1890, and the temptation of oil summoned many more.
The name Costa Mesa surfaced in 1920, after nearby Harperville received shipments intended for Harper. Businessman W. C. Spencer proposed a contest to replace the name, and an entry from former schoolteacher Alice Plumer swept first place. Costa Mesa is Spanish for "coast table land."
A Spanish presence has always been strong in Costa Mesa. Three adobes lined the bluffs overlooking the Santa Ana River, on land issued to Jose Antonio Yorba by the Spanish Crown. One, the Estancia Adobe, still stands.
The population of Costa Mesa in 1920 was about 200. By 1940, this figure grew to almost 5,000.
In 1930, rivalry between Costa Mesa and Newport Beach sprung up with the opening of Newport Harbor High School, which served both communities. Students from Newport Beach branded Costa Mesa with the nickname "Goat Hill." Costa Mesa residents retaliated by calling Newport Beach "Mackerel Flats."
Years later, Costa Mesa Mayor Arlene Schafer and Newport Beach Mayor Jackie Heather buried a hatchet to symbolically end decades of rivalry.
When the Great Depression hit Costa Mesa, unemployment soared and banks closed. The earthquake of 1933, which damaged nearly every store in downtown Costa Mesa, only made things worse. The Santa Ana River flooded and washed away homes in 1938.
Costa Mesa drew attention in the late '30s for its annual Scarecrow Carnival. One year, the event drew a crowd of 20,000 and reached the pages of Look magazine. The celebration ended after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941.
World War II brought the Santa Ana Army Air Base to Costa Mesa in 1941. The air base, 1,300 acres between Santa Ana and Costa Mesa, was a certification site for aviation cadets, one of the nation's largest. More than 220,000 men passed through the base during war time, some rubbing shoulders with Gene Autry, Joe DiMaggio and Tennessee Williams.
Today, many of the air base buildings have been destroyed or replaced. What was once a bustling military base is now Orange Coast College, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa High School, City Hall and Vanguard University of Southern California.
The year 1946 marked the city's first annual Fish Fry and Carnival. The Lions Club hosted the event to raise money for community improvement, and the tradition continued through 2000. It was called off for 2001 because of a legal dispute, but organizers immediately began planning for its return which it did in 2003.
Costa Mesa incorporated in 1953. Charles TeWinkle, Bertren Smith, Bruce Martin, Walter Miller and Claire Nelson were members of the original City Council. Within months, the five set about drumming up business in Costa Mesa.
Until the consolidation of the water district in 1960, restaurants on the east side of town served water in amber colored glasses to disguise its weak tea color, but no amount of tinkering could eliminate its sulfurous smell. This year the water district is expected to open a treatment plant to again tap the since unused water source, only this time eliminating the color and odor.
The Segerstrom family were poor immigrants who became the largest independent lima bean growers in the world by the 1950s. But they saw growth coming, and saw their land could not stay in agriculture forever.
In 1966, the Segerstroms plowed under acres of their lima bean fields to make way for South Coast Plaza. The mall, which became the nation's highest-grossing shopping center, also became the centerpiece for South Coast Metro, a booming downtown that includes the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel