1. Costa Mesans Can’t Decide What Clique They Belong To
In some ways Costa Mesa embodies many of those posh Orange County stereotypes, but in just as many ways it defies them.
There are biker gangs that roar through the city from time to time, along with homegrown surfwear manufacturers (and the outdoorsy people who love them).
There's the sprawling South Coast Plaza, and the LAB Anti-Mall—the self-proclaimed "only progressive, lifestyle-culture shopping destination in Orange County.”
There's the vibrant but hectic Orange County fair, and also high-end galleries and theater.
Costa Mesa (and its people) really are a little bit of everything.
2. It’s Basically A Crime Not To Get Some Retail Therapy In Costa Mesa...
Costa Mesa’s mecca is South Coast Plaza, spanning 2.8 million square feet with over 250 stores and restaurants, making it the largest mall on the West Coast.
More than 24 million people shop there annually (and the city’s citizens seem to shop there daily) and spend 1.5 billion dollars each year—making South Coast the highest grossing mall in the entire United States.
No wonder that in 2004 it received the federal trademark of “The Ultimate Shopping Resort.”
3. ... Even Though Everyone Dumps Their Clothes A Week Later
Costa Mesans not only worship their mall, they also worship the latest trend.
Their "easy come, easy go" attitude towards fashion means that they frequent the many thrift and second-hand shops to dump last year's colors and styles. Most of the profits do support some worthy non-profit organizations (thank goodness they’re also an altruistic bunch).
Favorites for finding stunning bargains on designer styles are Déjà New, Ticktocker Thrift Shop, and What Goes Around Clothing.
4. Everyone Denies The Existence Of 4:20
While these days other cities are loud and proud about welcoming marijuana into their daily lives, Costa Mesans are just as loudly doing the opposite.
The city banned medical marijuana dispensaries in 2005 and in 2012, after the city unsuccessfully attempted to force collectives to shut down, they actually called in the feds, leading to several high-profile DEA raids of popular cannabis clubs.
5. The Costa Mesa Diet Is Basically Just Fast Food
Due in part to far looser zoning laws than surrounding Orange County cities, the city boasts two different uber-strips of fast food franchises. Costa Mesans get their quick fixes at the ubiquitous to the cult favorite.
Stay with me here: McDonalds, Burger King, In-N-Out, Sonic, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s, The Habit, Jack in the Box, Chick-fil-A, KFC, Flame Broiler, Subway, Jersey Mike’s, Yoshinoya, Taco Bell, Chipotle, El Pollo Loco, and Del Taco. It's almost a shame that they're not getting high.
6. Everyone In Costa Mesa Brags About All Their "Winners"...
As its citizens will constantly tell you—as though they’re among the elite themselves—a stunning number of U.S. Olympic athletes were raised, reside, and train in Costa Mesa.
In fact, if Costa Mesa were its own country, it would have placed 63rd overall in total medal count at the 2012 Olympic summer games in London—good enough to beat 141 other countries!
Too bad bragging isn’t an Olympic sport.
7. ... Even Though They Don’t Actually Like The City Itself
They might not doubt their superiority at sports, but Costa Mesans need a self-worth boost when it comes to actually liking to spend time in their hometown.
Ask a Costa Mesan what you should do while you’re visiting them, and they’ll point you towards Disneyland (which is actually located in Anaheim), Angels baseball (also in Anaheim), and the terrific coastline and beach activities (which is pretty much in every Orange County city except Costa Mesa).
8. Blondes Have More Fun...According To Costa Mesa
Census data doesn’t yet measure our country’s blond to non-blond ratio—but in Orange County maybe they should.
In the meantime, the research is pretty qualitative, but still compelling. The top Costa Mesa salons all focus on making women blond, improving their blond and maintaining their blond.
Case in point, from a salon called Blonder, one of the city’s favorites: “At Blonder we work with all types of hair, but have made it our mission to create the best blondes.”
There you have it.
9. Art Criticism Is The Official Costa Mesa Sport
Costa Mesa’s official (and rather presumptuous) motto is “City of the Arts,” and its residents take that designation very seriously.
On any given night, the city’s “theater district”—a tucked-in enclave that houses the world-class South Coast Repertory and the four stages at Segerstrom Center for the Arts—is teeming with men sporting dignified gray hair and blue blazers walking hand-in-hand with women flaunting perfect bobs (blond, of course) and silk pantsuits.
Costa Mesa also boasts the Pacific Amphitheater, summer concert series in its parks, artist showcases juried by the city, and the renowned Noguchi Museum Japanese sculpture garden.
10. When The Fair Rolls Around Suddenly Costa Mesa Is The Center Of Attention
Sure, cities like Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach might get most of the Orange County attention, but every summer there's one thing that turns the spotlight on Costa Mesa: The OC Fair.
An annual explosion of fried food, carnival rides and more people than you can even count—and by far the biggest thing that happens in Costa Mesa. The fair predates the city itself, and more than a million people swarm here each year to stuff their faces with cotton candy and make themselves sick on the roller coasters for a full three weeks. That’s about 10 times the number of people who actually live in the city during the rest of the year!
It isn’t the ninth biggest fair in the country for nothing, and Costa Mesans know it.
