COSTA MESA

city, Orange county, southern California, U.S., on a coastal plateau overlooking the Pacific, at the mouth of the Santa Ana River. With Newport Beach it forms Orange county's Harbor Area. The site, once part of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana and the Irvine Ranch, became the hot springs resort of Fairview. Laid out as the town of Harper in 1906, it was renamed in 1921 for its coastal location. In the 1950s, construction of expressways stimulated residential growth. There has been planned light-industrial development, and the Orange County Fair is an annual event. The city is the seat of Orange Coast (junior) College (1947) and Southern California College (founded 1920 at Pasadena, relocated 1950). The Estancia (1818), a station of Mission San Juan Capistrano, has been restored as a historical monument. The Orange County Performing Arts Center opened in 1986. The Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum is in the city. Inc. city, 1953. Pop. (1990) 96,357.