Santa Ana Heights, California

Vanguard University of Southern California is a private Christian university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in Orange County. The university offers over 39 undergraduate degrees and emphases in 15 different departments. The university also offers adult-learning programs in its professional studies department and features six graduate degrees. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

The Upper Newport Bay (known locally as "The Back Bay") is a large coastal wetland (an estuary) in Newport Beach, Southern California and a major stopover for birds on the Pacific Flyway. Dozens of species, including endangered ones, can be observed here. Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve represent approximately 1,000 acres (4 km2) of open space. The Upper Newport Bay was purchased by the state in 1975 for its Fish and Wildlife Department's Ecological Reserve System. In 1985 the upper west bluffs and lands surrounding the bay became part of an Orange County regional park, which offers outdoor activities such as bird-watching, jogging, bicycling, hiking, and kayaking. The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, located at 2301 University Drive, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. An organization known as the Newport Bay Conservancy (NBC) provides volunteers to answer visitors' questions and guide them through the various activities. The bay is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy.The main tributary of the Upper Newport Bay is San Diego Creek, which flows past the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary before entering the bay. The bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean through the lower Newport Bay, the harbor of Newport Beach.

The Orange County Fair, abbreviated as the OC Fair, is a 23-day annual fair that is held every summer at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. The 2022 OC Fair is from July 15 to August 14. Fair patrollers include security guards, the Costa Mesa Police & Orange County (CA) Sheriff's Office.

The OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC) is a 150-acre (0.61 km2) event venue in Costa Mesa, California. The site hosts over 150 events attracting 4.3 million visitors annually, and is home to the Orange County Fair, Centennial Farm, Costa Mesa Speedway, and Pacific Amphitheatre. The OCFEC is managed by the 32nd District Agricultural Association, a state special-purpose district in the Division of Fairs and Expositions of the California Department of Food and Agriculture formed in 1949. Its board is appointed by the Governor of California.

The Fairgrounds Grandstand Arena is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.It was home to the Orange County Buzz basketball team of the American Basketball Association. It is also a concert venue, including several residencies of Weird Al Yankovic.

Costa Mesa Speedway in Costa Mesa, California USA is a major motorsports venue credited with the renaissance of motorcycle speedway racing in Southern California. The 185 yards (169 metres) long track hosts both Solo and Sidecar speedway.

Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) was a World War II-era air base located near Santa Ana, California. The air base was decommissioned in 1946, and part of the land was annexed by Costa Mesa in 1953. The air base was used for basic training, although it did not have planes, hangars or runways. The base was 1,336 acres (5.41 km2), and the main section of the base was located between Baker Street to the north, Harbor Boulevard to the west, Wilson Street on the south, and Newport Boulevard on the east. The land formerly occupied by the air base is today the home of John Wayne Airport, the Orange County Fairgrounds, and Orange Coast College.

San Diego Creek is a 16-mile (26 km) urban waterway flowing into Upper Newport Bay in Orange County, California in the United States. Its watershed covers 112.2 square miles (291 km2) in parts of eight cities, including Irvine, Tustin, and Costa Mesa. From its headwaters in Laguna Woods the creek flows northwest to its confluence with Peters Canyon Wash, where it turns abruptly southwest towards the bay. Most of the creek has been converted to a concrete flood control channel, but it also provides important aquatic and riparian habitat along its course and its tidal estuary.The watershed is heavily urbanized with master planned residential and commercial development. It accounts for 80 percent of the whole Newport Bay watershed, which has an urban population of over 700,000. There is also agriculture, high-tech industry and 15,700 acres (64 km2) of designated open space. Orange County Great Park (formerly El Toro Marine Corps Air Station), one of the largest urban parks in the US, is also situated in the watershed.

Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city, one of the region's largest commercial clusters, with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. The city is home to the two tallest skyscrapers in Orange County. The population was 111,918 at the 2020 United States Census.

The Newport Beach Tennis Club is a tennis club located in Newport Beach, California with an entrance at 2601 Eastbluff Drive.The club opened in 1966 on land owned by George Holstein, who developed Eastbluff and partnered with Larry Johnson. They hired renowned tennis professional, Dick Skeen to design the Club and be the first General Manager. It has 19 tennis courts with lighting, a junior Olympic swimming pool and a fitness center. There is also a pro shop, a restaurant, a bar, and available catering service. Rod Laver and Roy Emerson were early members in the sixties and Tony Prodan was the longtime Head Tennis Professional. The club is situated on 7.5 acres (3 hectares) of land.The United States, Captained by Tony Trabert, played South Africa at the Club in the 1977 Davis Cup Americas Zone Semifinals.On January 27, 2016, the Orange County Breakers of World Team Tennis announced that they would play their home matches at the Newport Beach Tennis Club. Breakers coach Rick Leach gives lessons at the club.

Costa Mesa High School/Middle School is a public secondary school serving grades 7 through 12 in Costa Mesa, California. It is part of the Newport Mesa Unified School District.

A Santa Ana man drove into a Costa Mesa preschool playground on May 3, 1999, and killed two students and injured four other students and a teacher's aide.