Happy birthday, Costa Mesa

Fifty years doesn’t seem like a long time. And if you just ask some

of those who have been part of Costa Mesa’s first half-century of

civic life, it probably has flown by.

But here we are at the 50th year of cityhood with so much to

celebrate, so much to still do and lots of reasons to reflect.

Let’s start with the last.

It all started with a population boom after World War II that took

the city from its farm and “Goat Hill” roots to a booming

municipality that would one day house one of the most successful

retail centers in the nation, a performing art center and theater

company to rival Broadway, a thriving county fair and a bustling and

respected community college.

The makeup of its people has evolved from ranch hands and ranch

owners to a flavorful ethnic mix of Old World European to Tongan,

Latino and Asian, African and Native Americans.

Costa Mesa is now a thriving community of affluent homes on one

end and low-income apartment housing on the other.

It’s a community that features Neiman Marcus on one end and Grant

Boys sporting goods on the other.

It’s a community that boasts a downtown square in the shape of a

triangle on one end and a bridge so intricate that it is itself a

piece of art on the other.

Costa Mesans are civic-minded and trendy and compassionate, yet

frugal.

It’s a community of soup kitchens and charities, an anti-mall, a

model-train ride and the best darn fish taco restaurant around.

But it’s also a community at a crossroads -- a community divided

by those who seek change and improvement to those who love the city’s

eclectic and free-spirited traditions.

It’s a community grappling with how to deal with a changing

population, many of whom are new immigrants to this country. It’s a

community whose very name comes from the sea, but bemoans there not a

beach within its limits.

It’s a community with outstanding city leadership and some left to

be desired. A community with top-notch schools and those struggling

to overcome sometimes insurmountable odds.

Since its beginnings in 1953, Costa Mesa has been seeking a path

of progress. In 2003, we can say it is safely on that path. With 50

years under its belt, this community has learned a lot and will

continue to learn so much more.

Happy birthday, Costa Mesa, and here’s to the future. We’re just

glad to be here to chronicle it all.