CLIPBOARD : Neighborhood Profile: Central Costa Mesa

When early residents of central Costa Mesa needed to shop, they couldn’t just dash out to the corner store. Going to the marketplace was an all-day ordeal, requiring a trip into downtown Santa Ana by horse and buggy. But now this neighborhood is a shopper’s mecca, and bargain-hunters from all over Southern California attend the Orange County Marketplace, an upscale weekend flea market that attracts 4.5 million customers every year.

The neighborhood is also home to the 18,800-capacity Pacific Amphitheatre, one of the largest outdoor concert venues on the West Coast. In addition, the Orange County Fairgrounds are located here, adjacent to the amphitheater.

But the local attractions have drawbacks for residents of the nearby Mesa del Mar housing tract. Some homeowners complain about traffic generated by the swap meet and noise from the outdoor concerts. In 1987, Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary L. Taylor ordered noise-level restrictions at the amphitheater at the request of a homeowners group. Since then, residents have complained that the amphitheater has violated the order on several occasions.

But not everyone in Mesa del Mar is up in arms about the noise. Some consider the musical overspill a fringe benefit, since it’s possible to enjoy a favorite performer without buying a ticket.

Central Costa Mesa began its transition from sparsely populated farmland into a bustling hub of activity during World War II, when the government hastily transformed 1,335 acres of land here into the Santa Ana Army Air Base. From 1942 to 1944, more than 126,000 aviation cadets were classified here to receive further training as pilots, bombardiers or navigators after several weeks of testing.. Local residents were hired as civilian employees, generating jobs and income. Big-name performers such as Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington entertained troops here, and Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen and Bob Hope made live radio broadcasts from the base theater.

The base stopped taking new recruits in 1944 and served as a rehabilitation center for wounded veterans until 1946.

A portion of the grounds and many base structures were then transformed into Orange Coast College, the fairgrounds and the original Costa Mesa City Hall. Eventually the Mesa del Mar and College Park housing tracts, Southern California College, Costa Mesa High School, Davis Intermediate School and Charles TeWinkle Memorial Park appeared in place of the air base.

Many of the original base structures have since been replaced, but several of the old buildings, like the Orange County Fairgrounds Administration Building, are still in use. A plaque and a memorial garden at the fairgrounds commemorate the role the base played in the area’s development.

Residents of Mesa del Mar occasionally find pieces of the old air base parade grounds when digging in their yards. The neighborhood is a living monument to the process of turning swords into plowshares.

Population: Total (1990 est.): 4,550 1980-90 change: +3.6% Median age: 32.2 Radical/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 64% Black: less than 1% Latino: 26% Other: 10% Income: Per capita: $14,282 Median household: $44,714 Average household: $47,351 Income distribution: $100,000-and more: 6% $75,000-99,999: 9% $50,000-74,999: 27% $25,000-49,999: 39% Less than $25,000: 19% By sex and age: in hundreds Males: Median age: 31.0 years Females: Median age: 33.5 years