Mesa Verde Neighborhood Guide

Mesa Verde is located in the northwest sector of the city of Costa Mesa, California. It comprises about 3,000 homes with around 13,000 residents and covers roughly four square miles. Since Mesa Verde is located near major thoroughfares, commuting to other Southern California locations is convenient. Mesa Versa is quintessential suburbia—a quiet, Norman Rockwell-like neighborhood with curving, tree-lined streets that give it an upscale feel.

Although not a neighborhood of choice for singles, Mesa Verde is a good place to raise families. Mesa Verde doesn’t have a vibrant nightlife and abundant entertainment, but it has several beautiful parks and a wealth of options for dining and shopping on nearby Harbor Boulevard. The neighborhood borders the Santa Ana River Trail, which offers a 20-minute bike ride to Huntington Beach. Neighborhood schools are rated as average, compared to those in other communities, but Early College High School in Mesa Verde is considered one of the best educational institutions in California.

Most residents of Mesa Verde are married with an education level above the national median. Although most houses are average in cost and size, the layout of the neighborhood is anything but average. The Mesa Verde section of Costa Mesa was developed with more attention to design and aesthetics than the other areas of Costa Mesa.

Therefore, the area has beautiful, winding and curving tree-lined streets that give it the exclusive feel of more affluent California communities. The neighborhood offers several parks, including two very large ones, a nearby bike/walking trail, a nice community center, two outstanding golf courses and lots of dining and high-end shopping.

Mesa Verde offers various preschool through high school educational opportunities in public and private schools. One of the public high schools, Early College High School, specializes in preparing students for college by focusing on academics and giving college credit for courses completed in high school. There are four private schools in the area, three of which also have a preschool.

One of the private schools is a highly rated Montessori school. Grades awarded to Mesa Verde schools by the website Niche range from B- to A. While the public schools have very dedicated staff and teachers, the Montessori school, Kline School and Renascence School International offer unique, highly-rated approaches to education. In this family-friendly neighborhood, there are enough public and private schools to keep the student to teacher ratio fairly low. Several of the schools give strong attention to performing arts and technology. Volunteer and parent participation in school activities are high.

The Mesa Verde area was primarily developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Later development occurred in the 1970s. The final development was finished in the early 2000s. Most of the older homes in the area are single family ranch style and two story homes. Mesa Verde homes are built on decent sized lots on wide, tree-lined streets. Most homes will cost from $450,000 to $1,500,000.

Homes in the lower price range are typically 1,400 to 1,600 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths on a 6,000 to 7,000 foot lot. Higher end homes are 2,000 to 3,000 square feet with four to five bedrooms on lots that are 8,000 feet or more. Some larger estates are found in Mesa Verde, representing some of the best prices in Orange County for large properties. Homes with 7,000+ square feet can sell for around $2.5 million. Some Mesa Verde condominiums are available for $220,000 to $250,000.