South Coast Metro straddles the city limits of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa, and is a dense mix of residential, office, and retail developments that spread out from
South Coast Plaza and forms an urban-retail village that is distinct from the surrounding suburban development. The cultural elements include the
Segerstrom Center for the Arts and
South Coast Repertory theater company.
History C. J. Segerstrom and Sons, a commercial real estate and retail management organization established in 1898, spearheaded commercial development in Orange County, California.
Henry Segerstrom, as managing partner of the family-owned company, transformed the agricultural area into a lively, international destination. In March 1967, Henry T. Segerstrom, along with his cousin Hal T. Segerstrom, Jr., opened a shopping center called
South Coast Plaza in one of the family's lima bean fields in rapidly growing Orange County. Two high-rise residential towers, dubbed Skyline at Macarthur Place, were built in 2016 in the northeast corner of South Coast Metro by developer Skyline OC. The 25-story towers were marketed as high-end luxury
condominiums, and became the tallest buildings in Orange County by number of floors.
Geography South Coast Metro's boundaries are generally defined as: • North: Segerstrom Avenue • South:
San Diego Freeway (I-405) • West: Fairview Road • East:
Costa Mesa Freeway (SR 55) Used often in real estate listings, the South Coast Metro moniker is not recognized by the
USPS or other government entities as a distinct region. While there is no separate ZIP code for South Coast Metro, a freeway sign for the area is on the southbound Costa Mesa Freeway at MacArthur Boulevard. ==References==