Santa Ana and Costa Mesa

Ethnically diverse Santa Ana is the region's largest city and the governmental hub of Orange County (the county's administrative offices and courts are here). It adjoins Costa Mesa, the OC's cultural epicenter and home to one of Southern California's toniest and most expensive shopping centers, South Coast Plaza. This designer-dominated mall is connected by sky bridge to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, which has evolved into one of America's premier cultural entertainment complexes. City lines blur here, making it hard to tell exactly where you are, but the bottom line is, this is where you can catch a glimpse of Orange County's cosmopolitan face.