If you are a fan of beaches, and you are heading in the direction of California anytime soon, you simply must visit Newport Beach as it is one of California’s main attractions!
Whether you want to go surfing or fishing at Newport Pier, have fun at an amusement park like Balboa Fun Zone, or take in a more tranquil vibe at Sherman Library and Gardens, this city has a lot of fun stuff to do, with the beach itself being an obvious highlight. The California coastline is famous for its sight-seeing, and you can definitely see why…
About Newport Beach
If you’ve never been there, let us fill you in on some details about the place. Strictly speaking, Newport Beach is a municipality of Orange County in California and it is located 16 km south of Santa Ana. The city had a population of 70,032 inhabitants in 2000. Newport Beach is 8 meters above sea level and is 33 ° 37 ’00 “N 117 ° 53′ 51” W .
The city is surrounded on the west side by Huntington Beach along the river Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, the John Wayne Airport and Irvine (including UC Irvine ), to the east by Crystal Cove State Park and south by the Pacific ocean .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 103.2 km² of which 38.3 km² is land and 64.9 km² or 62.91% of the water.
In terms of territories, Newport Beach is made up of Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Newport Coast, San Joaquin Hills, and the Balboa Peninsula.
The prehistoric riverbed Santa Ana forms the Upper Newport Bay. Santa Ana feeds the delta (the Back Bay) and later joins the Newport Harbor.
Newport Beach – What’s It Like?
The general consensus among visitors to this city is that Newport Beach is both a pleasant seaside resort city (Balboa Beach Resort) and is considered to be more of an upscale residential community in Greater Los Angeles.
The Balboa Beach Resort has a long and wide sandy beach along the Balboa Peninsula, bordered by an ocean front pedestrian promenade with some truly outstanding views. Balboa Peninsula is a lido, which is to say a beach with a sandy barrier that protects the bay and the harbor of Newport Beach.
Here you’ll find the islands of Balboa Island and Lido Isle . The stone pier that protects the harbor entrance forms what’s called The Wedge, a shore break which is very powerful.
This is a very popular surf spot is known for the combination of powerful waves and very shallow water.
A Few Random Facts About Newport Beach
- The most well known historical monument of Newport Beach is the Balboa Pavilion built in 1906 which is found in the middle of the peninsula.
- Newport Beach is twinned with three cities designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)
- The average household income is $ 83,455 , and that of a family $ 111,166 . Men have an average income of $ 73 425 against $ 45,409 for women. The average per capita income is $ 63 015 . Nearly 2.1% of families and 4.4% of the population lives below the poverty line , including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those 65 and over.
- In September 2005, there were 36,876 Republicans and 12,268 Democrats registered.
- PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management Company) has its headquarters in this city.
- Corona del Mar is a residential area overlooking the harbor.
- In Newport Beach, you can always head for the Island Santa Catalina visible on the horizon to spend some QT
- The famous basketball star Kobe Bryant lives in Newport Coast today.
- In the main part of the city you can find the famous mall called Fashion Island.
A Brief Point Form History Of Newport Beach
- After the Mexican-American War in 1848, US laws were introduced in California in 1850.
- In 1870 , Captain S.S. Dunnells arrived by a boat, Vaquero, in a bay that was not yet named. Captain Dunnells decided to name it “New Port.”
- In 1879 , James and Robert McFadden created the McFadden’s Landing.
- In 1888 , McFaddens decided that their boats case would be more attractive if they moved from inside the bay to the ocean. Therefore they built the McFaddens’ Wharf where now stands the Newport Pier .
- In 1906 the Balboa Pavilion was finished with its sister project, the Balboa Pier (in order to attract buyers on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport). Finally, the houses facing the sea were sold for a whopping $500 dollars.
- In 1906, Newport Beach became a tourist destination with the arrival of the Pacific Electric, which ended at Balboa Pavilion.
- In August 1906, Newport Beach was incorporated as a city.
- In 1908 , John Scarpa , an Italian gondolier, organized the first Christmas boat light parade in the port of Newport. This became a tradition that still goes on today.
- In 1910 , the McFaddens sold the Lido and Balboa Island for $35 000.
- In 1916 , Balboa Island was annexed to Newport Beach.
- In 1923, Corona del Mar was annexed to the city.
- In 1926, the California State Route 1 was built through the town.
- In 1936, Newport Harbor was officially opened. It had taken a project of $ 1.8 million to dredge the sand banks out of the bay and extend the jetties.
- Little by little, Newport Beach then became the place of residence of many celebrities. The most popular was John Wayne, known as “the Duke” . Other celebrities residing / or having their boat in Newport Beach include James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Shirley Temple, and Errol Flynn. Moreover, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans just as George Burns resided in Newport Beach.
- In 1953 , the Boy Scouts of America have gathered where the Newport Center and Fashion Island are now. This was the first Jamboree holding west of the river Mississippi with 50,000 Scouts from 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii and 16 foreign countries.
- In 1962 , the Pacific Electric trains along the Pacific Ocean are employed for the last time for the delivery of boats in Newport Beach.
- In 1967, Fashion Island was completed. Newport Center Drive, a circular road around Fashion Island and justifies the term “island” given to this mall.
- In 1990 began the subdivision of Newport Coast.
Newport Beach Demographics
According to a census of 2000 , there are 70,032 people in Newport Beach, including 33,071 households, and 16,965 families residing in the city.
Distribution of communities of Newport Beach
Community / Percentage of population
- White 92.22%
- African American 0.53%
- Asian 4.00%
- Native American 0.26%
- Pacific Islander 0.12%
- Other communities 1.13%
- Persons belonging to more than one community 1.74%
- Hispanics 4.71%
Of the 33,071 households, 18.0% have a child under 18 years, 42.5% are married couples, 6.1% have no husband present, and 48.7% are not families . 35.3% of these households are made from a person whose 10.1% of people 65 or older.
Distribution by age groups of the population
- Less than 18 years old 15.7%
- 18 to 24 years 6.5%
- 25 to 44 years 33.0%
- 45 to 64 years 27.2%
- 65 or more 17.6%
The average age of the population is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 97.9 males. 100 women of 18 or more, there are 96.6 males.
Famous People Associated With Newport Beach
- John Lackey, Pitcher of the Los Angeles Angels
- Jeremy Jackson, entertainer
- Joey Bishop , entertainer
- Francois Botha, boxer
- Chris Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
- George Argyros , former Ambassador of the United States in Spain, Entrepreneur
- Chuck Finley, former player of baseball
- Shigetoshi Hasegawa, former baseball player
- Jürgen Klinsmann, coach of the German football team from 2004 to 2006
- Dean Koontz, writer
- Leigh Steinberg, a sports agent
- Mamie Van Doren, Entertainment
- David Perry, game designer
- Kobe Bryant, player in the NBA at the Los Angeles Lakers
- Aaron Peirsol, swimmer
- Taylor Dent, professional tennis player
- Donald Bren, real estate mogul, billionaire
- Henry Samueli, chairman, co-founder of the firm Broadcom billionaire
- Sasha Cohen , figure skater
- Mark McGrath , singer ( Sugar Ray )
- McG , Director and Producer
- Nicolas Cage – Actor who is a permanent resident
- Troy Glaus – baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays
- Reggie Jackson
- Dick Dale
- Lauren Bacall
- Humphrey Bogart
- George Burns
- James Cagney
- Buddy Ebsen
- Errol Flynn
- Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
- Shirley Temple
- John Wayne
- Dennis Rodman, NBA
- Karl Malone, NBA
- Johnny Mercer, composer
- George Yardley
- Gwen Stefani, singer
- Leo Howard, actor and model
