Newport Beach, California is home to a recreational harbor large enough to dock 9,000 boats. This upper crust community of about 85,000 people in Orange County has a popular (concrete) boardwalk and a wide range of yearlong recreational activities. For upscale shopping, Newport Beach plays second fiddle to no community anywhere. After all, more than a quarter of its households have incomes over $200,000 a year. So you get the picture: when you do the tourist thing in Newport Beach, dress well, bring your credit cards and expect everything to be super-nice!
Humble Beginnings
This prosperous little California city began humbly, in 1906, when 206 folks from scattered farms and houses incorporated as Newport Beach. The Pacific Electric Railway had just reached out from Los Angeles to build its southern terminus near the ocean. Newport Beach then developed as a beach escape from the city and when the wealthy discovered its charms, the city flourished. It has been home to many celebrities, including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Jimmie Cagney, Nicholas Cage, Shirley Temple and Cathy Rigby. It's a cinch that Bogie and Bacall, enthusiastic sailors, settled there for the harbor.
Unique Islands
It's fair to say that Newport Beach is a boater's paradise. Cruisers looking to tie up on a week-end for shopping, dining and lying on the beach have made the marina super-popular. One favored destination is Balboa Island, where you can rent a cabin for a week and enjoy the finest in shopping, eating and relaxation. The most fantastic aspect of Newport Beach may be that the harbor was dredged out of a river estuary shortly after the railroad arrived. The stuff dredged up from the bottom was then used to create a series of artificial islands: Newport, Balboa, Little Balboa, Collins, Bay, Harbor, Lido Isle and Linda Isle all are developed and fun to visit.
Fun!
If you have never sailed and you want to learn, Newport Beach awaits. The offshore breezes are regular and the opportunities, boundless. You can also surf, bike on the boardwalk, relax on the beach and take in a plethora of cultural activities, including wine tastings, theater, concerts, art galleries and street shows.
Newport Harbor has had a rich commercial history, having once been home to commercial fishing and boat-building, but now the littoral is filled with beautiful mansions, private docks and 9,000 boats. Whether you prefer to sail, fish, row, canoe, kayak, water-ski or jet-ski, it's all there waiting for you in Newport Beach.
