Welcome To My Newport Beach Information Page

The City of Newport Beach is located in the coastal center of Orange County and it currently has a population of approximately 85,000 residents.  During the summer months the population can grow to more than 100,000 with 20,000 to 100,000 tourists visiting daily.

Newport Beach is well known for its fine residential areas, up-scale shopping facilities, strong business community and high quality school system.  It surrounds Newport Bay where more than 9,000 boats of all types are docked within the 21 square-mile harbor area. The bay area and the city’s eight miles of sandy ocean beach offer outstanding fishing, swimming, surfing, and aquatic sports activities.

Like the rest of the "Orange Coast", Newport Beach enjoys a Mediterranean climate. The Pacific Ocean greatly moderates the area’s climate warming winter temperatures and cooling summer temperatures; there is little variation between seasons and high and monthly low temperatures.

The City Charter was originally adopted in 1954.  In 1905 city development increased when Pacific Electric Railroad established a southern terminal in Newport connecting the beach with downtown Los Angeles.  The City of Newport Beach was incorporated on September 1, 1906 with a population of about 206.  Settlements filled in on the Peninsula, West Newport, Balboa Island and Lido Isle.  In 1923 Corona Del Mar was annexed and then much later on Newport Coast was annexed in 2002.

In 1936, founding community members dedicated the City's main harbor, which was appropriately named Newport Harbor.  During World War II, the harbor was used as a vital hub as many naval ships were built and refurbished in its coastal waters.  Newport Beach businesses began to flourish due in part to an influx of new military personnel.   At the end of the war, many service men and women decided to stay and make the City their home, this started a real estate boom in Newport Beach.  Seasonal rentals suddenly became year-round residences, and the City's identity as a summer resort destination began to change.

The addition of the Santa Ana freeway, built in the 1950's, brought even more citizens to the City. During this time frame, housing development began to spread northward from the waterfront up to the hills and mesa areas.  Industries changed as the population continued to grow, the fishing industry which was once the backbone of Newport Beach's economy, gradually declined and was replaced with many new businesses and commercial centers.  Fashion Island, built in 1967, became Orange County's first major outdoor shopping center.  It celebrated its opening with a champagne gala dubbed by Time magazine as the "largest cocktail party in the world," with more than 18,000 attendees, according to the Irvine Company, the development company that owns the shopping mall and a large portion of Orange County.  This 1.3 million square foot shopping destination now draws about 14 million visitors annually.  By the mid 1970's, rapid urbanization led to the building of other shopping centers, hotels, high-scale restaurants, and many new homes.

Today Newport Beach is one of the wealthiest cities in the U.S., ranking number 1 or 2 in several categories.  The City offers a wide  variety of  homes,  just about  every type of coastal residence you could ask for is available, from 1-bedroom condominiums to large water front estates with docks that can accommodate a 100 foot long yacht.  

Because Newport Beach offers such a variety of coastal locations, (each with their own distinct terrain), I have divided the City into 3 main sections on this website for ease of use and for a better understanding of these different areas.  Newport Beach includes all the mainland areas, back bay and West Newport communities.  Newport Harbor includes all harbor front communities along with all the islands and Linda Isle located within the harbor.  Balboa Peninsula includes all property that is located on the peninsula (ocean side and harbor side).

The City is served by the Newport - Mesa Unified School District.  Click Newport School Info on the blue navigation sidebar for direct school links and more information.