Newport Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, Newport Beach had a population of 85,239. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime industries; today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws visitors with a waterfront path and easy access from the ferry to the shops and restaurants.
History
The Upper Bay of Newport is a canyon carved by a stream in the Pleistocene period. The Lower Bay of Newport was formed much later by sand brought along by ocean currents, which constructed the offshore beach now recognized as the Balboa Peninsula of Newport Beach.
For thousands of years, the Tongva people lived on the land in an extensive, thriving community. The Tongva villages of Genga and Moyongna were located in Newport Beach. The Spanish Empire colonized the land, followed by Mexicans and Americans, all of whom displaced the Tongva.
The State of California sold -plots of land for $1 apiece in the Newport area. Anglo-American inhabitation in the area grew substantially following 1870 when a 105-ton steamer named The Vaquero, captained by Captain Samuel S. Dunnells (against warnings posted by surveyors), safely steered through the lower and upper bay of Newport where it unloaded its cargo. James Irvine, upon hearing the astonishing news, quickly traveled from his home in San Francisco to the San Joaquin Ranch. Meeting in Irvine's ranch house near present-day UC Irvine with his brother Robert Irvine and friend James McFadden, they agreed that the newly found port should be simply named "Newport" which is where Newport Beach gets its name. James McFadden built a long McFadden Wharf in 1888, it became a shipping hub.
In 1905, city development increased when the Pacific Electric Railway established a southern terminus in Newport connecting the beach with downtown Los Angeles. In 1906 (with a population of 206 citizens), the scattered settlements were incorporated as the City of Newport Beach.
Settlements were filled in on the Peninsula, West Newport, Newport Island, Balboa Island, and Lido Isle. In 1923, Corona del Mar was annexed and in 2002, Newport Coast, East Santa Ana Heights, and San Joaquin Hills were annexed. In 2008, after a long battle with the city of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach annexed West Santa Ana Heights.
Geography
Newport Beach extends in elevation from sea level to the summit of Signal Peak in the San Joaquin Hills, but the official elevation is above sea level at a location of (33.616671, −117.897604).
The city is bordered on the west by Huntington Beach at the Santa Ana River; on the north by Costa Mesa, John Wayne Airport, the City of Irvine and UC Irvine; and on the east by Crystal Cove State Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it (55.07%) is water.
Areas of Newport Beach include Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Balboa Peninsula (also known as Balboa), Lido Peninsula, Newport Coast, San Joaquin Hills, Santa Ana Heights, and West Newport.
Newport Harbor and Newport Bay Newport Harbor is a semi-artificial harbor that was formed by dredging Newport Bay estuary during the early 1900s. Several artificial islands were built, which are now covered with private homes: Newport Island, Balboa Island, Little Balboa Island, Collins Island, Bay Island, Harbor Island, Lido Isle, and Linda Isle.
Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries such as boatbuilding, shipbuilding, and commercial fishing, but today it is used mostly for recreation. Its shores are occupied mostly by private homes and private docks. Newport Harbor has approximately 9,000 boats and is one of the largest recreational boat harbors on the U.S. west coast. It is a popular destination for all boating activities, including sailing, fishing, rowing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding.
Commercial maritime operations today include the Catalina Flyer ferry to Catalina Island, harbor tours, sport fishing, whale watching day trips, and charters as well as a few small commercial fishing boats.
Newport Bay is divided by the Pacific Coast Highway bridge, which is too low for most sailboats and very large boats to pass under. North of the bridge is referred to as Upper Newport Bay, or the Back Bay. South of the bridge is commonly called Lower Newport Bay, or Newport Harbor. However the Back Bay also has harbor facilities, especially the marina and launch ramp at Newport Dunes Marina.
The north end of the Newport Harbor channels surrounding Lido Isle has several small business centers and was at one time used as a home by the fishing fleets. On the North East side of the channel, the Lido Marina Village now acts as the local port to many "Newport Party Boats" that can be rented for events, as well as small merchants and local restaurants. It also hosts the area boat show each year. In 2014, the center was closed for a renovation. The Lido Village was reopened in 2017 after a complete renovation.
In 1927, a home was built at the mouth of the entrance of Newport Harbor that came to be known as the China House of China Cove. The home was built using traditional Chinese architecture. It was a landmark in the Newport Beach Harbor until it was demolished in the 1980s. Some of the original roof can be seen on a home located in the China Cove.
Upper Newport Bay is an estuary that was formed by a prehistoric flow of the Santa Ana River. Today it is fed by a small stream from San Diego Creek. Much of Upper Newport Bay is a protected natural area known as the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, established in 1975.
Climate Newport Beach has a mid-latitude semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk) with characteristics of a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). Like many Los Angeles and Orange coastal cities, Newport Beach exhibits weak temperature variation, diurnally and seasonally, compared to inland cities even a few miles from the ocean. The Pacific Ocean greatly moderates Newport Beach's climate by warming winter temperatures and cooling summer temperatures. Diurnal temperature variation is stronger during the winter than during the summer. Newport Beach does not receive enough precipitation to qualify as a true Mediterranean climate.
Demographics
Newport Beach first appeared as a city in the 1910 United States census.
Racial and ethnic composition +Newport Beach city, California – Racial and Ethnic CompositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)59,86861,72762,34270,14264,35295.70%92.62%89.02%82.34%75.50%Black or African American alone (NH)1172153545716260.19%0.32%0.51%0.67%0.73%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1771481371521000.28%0.22%0.20%0.18%0.12%Asian alone (NH)7161,8842,7635,9257,4431.14%2.83%3.95%6.96%8.73%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)8195810.12%0.11%0.10%Other race alone (NH)5221931654170.08%0.03%0.13%0.19%0.49%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx9611,9624,030xx1.37%2.30%4.73%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,6262,6483,3016,1748,1902.60%3.97%4.71%7.25%9.61%Total62,55666,64370,03285,18685,239100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Newport Beach had a population of 85,239 and a population density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.2% White, 0.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 8.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 9.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 9.6% of the population.
The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.4% were institutionalized. Newport Beach's population was 100.0% urban and 0.0% rural.
There were 38,402 households, of which 20.3% had children under 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.2% were married-couple households, 6.0% were cohabiting couple households, 27.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.9% had a male householder with no partner present. About 32.8% of households were one-person households, and 13.9% had one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21. There were 21,775 families (56.7% of all households).
The age distribution was 16.3% under age 18, 7.4% aged 18 to 24, 23.5% aged 25 to 44, 28.7% aged 45 to 64, and 24.1% aged 65 or older. The median age was 47.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males age 18 and over.
There were 45,016 housing units at an average density of . Of all housing units, 14.7% were vacant; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%. Of the occupied units, 54.1% were owner-occupied and 45.9% were occupied by renters.
2023 ACS estimates In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $158,461, and the per capita income was $113,918. About 4.1% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census reported that Newport Beach had a population of 85,186. The population density was . The racial makeup of Newport Beach was 74,357 (87.3%) White (82.3% Non-Hispanic White), 616 (0.7%) African American, 223 (0.3%) Native American, 5,982 (7.0%) Asian, 114 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 1,401 (1.6%) from other races, and 2,493 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,174 persons (7.2%).
The Census reported that 84,784 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 151 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 251 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 38,751 households, out of which 8,212 (21.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,273 (44.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,608 (6.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,199 (3.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,846 (4.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 233 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12,838 households (33.1%) were individuals, and 4,412 (11.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.19. There were 21,080 families (54.4% of all households); the average family size was 2.81.
The population was different ages with 14,744 people (17.3%) under the age of 18, 6,659 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 22,299 people (26.2%) aged 25 to 44, 25,322 people (29.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 16,162 people (19.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
There were 44,193 housing units at an average density of , of which 21,224 (54.8%) were owner-occupied, and 17,527 (45.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.8%. 50,511 people (59.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 34,273 people (40.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2009–2013 estimates In 2009–2013, Newport Beach had a median household income of $106,333, with 7.9% of the population living below the federal poverty line. Economy
Housing prices in Newport Beach ranked eighth highest in the United States in a 2009 survey.