Attractions

Attractions include beaches on the peninsula (featuring body-surfing hot-spot The Wedge) and in Corona del Mar. Crystal Cove State Park is located at the southern end of the coast.

The Catalina Flyer, a giant 500 passenger catamaran, provides daily transportation from the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach to Avalon, California located on Santa Catalina Island. The historic Balboa Pavilion, established in 1906, is Newport Beach's most famous landmark.

The Balboa Fun Zone, located on the Balboa Peninsula, features a ferris wheel, an old-time Merry-Go-Round, and bumper cars as well as quaint shops and restaurants.

The Orange County Museum of Art is an art museum that exhibits art from a variety of modern artists.

Balboa Island is an artificial island in Newport Harbor that was dredged and filled right before World War I. The Balboa Island Ferry transports cars, bicycles and pedestrians across the harbor channel between Balboa Island and the Balboa Peninsula.

The Back Bay is a wildlife sanctuary, while nearby Fashion Island provides shopping experiences with department stores like Bloomingdale's. The Newport Beach public library's spectacular architecture has been featured in the movie Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.

The Newport Aquatic Center offers kayaking, rowing, and canoeing. It has been a training ground for many Olympians throughout the years, and runs several programs for the youth of Orange County, including programs for at-risk youth.

The Pelican Hill area has two golf courses, and several stately hotels and clubs, but no private homes. It is located on a small 1.2 square mile sliver of land, and contours the Pacific Coast.

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History

See History of Newport Beach.

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Recent annexations

San Joaquin Hills, California (January 1, 2002)
Newport Coast, California (2001)

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Geography

Early morning at Newport Beach.

Newport Beach is 25 feet (8 meters) above sea level and located at 33°37′0″N, 117°53′51″W (33.616671, -117.897604)^GR1.

The city is bordered to the west by Huntington Beach at the Santa Ana River, on the north side by Costa Mesa, John Wayne Airport, and Irvine (including the UC Irvine), and on the east side by Crystal Cove State Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 103.2 km² (39.8 mi²). 38.3 km² (14.8 mi²) of it is land and 64.9 km² (25.1 mi²) of it (62.91%) is water.

Areas of Newport Beach include Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Newport Coast, San Joaquin Hills, and Balboa Peninsula (also known as Balboa).

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Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 70,032 people, 33,071 households, and 16,965 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,829.5/km² (4,738.8/mi²). There were 37,288 housing units at an average density of 974.1/km² (2,523.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.22% White, 0.53% African American, 0.26% Native American, 4.00% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.13% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.71% of the population.

There were 33,071 households out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.7% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $83,455, and the median income for a family was $111,166. Males had a median income of $73,425 versus $45,409 for females. The per capita income for the city was $63,015. About 2.1% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

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Popular Culture

The city has figured into several television shows.

The OC is set mostly in Newport Beach.
The characters in Arrested Development lived and worked in Newport Beach and much of the stories took place there and in the surrounding Orange County area.
In the Lost Season Two Finale, "Live Together, Die Alone," the boat "Elizabeth" had a Newport Beach hailing port, which was painted on her transom.
The West Wing has used Newport Beach and the Orange County area a number of times, basing Sam Seaborn's bid for congress in the district and filming on location during five different Series 4 episodes.

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Notable residents

Additionally, over the decades, entertainment figures since the Golden Era of Hollywood have made Newport Beach their home at least part of the year, including: