Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is Orange County’s harbor city: a stretch of Pacific shoreline wrapped around one of California’s best-known recreational harbors, with Balboa Island, the Balboa Peninsula, Corona del Mar and Newport Coast inside the same city limits.
Planning a visit? See our Things to Do in Newport Beach guide for beaches, harbor stops, Crystal Cove, Fashion Island and more.
Newport Beach is one of the 34 Orange County cities. For sand-by-sand beach detail, start with Newport Beach beaches.
About Newport Beach
The city sits on the Orange County coast south of Los Angeles. Daily life here centers on the harbor and the beaches: ferry rides to Balboa Island, the Fun Zone and piers on the peninsula, cliff-backed sand in Corona del Mar, and shopping and dining around Fashion Island. Pelican Hill and Newport Coast sit toward the south end of the city along Pacific Coast Highway.
Visitor seasons still revolve around the water—harbor cruises and paddle craft, surfing and tidepools, and big annual events such as the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade and summer beach gatherings. Nearby open space includes Crystal Cove State Park along the coast and the Upper Newport Bay wetlands inland from the lower harbor.
Things to Do in Newport Beach
Use this page to get oriented, then open the full list on our Newport Beach bucket list. Highlights include:
- Balboa Fun Zone and the Balboa Island Ferry
- Balboa Island shops and a Balboa Bar
- Newport and Balboa piers, plus bodysurfing at the Wedge
- Corona del Mar and Little Corona tidepools
- Crystal Cove State Park
- Fashion Island
- Paddle and row programs at the Newport Aquatic Center on the Back Bay
- Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and the Muth Interpretive Center
- Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar
- Free outdoor sculpture at Civic Center Park
- Newport Dunes on the bay
- Seasonal picks: Christmas Boat Parade, Lighting of the Bay, 4th of July
Lodging ideas: Newport Beach hotels.
Neighborhoods Inside Newport Beach
Names locals use every day are usually neighborhoods, not separate cities. Balboa Island, the Balboa Peninsula, Corona del Mar, Lido Isle, Newport Heights and Newport Coast are all part of Newport Beach. See the neighborhoods table on the Orange County cities hub for more vanity place names countywide.
Newport Beach Quick Facts
Population: 82,306 (California Department of Finance estimate for January 1, 2026).
Land area: about 23.8 square miles (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020).
City total area (land + ocean/bay/harbor waters): about 49 square miles per the city’s demographics summary.
Harbor: about 21.6 miles of harbor shoreline and roughly 4,300 boats, per the City of Newport Beach.
Incorporation: September 1, 1906.
For every OC city’s population, see Orange County population by city.
Newport Beach History
Commerce on this stretch of coast accelerated in 1870 when Captain Samuel S. Dunnells brought the ship Vaquero into the bay and helped establish Newport Landing. The McFadden brothers later ran shipping through the area; McFadden’s Wharf stood near today’s Newport Pier. Harbor improvements and island fill created much of the shoreline layout visitors still use, including Balboa Island and Lido Isle.
The city incorporated in 1906. Through the twentieth century the harbor shifted from commercial shipping toward recreation, fishing and boating, while Pacific Coast Highway and nearby open space—including what is now Crystal Cove State Park—shaped how people reach the beaches.
City Resources
For permits, park hours, harbor contacts and resident services, use the official site: newportbeachca.gov.
