Arrested Development had it about right - 11/4/2020

I've lived here since late 2014. It's pretty on the outside and ugly on the inside. The people are hyper conservative, aggressively competitive. It's all about money and looks. While the climate is great, beach close by and reasonable quality (if not innovative) dining, it's easily the least happy community we have ever lived in and we've lived in 7 countries and many cities. There's no downtown area and it's pretty much a "closed shop" in terms of socializing and community spirit. Really don't recommend this area unless you own a huge boat, are happy to spend many millions on a house and are willing to compromise your traditional conservative values and support Trump. Anyone who falls on the center to left of the spectrum will struggle to find people with shared values.

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Newport Beach Home - 2/6/2017

I love calling Newport Beach my home. Every time I return from travel, I can feel the stress leave my body the minute I see the Ocean. I sell real estate in Newport Beach which means I get to show and sell some of the finest properties in the world. There is no longer room to build so residents have taken to upgrading and remodeling homes with amazing high end design and style. But I know what I'm really selling is the lifestyle Southern California provides. It's simply priceless!

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You can come home again - 1/30/2015

I currently reside on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, Ca. I grew up in Newport on the peninsula point near the wedge. I still visit the wedge but going to that area in general makes me sad because it's changed so drastically for the worst. My appreciation for the island runs deep. It hasn't changed that much especially compared to other areas in Newport since the 1970s. You can do so many different activities here surfing, skateboarding, sailing, boating, SUP, all water sports for that matter and a safer place for children can't be found in many places period. We have beautiful weather friendly people an active outdoor lifestyle. It's a paradise that's been well preserved. The streets are clean it's got all of the good qualities a person could want. I enjoy being in an area that's still as I remember with a population of white European descent. People here are well educated and traveled. The drawback is the cost of living but this is a very wealthy area that carries the perks as well. Fast friendly police response is invaluable. The weather cannot be beat. Many choices of great restaurants and world class shopping. Best of all you can pretty much bring your dog with you wherever you go. Fashion Island is so dog friendly you can bring them into all of the stores whether it's Neiman Marcus or Muttropolis pet store they are equally welcomed

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People and weather - 10/17/2014

Very Happy people here being a vacation spot and the weather is almost as good as San Diego, CA

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Newport Coast - 5/18/2014

I have lived in Newport Coast for 19 years, We moved here from Villa Park to be closer to the ocean. I have lived in this general area all my life. I have found that the past few years things have changed and not in a good way. The population and housing has become much denser. The new people moving in are young and upwardly mobile. You need to be to live in this area. When we first moved here, Newport Coast was an independent small developing area. The state had just started to allow development in this area. None of us ever thought that would happen. It had been preserved land forever. Now it is almost all built to capacity. They have left hundreds of acres preserved and can never be developed. The weather is the biggest draw here and the beautiful scenery. It hardly ever rains, which is not exactly as good as it sounds. We are prone to fires when we have little rain for several years. And then after a fire, we can have deadly floods and landslides. Earthquakes are rare but just one of the hazards of living in this topography. There is no where that doesn't have something to deal with. I miss the way it was even 20 years ago. We could ride our bikes from our home down to Long Beach and back without fearing for our lives. No more, we cannot ride on the streets anymore. There have been 6 deaths the last 4 years in our area from hit and run bike accidents. You will see many bikers on the weekend in packs riding through the hills and along the ocean. From time to time, you will see a white ghost bike parked along the streets festooned with flowers. That signifies that someone has died there. A grim reminder of how things have changed. If you like world class shopping and dining, fast paced lifestyles and beautiful scenery, this is the place to live. But it comes at a huge price both financially and socially. Newport Coast has great schools. The affluence has afforded many perks. If you are so inclined there are many private clubs and golf courses to join. If celebrity is of interest to you, I often run into one of the Orange County housewives or Kobe Bryant at the market or restaurants. There are two small shopping centers here. Newport Coast shopping center and Crystal Cove. The first one is a small neighborhood center flanked by banks and a market. There are nice stores and restaurants, Crystal Cove is larger and on the ocean. There are several stores, and restaurants and Trader Joes there. The restaurants there are often filmed for the reality show The Orange County housewives. Not far, Fashion Island, an outdoor mall houses many interesting and expensive store. Newport Beach annexed Newport Coast a few years ago and now it is part of the city. Newport Beach stretched from west Newport , a vacation rental spot with beautiful beaches. Lido Island, a private residential area on the harbor. Mariners Mile, shopping and dining along the water. Balboa Island, a quaint, New England style Village with stores and restaurants along Marine Avenue and many homes. Unfortunately, the bungalows of the past have been ripped down and replaced with mini mansions. You can almost touch your neighbors homes if you reach out your window. Parking there is at a premium. The island is famous for the Christmas Boat Parade. where residents decorate their yachts with thousands of colored lights and parade around the islands for 5 nights each December. The homes are also decorated. It is fun to walk around and see the lights and decorations. However, parking is a problem so one has to be creative. Stretching south from Balboa is Corona del Mar and then Newport Coast. That takes in all of Newport Beach until the border of Laguna. It is a wonderful place but not easy to live in or get around in and very expensive. I have lived in this area for over 75 years and have seen many changes. I am thinking about leaving for a more peaceful place.

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Love it or Leave it! - 5/18/2014

I have lived in Newport Coast for 19 years, We moved here from Villa Park to be closer to the ocean. I have lived in this general area all my life. I have found that the past few years things have changed and not in a good way. The population and housing has become much denser. The new people moving in are young and upwardly mobile. You need to be to live in this area. When we first moved here, Newport Coast was an independent small developing area. The state had just started to allow development in this area. None of us ever thought that would happen. It had been preserved land forever. Now it is almost all built to capacity. They have left hundreds of acres preserved and can never be developed. The weather is the biggest draw here and the beautiful scenery. It hardly ever rains, which is not exactly as good as it sounds. We are prone to fires when we have little rain for several years. And then after a fire, we can have deadly floods and landslides. Earthquakes are rare but just one of the hazards of living in this topography. There is no where that doesn't have something to deal with. I miss the way it was even 20 years ago. We could ride our bikes from our home down to Long Beach and back without fearing for our lives. No more, we cannot ride on the streets anymore. There have been 6 deaths the last 4 years in our area from hit and run bike accidents. You will see many bikers on the weekend in packs riding through the hills and along the ocean. From time to time, you will see a white ghost bike parked along the streets festooned with flowers. That signifies that someone has died there. A grim reminder of how things have changed. If you like world class shopping and dining, fast paced lifestyles and beautiful scenery, this is the place to live. But it comes at a huge price both financially and socially. Newport Coast has great schools. The affluence has afforded many perks. If you are so inclined there are many private clubs and golf courses to join. If celebrity is of interest to you, I often run into one of the Orange County housewives or Kobe Bryant at the market or restaurants. There are two small shopping centers here. Newport Coast shopping center and Crystal Cove. The first one is a small neighborhood center flanked by banks and a market. There are nice stores and restaurants, Crystal Cove is larger and on the ocean. There are several stores, and restaurants and Trader Joes there. The restaurants there are often filmed for the reality show The Orange County housewives. Not far, Fashion Island, an outdoor mall houses many interesting and expensive store. Newport Beach annexed Newport Coast a few years ago and now it is part of the city. Newport Beach stretched from west Newport , a vacation rental spot with beautiful beaches. Lido Island, a private residential area on the harbor. Mariners Mile, shopping and dining along the water. Balboa Island, a quaint, New England style Village with stores and restaurants along Marine Avenue and many homes. Unfortunately, the bungalows of the past have been ripped down and replaced with mini mansions. You can almost touch your neighbors homes if you reach out your window. Parking there is at a premium. The island is famous for the Christmas Boat Parade. where residents decorate their yachts with thousands of colored lights and parade around the islands for 5 nights each December. The homes are also decorated. It is fun to walk around and see the lights and decorations. However, parking is a problem so one has to be creative. Stretching south from Balboa is Corona del Mar and then Newport Coast. That takes in all of Newport Beach until the border of Laguna. It is a wonderful place but not easy to live in or get around in and very expensive. I have lived in this area for over 75 years and have seen many changes. I am thinking about leaving for a more peaceful place.

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Corona del Mar - 1/23/2014

CDM is actually the southern part of Newport Beach but likes to maintain its own identity with it's own post office, fire station and library. Unfortunately unaffordable for most unless you were lucky enough, as I was, to buy in before home prices skyrocketed out of sight.

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Newport Beach provides a luxurious lifestyle - 10/16/2011

Known for its picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean, world-class harbor, beaches and outdoor living, Newport Beach epitomizes the quintessential southern California lifestyle. It is recognized as one of the top ten resort communities in the United States, this speaks to its natural beauty and many lifestyle choices. It is a city that speaks to your passions. I know many wealthy individuals from my days in the home building industry and I often asked, “You have the wealth to live anywhere in the world – where will you live after you retire?” They would start with, “I will always keep my home here – then perhaps a flat in Paris … New York… a home in Aspen for the winter . Those from the Mid-West and East Coast often share the fact friends who thought they were insane to move to California, now ask to visit. Watch out or your home will become “Hotel California” – a new alternative to Cabo. Most memorable to me was a TV commercial showing a couple in beach chairs on a beautiful California beach – He say’s to her “Where should we go for vacation, Hawaii?” Her response “Why?” Newport Beach is a small city of 85,000 residents and 41,000 homes. Fifty-seven percent of the occupied housing stock in owner occupied and 43 percent rentals. Over the last 20-years an annual average of 1,398 homes have sold Newport Beach is a city rich in amenities. For boaters a harbor with 1,600-acres of harbor and bay and over 9,000 boats. Want your boat in front of your home? In Newport Beach it is possible to have it all. For the golfer, it offers six golf courses and fairway living, If outdoor recreation is part of your lifestyle, the city offers 58-parks on 450-acres. Fine dining, quality shopping – they are both here. Fashion Island is a spectacular retail center, open to the air – speaking to the mild climate. Seeking employment, Newport Beach has some of Orange Counties most successful offices, it is an employment center for the region. In a community of some 38,000 households, there are some 43,000 jobs in Newport Beach. That is 1.13 jobs per household, representing a job market with opportunities. Is access to an airport important? John Wayne airport is minutes away, proving easy access for travel. Direct flights are available to 16 locations including Dallas Fort Worth, Minneapolis St Paul, Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, Denver and Hawaii. Fly your own plane? John Wayne airport is one of the best small plane airports in the nation. Want continuing education? The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of California, Irvine, delivers 65 stimulating courses each semester – some thing for everybody. It also introduces you to 700 other adult learners and staff where field trips and wine and food pairings introduce you to new friends. Volunteer opportunities include mentoring young college students – this is a chance to share you life time of experience with a young man or woman majoring in you field of business – a meaningful use of your time. For beach lovers, there are nine miles of one of the most spectacular beaches in California. Love to surf – here you will find the challenges you seek. The City’s coastal location comes with many advantages – including the temperate climate. The summer average high temperatures in the low 70 degrees, winter sees average lows in the 40ties. Record highs are between 90 & 107: lows are in the 28 to 32 degrees.

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Newport Beach cost of living - 12/2/2010

Newport Beach is very expensive. Beautiful, wealthy people... however it's the priciest real estate market in the nation.

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One of the best places to live in the United State - 9/2/2010

I lived in Newport Beach for about two years and loved every minute of it. Great restaurants, great shopping, beautiful ocean scenery, great night life...Full of locals who love to live the beach life! Worth every penny you spend to live here.

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Great place to live if you can afford it - 5/18/2010

Housing isn't cheap in Newport Beach but it's definitely worth it if you can afford it. In the years I lived there, the people were great and there's not a lot of crime. People can actually drive. It's a really great place to live.

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Great place to live if you can afford it - 5/18/2010

Housing isn't cheap in Newport Beach but it's definitely worth it if you can afford it.

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If you can afford it... - 11/2/2008

If you can afford it AND don't mind stuck-up fake plastic people, then it's a great place to live. The beach bars are great, the actual beaches are dirty, but the weather is wonderful. I am leaving because I can't stand the fake people and don't want to raise my daughter in a place that is so materialistic. Although, she does go to a blue ribbon school that provides wonderful programs because of all of the money and mothers who don't have to work because their husbands just want them to look pretty and do what they are told.

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Paradise if you can afford it - 1/30/2008

Newport Beach is paradise if you have a substantial income to sustain your lifestyle.

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greatest climate in North America - 11/28/2007

While we lack four definitive seasons it hard to find better year around weather. Great summers with no humidity and winters that range from 50-80 degrees depending on the week with about 10 inches of rain. Just watch the Rose Bowl and consider what the temperature is in Chicago, Denver, etcc.

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Newport Beach, California: If you're here, you've - 11/18/2007

Obviously any area with a median home price of $2,600,000 is not going to be ordinary. The big advantage of living here is that you get the best of everything. The finest restaurants, the world's biggest Mercedes-Benz dealer, the sleekest road network, and if you're willing to pay $15,000,000 for a house it will be brilliantly designed and stunning in all respects. Your more typical $4 million oceanfront house gives you one of the most beautiful views in the nation, but you're literally three feet away from your neighbor on both sides. Commercial property in Newport Beach and Orange County in general is stunningly ultra-modern and immaculately maintained. A fellow named Donald Bren of Irvine Company owns most of it, and as a consequence is worth a snappy $15 billion (yes, with a B; his house alone is probably worth $15 million). He'll charge top rents but deliver top quality. Living with extreme wealth means extreme wealth. How extreme? Visit the web site of Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz and see all the pre-owned cars available for sale. Yes, people trade in last year's S-Class to exchange for this year's model, at $90,000 a pop. This is a phenomenon seen in few places in the nation and certainly it has helped pay the bills on Fletcher Jones' massive palace of cars. Newport Beach and surrounding areas has the best shopping in the universe. Centers like Fashion Island (owned, of course, by the aforementioned Bren) combine stunning beauty with sleek design and, of course, the expected high prices. But don't worry, the world-class delicious cinnamon twist pastry in Pan de le Monde in the Atrium court is around $2, and you can enjoy it near the Koi pond watching the fish wander around, and the nearby Barnes & Noble will sell you books no more expensively than anywhere else. A cheap day in an expensive place. On the other hand, there are no poor people. They simply do not exist in this universe. $1,200 a month studio apartments are the closest thing you'll see to affordable housing. The poor areas are all far inland, and people are bussed in from there to do whatever grunt work is required. The good news, of course, is that eliminating poor people has all but eliminated crime, too. Look at the reviews of Santa Monica, CA that talk about the homeless to see why things are done that way here. If you can afford to live here, it's one of the most stunningly beautiful and practical places in the world to be, with no compromises in climate, beauty or availability of just about anything. You are likely to feel significant pressure to keep up with the Joneses, with new S-Classes every year, a 47' Grand Banks in the back yard, and so on. This means that even the very stiff housing costs may be only the beginning ... Because you are not living in an ordinary place. Which means you have to be a pretty extraordinary person to move here.

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climate vs expense - 11/6/2007

I have lived all over the U.S.; the NE (PA, MD, NY),SE (VA,GA,FL,) and Texas. Newort Beach California is absolutely, without a doubt the most beautiful and pleasant places to live. Downside; It is expensive so if money is not a consideration there is no arguement. I have determined that "climate" is of ultimate importance as it is climate (and health) that allows us to enjoy what a city and area have to offer. Since money IS a consideration for me, I am looking for a city that has warm, comfortable, low precipatation, climate and a less expensive "cost of living". i do not want to predicate my activities on whether (or not) the weather will cooperate (I am spoiled). So far Scottsdale, AZ is most appealing. Yes summer is hot but weather good otherwise and conpared to Newport Beach is affordable.

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Climate - 9/23/2007

Simply the best when it comes to weather.

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best place to live if you can afford it - 11/29/2006

We love it here but the cost of living is out of control. The area and proximity to all activities is unbeatable but you definately pay for it. sun, ocean, shopping, recreation, culture is all available with in an hour. Access to travel is within 15 min and skiing in the local mountains is within 2 hours.

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Newport Coast - 8/5/2006

Overpriced but worth it....beautiful canyons and vistas. We love it here but not sure we could afford it now.

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