Love it or Leave it!
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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.
JULIETTE | Newport Beach, CA