Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California
Encyclopedia
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
, actually comprising three modified or artificial island
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
s in Newport Harbor: Balboa Island (33°36′23"N 117°53′40"W), the largest; the smaller Little Balboa Island (33°36′23"N 117°53′16"W) to the east of Balboa Island, joined by a two-lane bridge; and the smallest Collins Island
Collins Island, Newport Beach, California
Collins Island is a part of Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California. In 1902, James McFadden sold his Newport townsite and about half of the Peninsula to William S. Collins, who saw Newport Bay’s resort and recreation potential....
(33°36′31"N 117°54′1"W) to the northwest of Balboa Island, joined by a one-lane bridge. The Balboa Island community is joined to the mainland by a short two-lane bridge on the northeast of Balboa Island, and a privately-operated fleet of three, three-car ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
boats (Balboa Island Ferry
Balboa Island Ferry
The Balboa Island Car Ferry is a ferry service in Newport Beach, California.The ferry boats travel under 1,000 feet from Balboa Island to the Balboa Peninsula and vice versa, reaching a top speed of four miles per hour. The speed limit in the harbor is 5 miles per hour, and the ferry docks about...
) which provide access across the harbor to the Balboa Peninsula which lies to the south.
History
Balboa Pavilion
The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, is a state landmark. Established on July 1, 1906, the Balboa Pavilion played a prominent role in the development of Newport Beach by attracting real estate buyers to an area formerly designated as “swamp and overflow” land.The Balboa...
, and soon the Red Cars brought thousands of visitors from Los Angeles.
In the late 1860s, the bay was used as a landing to load hides, tallow, hay and other goods for export. In September 1870, Captain Samuel S. Dunnells’ steamer Vaquero ventured into the bay to offload a cargo of lumber and shingles. Captain Dunnells soon established “Newport Landing” by constructing a small wharf and warehouse near the west end of the present Coast Highway/Newport Bay Bridge.
James McFadden and his younger brother Robert acquired the landing in 1875 and for the next 19 years operated a thriving commercial trade and shipping business. However, the bay was not yet a true harbor and sand bars and a treacherous bay entrance caused the McFadden brothers to move the shipping business to the oceanfront by constructing a large pier on the sand spit that would become the Balboa Peninsula. The site was ideal because a submarine canyon (Newport Submarine Canyon - a favorite breeding ground for the Great White Shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
), carved along with Newport Bay by the ancient Santa Ana River
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
, provided calm waters close to the shore. McFadden Wharf was completed in 1888 and was connected by rail to Santa Ana in 1891. For the next eight years, the McFadden Wharf area was a booming commercial and shipping center and a company town began to grow. However, in 1899, the Federal Government allocated funds for major improvements to a new harbor at San Pedro, which would become Southern California’s major seaport. The McFadden Wharf and railroad was sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
that same year, signaling the end of Newport Bay as a commercial shipping center.
In 1902, James McFadden sold his Newport townsite and about half the Peninsula to William S. Collins, who saw Newport Bay’s resort and recreation potential. Collins took on Henry E. Huntington as a partner in the Newport Beach Company. Huntington had acquired the Pacific Electric railway system and used it to promote new communities outside of Los Angeles. In 1905, the Pacific Electric “Red Cars” were extended to Newport. Collins began dredging a channel on the north side of the bay and deposited the sand and silt on tidelands that would become Balboa Island.
Between 1902 and 1907, many of Newport Beaches’ waterfront communities were subdivided, including West Newport, East Newport, Bay Island, Balboa, and Balboa Island. This established the grid system of small lots and narrow streets and alleys that still exists today.
Within a few years, real estate promoters began sending salesmen to Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
(both connected by the Red Cars) to promote property in and around Newport Harbor. Much Balboa Island property was sold in Pasadena, one of the reasons that many longtime Island residents have family and contacts in the Pasadena area. One of these real estate promoters was William Collins
William Collins
William Collins may refer to:* William Collins , Bishop of Gibraltar in the Church of England* William Collins , English poet* William Collins , English landscape artist...
. At the time, Balboa Island was little more than a sandbar, usually swallowed up by high tide.
In 1908 and 1909, with permission of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Collins moved his small dredge to the eastern part of the Newport bay, a mud flat called "Snipe Island," and begin cutting a channel along the north side of the bay across from the Pavilion, piling the sand and silt up on the mud flat and thus Balboa Island was born.
At this time, an advertising campaign was offering waterfront lots for $350.00 to $750.00. However, despite the advertisements, Collins originally sold lots on the Island for as little as $25.00, with promises that all streets, sewers and street lights would soon be installed and a bridge and ferry service to follow. Construction was begun for the ferry landing. Streets were staked out and lots were mapped. Even a few narrow sidewalks were built. A low 14 inches (355.6 mm) wooden bulkhead was built along the south side of the island and an impromptu sewer system was laid out with pipes draining onto the beaches at their low tide levels to keep the discharge out of sight.
The island grew slowly at first, but in 1916, it became part of the City of Newport Beach. In 1918 the Balboa Island Improvement Association was started (and is still going strong). The BIIA was a strong motivating force in working with the City on bulkhead repair, ferry service, a sewer system, water, gas, electricity, paved streets and sidewalks, and street lighting.
In those early days (1919), water for the Island came from the famous "Wooden Water Tower" built on Agate St. (removed in 1929). In 1920, Park Avenue was the only paved road on the Island. People had outhouses behind their houses as there was no sewer, and some buried their trash in vacant lots. In 1920, a gas utility came to the Island providing heating, cooking, and lights.
Joseph Allan Beek, while still a student at Pasadena City College, was enchanted with the area, and became one of Collins' salesmen. Joe Beek played a crucial role in the development of Balboa Island, and spent a lifetime devoted to it. In 1919, Joe got the first contract for a ferry between the Island and Balboa Peninsula. In 1920, the first car was pushed across the bay (for 10 cents). In 1922, Joe Beek got a 15-year franchise, using the ferry boat "Joker", which could hold two cars. That franchise has continued to this day, with three 64 ft (19.5 m) boats, named "Admiral," "Captain," and "Commodore," that can each carry three vehicles. Beek later became Secretary of the California State Senate, where he served until his death in 1968.
By 1921, homes were beginning to fill in the Island and Balboa Peninsula. Roads to the Newport Harbor area were still largely undeveloped, and many people still arrived by rail to the peninsula and took the ferry over to the island. Although the first bridge from the mainland to the island's North Bay Front was built in 1912, it was not capable of carrying automobiles until 1929, when it was refurbished.
The seawall was rebuilt in 1922. . The Grand Canal wooden bulkhead and walk were rebuilt in concrete in 1929. The present day Bay Front bulkhead, walks and public piers were completed in 1938.
In 1924, the narrow bridge to Balboa Island was replaced with two lanes of wood. That bridge existed until 1928, when it was demolished to make way for a concrete bridge. Some of the wood from the old bridge was used to construct the building next to the "Jolly Roger" Restaurant (now Wilma's) on Marine Avenue. In 1929, a new concrete bridge was built and served for 51 years. The island's population grew from a little over 100 in 1929 to today's 4,500 in winter, and close to 10,000 summer renters. In 1981, the existing concrete bridge was replaced with a new, modern concrete structure with 9' wide walks.
In 1941 Englishman William Maxwell purchased 15 lots, an investment that he still owns today.
Jamboree Road
The 1953 National Scout Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
held its event where Newport Center
Newport Center
Newport Center is a business, shopping, and entertainment district located on a high bluff overlooking Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, California. Newport Center is also famously dubbed "Fashion Island" amongst locals. It was created in the early 1960s as part of William Pereira's master plan for...
and Fashion Island
Fashion Island
Fashion Island is an upscale open-air lifestyle center in Newport Beach, California . Fashion Island is owned by The Irvine Company.-History:...
are now located. It was the third international jamboree, the first to be held west of the Mississippi River, and had 50,000 scouts from all 50 states and 16 foreign countries. Thousands of tents were pitched in the area accessible only by a muddy two-lane trail called Palisades Road. The road was soon paved, and later the name was changed to Jamboree Road in honor of the event. It remains a major thoroughfare through Newport Beach, ending at Balboa Island.
Balboa Island today
According to the 2000 US Census, Balboa Island is one of the densest communities in Orange County. Approximately 3,000 residents live on just 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) giving it a population density of 17,621 person per square mile—higher than that of San Francisco. Despite having some of the country's most expensive homes, most of the dwellings are on small lots. A lot size on Balboa Island is 35 feet x 85 feet. In 2008 "teardowns" on interior lots of that size were going for $2,000,000. As times change some of the lots are being cobbled together into 1.5 or 2.0 sized lots for larger homes.The perimeter of the island along the Bayfront is dotted with piers for the homeowners' boats. Marine Avenue and Agate Avenue form the commercial spine of the island. Part of the attractiveness of the commercial districts is its "mixed use" or "loft" characteristic where a business has a residence above it. This adds a European flavor to the island and allows the business owner to actually live on the same property, a really "green" alternative in terms of commuting. These residences can be found on both Agate Avenue and Marine Avenue.
Balboa Island has developed into a close-knit community, home to professionals, families, retirees, students and celebrities. Balboa Island has several associations. The Balboa Island Improvement Association which is a voluntary group of people who live or work on Balboa Island. The Business Improvement District which is a Merchant sponsored group on Marine Avenue. The Little Balboa Island Association which is a group of home owners only on Little Balboa Island. There is plenty of opportunity for community involvement on Balboa Island.
Balboa Island is one of the most expensive real estate markets in North America outside of Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. A two-bedroom house with a water view from the living room can cost about $3 million.
Local tradition has it that Balboa Island is where the frozen chocolate banana was first marketed. Snack shops on Marine Avenue will dip a frozen banana on a stick into chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
sauce and dredge it in ground nuts or candy sprinkles. This legend is referenced in the American television show Arrested Development in which the wealthy Bluth family of Orange County owns a frozen chocolate banana stand on Balboa Island. Another popular island confection is the Balboa bar, a square of vanilla ice cream on a stick that is prepared in a similar fashion.
Tourists from all over the world come to stay on the island in one of the many vacation rentals, year after year as tradition. They enjoy the summer days at the beach and evenings on the main street having dinner in the many restaurants, after dinner having their Balboa Bars at the ice cream shops and getting bags of saltwater taffy at the old fashioned candy store.
The ZIP Code for Balboa Island is 92662.