Virtual tours of USA - CALIFORNIA

Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, 10 miles south of downtown Santa Ana. 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 UC Irvine), and on the east side by Crystal Cove State Park. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 70,032. The total area of Newport Beach City is 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.

The city is home to several well known communities and recent annexations including Balboa Island, Corona del Mar, San Joaquin Hills, Newport Coast, and Balboa Peninsula (also known as Balboa). The Upper Newport Bay was carved out by the prehistoric flow of the Santa Ana River. It feeds the delta that is the Back Bay, and eventually joins the Newport Harbor.

Newport Beach attractions include beaches on the Balboa Peninsula (featuring body-surfing hot-spot The Wedge) and in Corona del Mar, beaches in Crystal Cove State Park, and the Balboa Peninsula with Balboa Fun Zone and Balboa Pavilion, Newport Beach's most famous landmark. The Back Bay is a wildlife sanctuary, while nearby Fashion Island provides shopping experiences. The Newport Aquatic Center offers kayaking, rowing, and canoeing. The Pelican Hill area has two golf courses.

Newport Beach's Balboa Island is an artificial island is Newport Harbor. The Balboa Island Ferry transports cars, bicycles and pedestrians across the harbor channel between Balboa Island and the Balboa Peninsula. The Catalina Flyer catamaran provides daily transportation from the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach to Avalon on Santa Catalina Island.