The Balboa Pier was constructed in 1906 as a sister project of the Balboa Pavilion. The Newport Bay investment Company wanted to attract lot buyers to an undeveloped spit of sandy land now called the Balboa Peninsula. In order to do so, they built both the Balboa Pavilion and the Balboa Pier. These two structures were built to coincide with the opening of the southern terminus of the Pacific Electric Railway Red Car line from Long Beach to the Balboa Peninsula. The plan worked; multitudes of beachgoers flocked to Balboa, and many purchased lots.
The pier is a popular fishing spot. The fish caught from the pier consist mostly of mackerel and flounder. The pilings are home to a large population of starfish that feed on the large colonies of mussels growing there. Fishermen catching starfish by mistake are a relatively common sight.
In the 1980s, the first of Orange County's Ruby's Diner restaurants opened on the pier. The 1940s nostalgia-themed restaurant has since become an Orange County landmark.
Balboa Pier Park
The pier was heavily damaged in the severe El Niño storms of 1998, which also destroyed the famous diamond-shaped Aliso Pier in Laguna Beach. One of the pillars was damaged, causing a partial collapse of one corner. The wooden posts have since been reinforced with steel sheathing and braces to prevent further damage.
Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries; however, today it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws visitors with a waterfront path and easy access from the ferry to the shops and restaurants.
Seal Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,242, up from 24,168 at the 2010 census.
Balboa Island is a harborside community in Newport Beach, California, accessible to the public via bridge, ferry and several public docks. The community is surrounded by a paved concrete boardwalk open to pedestrian traffic, designated as a public walking trail by the city.
The Balboa Peninsula is a neighborhood of the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It is named after Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to sight the Pacific from the Americas. Balboa is primarily residential with some commercial areas.
Newport Center is a business, shopping, and entertainment district located on a high bluff overlooking Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, California, centered around the Fashion Island regional shopping mall. It was created in the early 1960s as part of William Pereira's master plan for the Irvine Ranch. Newport Center was created as the unofficial "downtown" of the Irvine Ranch, which at the time extended all the way down to Pacific Coast Highway.
The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, is a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Place. 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 Island Car Ferry is a ferry service in Newport Beach, California.
The Balboa Fun Zone is a family destination located on the Balboa Peninsula in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. The Balboa Fun Zone offers both an ocean and harbor experience for an estimated seven million annual visitors to Newport Beach.
The recorded history of the Newport Beach, California region began when the area was first explored by Europeans in the 1500s. Prior to that time, Native Americans such as the Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño people had been living in the area for thousands of years. Explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo mapped the coastline in 1542, but it was 200 years before Europeans settled the area. In 1769, Newport was a small portion of the land grant of Don José Antonio Yorba I, first under Spanish and then Mexican rule. After the Civil War, the land was developed by American settlers: for ranching by James Irvine and for shipping by James McFadden. A small settlement was built around McFaddens’ Wharf and it became the largest business of Orange County, California. Following the opening of the San Pedro Harbor in Los Angeles in 1899, the commercial shipping industry in Newport declined. Newport Beach developed into a tourist and recreational boating community. in August 1906, Newport Beach became incorporated as a city.
The Balboa Bay Resort is a 160-room resort hotel in Newport Beach, California, United States on 15 acres (6.1 ha). The facility was founded in 1948 as the Balboa Bay Club, a private yacht club. The Balboa Bay Club includes a 130-slip marina, private beach, waterfront pools, private restaurant, a spa and fitness center, and 145 apartments on the Newport Beach Harbor waterfront on the Pacific Coast Highway.
The Crab Cooker is a popular Southern California restaurant specializing in seafood that is located at 22nd Street and Newport Boulevard in Newport Beach on the Balboa Peninsula. In 1969, Venture Magazine rated it as one of the top two restaurants in the world.
Beek's Place is a location in North Eastern Orange County California, elevation 2,820 ft (860 m).
Ruby’s Diner is a California-based U.S. chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1982. The original location was a converted bait shack at the end of Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. The restaurants are designed with a retro 1940s/1950s atmosphere. As of 2023, most locations are in Southern California, but there are also locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey and in the Las Vegas airport.
Linda Isle is a part of the Lower Bay of Newport Beach, California. In 1954, Linda Isle became the last island to be incorporated into the city of Newport Beach, and it was in this period that the entire city, including the islands, began to change from a resort to a residential community. Linda Island is laid out in the shape of a horseshoe, and each home has its own dock. The island is not accessible to the public.
Bay Island is a small island located halfway down Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California. It is the only island in the Newport Beach harbor islands that does not allow car traffic. The island is accessible via a small bridge that will only accommodate golf carts. The island is not accessible to the public by land, though public access to its beaches is protected by the California Constitution. It has 23 residences, a botanical garden, courtyard garden, tennis court, and several beaches.
Newport Harbor Yacht Club is a yacht club located on the Balboa Peninsula, which is a neighborhood of the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California.
The Rendezvous Ballroom was a large dance hall built in 1928, located on the beach of Balboa Peninsula in Orange County, Southern California, between Los Angeles and San Diego. The 1920s were the beginning of the heyday of public dancing to the music of popular bands and orchestras, and large ballrooms were built in most urban areas, and even on Catalina Island, 26 miles off the California coast.
The place of McFadden Wharf was designated a California Historic Landmark (No.794) on July 3, 1964.
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