Newport Beach Turns 120. Here's What the Balboa Peninsula Looked Like in 1906.

Published November 9, 2026

Aerial view of the Balboa Peninsula in 1906, showing early development and coastline.

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NEWPORT BEACH | AROUND NEWPORT | NOVEMBER 9, 2026

Newport Beach turned 120 on Sept. 1. If you live on the peninsula, here’s the fun part: back then, your street was basically a sales pitch.

The land was officially labeled “swamp and overflow.” Not exactly a listing photo. The city’s own Historian Laureate, Bill Lobdell, told the Arts Commission last December that Newport Bay didn’t even exist before the 1800s, and that a shift in the Santa Ana River built the peninsula in just a few decades. Geologically speaking, Balboa is the new kid.

Then came the Red Car

In 1905, Pacific Electric’s Red Cars reached Newport. On July 4, 1906, the line pushed all the way to Balboa. Developers knew exactly what that meant: day-trippers from Los Angeles with money in their pockets.

A historical newspaper article discussing improvements at Balboa Peninsula with a horse-drawn carriage.

So the Newport Bay Investment Company went big. The Balboa Pavilion went up to greet the Red Car, and the Balboa Pier was built right alongside it, both meant to sell lots on an empty sand spit. The Balboa Hotel, on the spot where the post office sits today, was thrown together in 10 days to be ready for the trains. It worked. People came, and plenty of them bought lots.

A city is born (for a drink)

That August, the bay town voted to incorporate. On Sept. 1, 1906, Newport Beach became the fifth city in Orange County, with about 206 people. Lobdell’s take on why: Orange County was dry, and becoming a city was the ticket to a liquor license. Newport Beach was founded so somebody could have a beer. Honestly, very on brand.

What’s still here

The Pavilion still stands at 400 Main St. The pier is still out there. The Red Car is long gone, and parking hasn’t gotten any easier since.

Today Newport has about 85,000 people, plus a whole lot of visitors who have no idea the peninsula started as swamp land with a sales team.