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The city of Newport Beach is home to several well known communities and recent annexations including Balboa Island, Corona del Mar, San Joaquin Hills, and Newport Coast. Attractions include beaches on the peninsula (featuring body-surfing hot-spot The Wedge) and in Corona del Mar.
Corona del Mar (Spanish for Crown of the Sea) is a part of the City of Newport Beach. Located 50 miles south of Los Angeles, 4 miles west of John Wayne Airport and 70 miles north of San Diego, it is nestled on and at the foot of the San Joaquin Hills fronting the Pacific Ocean, Corona del Mar ranges along a bluff at the south end of Newport Beach and includes some of the city.s most prestigious residential areas. Streets of Corona del Mar are named after flowers, and run in alphabetical order from Acacia to Poppy, each lined with a different variety of trees. Beautiful flower gardens on each street display the flower from which the street is named.
Balboa Island is an artificial island in Newport Harbor that was dredged and filled right before World War I. The Balboa Island Ferry transports cars, bicycles and pedestrians across the harbor channel between Balboa Island and the Balboa Peninsula.
Newport Attractions:
Sherman Gardens were begun in 1966 in memory of Moses H. Sherman (1853-1932) who was an early California pioneer and educator. Over 1,000 species may be seen here as well as 200 genera of cacti, succulents and exotic vegetation.
The Catalina Flyer, a giant 500 passenger catamaran, provides daily transportation from the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach to Avalon, California located on Santa Catalina Island. The historic Balboa Pavilion, established in 1906, is Newport Beach's most famous landmark.
The Balboa Fun Zone, located on the Balboa Peninsula, features a ferris wheel, an old-time Merry-Go-Round, and bumper cars as well as quaint shops and restaurants.
The Orange County Museum of Art is an art museum that exhibits art from a variety of modern artists.
The Back Bay is a wildlife sanctuary, while nearby Fashion Island provides shopping experiences with department stores like Bloomingdale's. The Newport Beach public library's spectacular architecture has been featured in the movie Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
The Newport Aquatic Center offers kayaking, rowing, and canoeing. It has been a training ground for many Olympians throughout the years, and runs several programs for the youth of Orange County, including programs for at-risk youth.
The Pelican Hill area has two golf courses, and several stately hotels and clubs, but no private homes. It is located on a small 1.2 square mile sliver of land, and contours the Pacific Coast.
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