Collection on the development of Newport Beach, California, 1966-1995

Printable guide [HTML]

Summary

Abstract:

This collection comprises municipal documents and other materials related to the planning and development of the City of Newport Beach, California.

Extent:

1.2 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

Collection on the Development of Newport Beach, California. MS-R142. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection comprises municipal documents and other materials related to the planning and development of the City of Newport Beach, California. The bulk of the collection is from the 1970s and includes reports, directories, manuals, legal documents, newsletters, and publicity related to city planning, retail, and housing developments.

Biographical / historical:

Incorporated in 1906, the City of Newport Beach was initially a small, isolated tourist destination, with seasonal residents occupying self-supporting villages such as Lido Isle and the Balboa Peninsula. During the 1940s and 1950s, more permanent residents moved to Newport Beach due to importation of water from the Colorado River, highway expansion, and the growing military population.

Newport Beach began a period of marked expansion in 1958 when the Ford Aeronautic research facility and the Hughes Superconductor plant opened and in 1959 Irvine Company donated 1,000 acres for the UC Irvine campus. Throughout this time Newport Beach invested public funds in recreation spaces, landmark restoration, and a hospital. In the 1960s through the 1980s, the city continued to embark on large-scale community planning projects.

Chronology
Date	Event
1842	Jose Andres Sepulveda acquires Rancho San Joaquin (including the Newport Upper Bay and most of the mainland shoreline of the lower bay) through a Mexican land grant.
1864	Joss Sepulveda sells holdings to partners Flint, Bixby and Irvine.
1870	The Steamer Vaquero enters Newport Bay; a landing is established and the area is named Newport.
1876	James Irvine acquires what becomes the Irvine Ranch from his partners, the land and areas that will later become the City of Newport Beach .
1888	The McFadden brothers build an ocean wharf.
1889	The McFadden brothers move their shipping business from inside the bay to the new outside landing on the peninsula.
1903-1907	The subdivisions of Newport are established as West Newport, East Newport, Bay Island, Balboa, Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, and Port Orange.
1905	The Pacific Electric Railroad reaches Newport, establishing a connection between Los Angeles and Newport.
1906	Newport Beach becomes a city and annexes Balboa.
1910	The McFadden brothers sell Newport, Lido, and Balboa Island.
1921	The Santa Ana River is rechanneled from Newport Bay to the sea.
1922	The first sanitary sewers are installed.
1923	Corona del Mar is annexed by the city of Newport Beach and the Eddie Martin Airport opens (now John Wayne Airport).
1926	The Coast Highway opens.
1941	The Metropolitan River District begins receiving water via the Colorado River Aqueduct.
1943	El Toro Marine Base opens, attracting thousand of recruits to the area with many settling in the Newport area.
1950	Monies are secured for the construction of Hoag Hospital in Newport.
1958	Hughes semiconductor plant, Ford Aeronautics, and Newport Dunes open.
1959	Newporter Inn opens.
1960	The first high rise apartment development opens.
1965	UC Irvine opens with 1,600 students.
1967	Fashion Island opens.
1971	Voters reject building a freeway through the city. Fun Zone is saved from redevelopment, thus marking the beginning of a preservation and anti-growth movement.
1973	Orange County bus lines are extended to Newport.
1976	Sheraton Hotel builds a 300 room complex on Emkay Development Company land.

Acquisition information:

Transferred from the UC Irvine Libraries Government Documents Division, 2005.

Processing information:

Processed by Joanna Lamb, 2009.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged alphabetically under two divisions, the City of Newport Beach Planning and Development records and Related Orange County Materials.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: City planning -- California -- Newport Beach -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Places:: Newport Beach (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources

Access and use

Restrictions:: The collection is open for research.
Terms of access:: Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. Some materials are in the public domain. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.