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The Balboa Pier is one of two piers in the city of
Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. 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 v ...
,
Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, ...
. The other ocean pier on the
Balboa Peninsula The Balboa Peninsula (also referred to as "Balboa" or "the 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 ...
is the Newport Pier. The Balboa Pier was constructed in 1906 as a sister project of the
Balboa Pavilion 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 a ...
. 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 The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...
Red Car line from
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporated ...
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 Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...
and
flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, tho ...
. The pilings are home to a large population of starfish that feed on the large colonies of
mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...
growing there. Fishermen catching starfish by mistake are a relatively common sight. In the 1980s, the first of Orange County's
Ruby's Diner Ruby's Diner is a restaurant chain aesthetically designed after American diners of the Swing Era. It first opened on December 7, 1982 by Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides. Ruby's Diner serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a menu that includes ...
restaurants opened on the pier. The 1940s nostalgia-themed restaurant has since become an Orange County landmark. The pier was heavily damaged in the severe
El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...
storms of 1998, which also destroyed the famous diamond-shaped Aliso Pier in
Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and ...
. 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.


External links


Aerial video of Balboa Pier and nearby surfing, 1080P - Dec 2015




* http://www.newportbeachpostcards.com/1.htm * http://www.newportbeachpostcards.com/14.htm {{coord, 33.60092, -117.90006, type:landmark_region:US, format=dms, display=title Piers in California Balboa Peninsula Buildings and structures in Newport Beach, California Tourist attractions in Orange County, California Transportation buildings and structures in Orange County, California 1906 establishments in California