AN ISLAND OF THE GOOD LIFE : NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE:NEWPORT CENTER

Conceived as a “new kind of downtown,” Newport Center is the home of Fashion Island and the corporate heart of the Irvine Co. The company conception was that of a 600-acre complex of hotels, medical centers, high-rise office buildings and commercial facilities surrounding an egg-shaped shopping center.

The 75-acre Fashion Island complex opened in September, 1967, and consists of more than 100 stores, including many major department stores. It also features a farmers market in the enclosed Atrium Court and building with airy, Mediterranean-style views of the Pacific Ocean and Newport Harbor.

Entering Fashion Island from San Joaquin Hills Road on Santa Cruz Drive, one encounters the Civic Plaza, which includes the library and the Newport Harbor Art Museum, a temple of contemporary American art featuring works dating from 1945. The museum will ultimately move, however, as the Irvine Co. recently donated a 10.5-acre site in Corona del Mar for a new facility.

Taking care of business(es) is the Newport Center Assn. Formed in 1969, the organization has more than 350 members and is the support group for the center’s more than 800 businesses and 11,000-plus employees. Working with the tenants, the Irvine Co. and the Newport Beach city government keeps the association staff extremely busy.

Center growth has proved to be something of a problem. In 1986, Newport Beach residents rejected the Irvine Co.’s $300-million expansion plan, which was accompanied by a guarantee to maintain roads and provide other improvements. The thought of more shoppers and residents in the area helped fuel a high turnout and a 58%-42% rejection of the proposal.

Last spring, the Irvine Co. spent $120,000 to subsidize the Newport Center Shuttle. The minibus line, similar to those used by car rental companies at airports, was created for the convenience of shoppers and to benefit employees on their lunch breaks. But a lack of response led to elimination of the service within six months.

Despite some problems, though, Newport Center remains a hot address. Pacific Mutual Insurance Co. sold three buildings there in October for $309 per square foot--the highest rate ever paid in the county. The buildings brought a total of $83 million.

Delineated by San Joaquin Hills Road, Jamboree Road, MacArthur Boulevard and East Coast Highway, the Newport Center neighborhood is home to more than Fashion Island and a host of tall office buildings. But the people who live within those borders are different, indeed, from the average Orange County resident. For example, the per capita income is staggering--just short of $145,000. The average household income is in excess of $200,000. That bears no resemblance to overall county numbers of $16,500 and $45,000, respectively. And while the median age countywide is 32.8, in Newport Center it is 71.1. And finally, 60% of the residents are women (compared to 51% in the entire county).

Newport Center was built to attract people not just for daytime employment and shopping enjoyment, but for evening excitement. Because it lacks the smog and street crime with which many neighborhoods are afflicted, Newort Center would seem to exemplify the Southern California “good life.”

Population

Population: 185 (1988 est.)

1980-88 change: -66.7 %

Median Age: 71.1

Racial/ethnic mix: White: (non-Hispanic) 98%

Hispanic 1%

Black 0%

Other 1%

By sex and age:

In hundreds

MALES

Median age: 70.8 years

FEMALES

Median age: 71.5 years

Income

Per capita: $144,161

Median Household: $94,318

Average Household: $214,570

Household Distribution:

Less than $25,000: 15%

$50,000-74,999: 18%

$25,000-49,999: 10%

More than $75,000: 57%