The name isn’t new, and it isn’t ours
Visit Newport Beach, the city’s own tourism organization, traces the nickname back to the Golden Era of Hollywood, when stars kept homes on Newport Harbor. The explanation it gives is partly logistical. Los Angeles had no public marina until the Army Corps of Engineers built Marina del Rey in the mid 1960s, so the crowd that wanted to sail to Catalina or fish for a weekend came down here instead, moored the boat at a private dock in front of the house, and stayed.
Sixty years on, the harbor logistics matter less and the trade matters more. Newport offers the same combination the actual Hamptons offers New York: proximity to the industry without being in the middle of it, paired with a genuine beach town identity rather than a satellite suburb.
A roster that goes back generations
This isn’t a recent phenomenon. John Wayne spent the last years of his life at his bayfront home in Newport Beach, and the county airport carries his name. Shirley Temple was a Newport resident in an earlier era. Nicolas Cage bought in Newport Beach for $25 million in 2005. Kobe Bryant lived in the area during his playing years.
That is a genuinely long track record, not a story built for a single news cycle.
The market is still making the case at the very top
Orange County’s most expensive residential sale of 2025 closed at $42 million for a Pelican Crest estate in Newport Coast, the fourth highest sale in county history. As of September 2026, a Newport Coast estate previously owned by Heather and Terry Dubrow is listed at $62 million, which would make it Orange County’s priciest residential sale of 2026 if it closes near asking. Numbers like that don’t happen in a market without serious, sustained demand from exactly this kind of buyer.
Prices and availability as of 24 September 2026.
| Sale / Listing | Price | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Pelican Crest Dr, Newport Coast | $42M (2025) | Orange County’s #1 residential sale of 2025; 4th highest ever |
| 2 Coral Ridge, Newport Coast (former Dubrow estate) | $62M asking (2026) | Would be Orange County’s priciest sale of 2026 if it closes near asking |
| Nicolas Cage purchase, Newport Beach | $25M (2005) | Two decades of entertainment industry ownership precedent |
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What it means if you’re considering the same move
Every one of these names made the same trade, and the price tag is the least interesting part of it: staying close enough to keep working in Los Angeles, while getting genuine distance from its visibility. If that’s the calculation you’re making right now, you’re making a decision plenty of people at the top of their fields have already made, and there’s an established, private way to go about it.
Frequently asked questions
Who actually calls Newport Beach “The Hamptons of Hollywood”?
The nickname comes from Newport Beach’s own official tourism materials (Visit Newport Beach), not from real estate marketing.
What are the most expensive recent home sales in Newport Coast?
The 2025 Orange County high was $42 million at 1 Pelican Crest, the fourth highest residential sale in county history. A $62 million listing once owned by the Dubrow family would be the county’s priciest sale of 2026 if it sells near asking.
Related reading
- Newport Beach & Newport Coast Real Estate for Entertainment, Sports & Business Leaders
- Relocating to Newport Beach or Newport Coast From Silicon Valley
- Is Newport Beach the Next Destination for Silicon Valley’s AI Wealth?
- Luxury Real Estate in Orange County
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Paula Aragone, CEO / Realtor®, Aragone & Associates
4 Corporate Plaza Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Call 949-415-4784 or email [email protected]
We are real estate professionals, not attorneys or tax advisors. Nothing in this article is legal or tax advice, and anyone weighing a purchase or sale at this level should have their own counsel review the specifics of their situation.
Aragone & Associates · DRE #01364746
Tags: Newport Beach, Newport Coast, luxury real estate, Orange County luxury market, celebrity homes, relocation, privacy, Hamptons of Hollywood
Paula Aragone
Paula has spent 23 years selling Orange County real estate, with more than 900 transactions and over $900 million in sales behind her. She holds the CPRES, SRES®, Certified Luxury, Certified REO and Certified Relocation designations, is a member of Luxury Portfolio International, and came to the business from law school, which shows up most in the probate, trust and divorce work she is known for.
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