Lido Island

An exclusive and picturesque residential island in the middle of Newport Bay, incorporated as part of Newport Beach in 1906, Lido Isle is home to some 1,800 people.

In the early 20th century, railroad magnate Henry Huntington was persuaded to extend the Pacific Electric Railway’s Red Car line to Balboa. In exchange, he received railroad right-of-way, 250 acres of land and a sandbar. The sandbar, known first as Electric Island, then Pacific Electric Island, then Huntington Island, was acquired in the 1920s by investor W.K. Parkinson, who dredged Newport Harbor and used the fill to raise the isle, envisioning it as a shipyard.

In 1928, the land was purchased by an investment group. Developer William Clarke Crittenden and architect Franz Herding designed a Mediterranean themed residential community inspired by the Italian resort of Lido di Venezia. Built in 1930 as one of the first master planned communities in Southern California, Lido Isle was crisscrossed by streets (“vias”) with Italian, French and Spanish names. A small bridge connects the island to the city.

A “semi-private” community, Lido Isle’s residents are members of the Lido Isle Community Association (LICA) and the Lido Isle Club House is the hub of social activity. It offers a private beach on the bay, tennis courts, playgrounds,  boat dock and boat storage, and is also home to the Lido Isle Yacht Club. LICA is very active in the annual Newport Christmas Boat Parade.

The resort lifestyle of Lido Isle is focused on boating and tennis. The Yacht Club has excellent youth and adult sailing programs, as well as Bay and Catalina cruises, Friday night barbecues and other social activities. There are three tennis courts on Lido and the Lido Isle Tennis Club offers an assortment of tennis-related events and activities. The Lido Isle Women’s Club and Lido Isle Men’s Club are active in a variety of community and charitable pursuits. A unique residential enclave, Lido Isle is a scenic and desirable Mediterranean village on the Bay.