Newport Beach and Newport, R.I.: ‘The O.C.’ Versus the Gilded Age
By SANDI CAIN
From coast to coast, “Newport” conjures up images of wealth.
Back East, it’s Newport, R.I. The seaside town was home to early-1900s movers and shakers including William Backhouse Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Out West, it’s Newport Beach, founded in 1906 as a new port for inland farms, and later, home to John Wayne and Shirley Temple, as well as Orange County’s own barons, Donald Bren and George Argyros.
Both cities have maritime roots and grew as beachfront retreats. Both have their share of wealth.
One’s old money. The other’s decidedly new money. Each represents its own era.
As early as the 1720s, sea captains who dealt in the slave trade brought passengers to Newport, R.I., from the Carolinas and the Caribbean to get away from the summer heat, creating what may have been the first resort in North America along the Eastern seaboard.
Newport Beach was part of the Mexican land grants eventually sold to California entrepreneurs,including James Irvine and James McFadden, who helped create Newport Harbor.
Accessibility and lifestyle are the key differences between the Newports, according to Hamid Shirvani, provost at Chapman University and an urban planning specialist.
In the early 1900s, the rich built giant mansions in Newport, R.I., which created hardships for later generations faced with high upkeep costs and taxes.
The trend of grandiose mansions was pass & #233; by the time Newport Beach began to grow.
“Newport Beach wasn’t designed for mansions, even 25 years ago,” Shirvani said.
Newport Beach is home to Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, author Dean Koontz and baseball agent Scott Boras. It’s the premier address for executives. Along with The Irvine Company’s Bren and real estate developer and businessman Argyros, other Newport Beach locals include Henry Segerstrom and Broadcom Corp. cofounder Henry Samueli.
In Newport, R.I., only about half of the mansions from the Gilded Age still are privately owned, mostly by prominent locals. The rest are museums.
The Auchincloss family still owns portions of Hammersmith Farm,known as the summer White House during the Kennedy years. That’s where John Kerry met John Kennedy while sailing in the 1960s.
Executives from companies such as Conde Nast Publications Inc. and Lea & Perrins Inc. own other Newport, R.I.,
mansions.
“There’s a significant affluent population in Newport today,” said Townsend Goddard, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp.
Even so, Newport, R.I., isn’t as easily accessible to major urban areas as is Newport Beach, Shirvani said.
“The elite of a century ago wanted that so that ordinary people didn’t have access,” he said.
Today, gated communities serve the same purpose, making it easier for Newport Beach to be accessible yet still attractive to today’s rich.
That, Shirvani said, brings a more diverse mix of wealth to Newport Beach.
There are similarities between the Newports. Sailing is one.
Newport, R.I., is best known for
its long affiliation with America’s Cup.
Newport Beach is known for its annual Newport-Ensenada race.
The East Coast Newport Harbor has 900 moorings, compared to 2,119 slips in Newport Beach.
Tennis and golf are big in the Newports. In Rhode Island, the Newport Country Club is set to host the 2006 women’s PGA championship. In Newport Beach, the Toshiba Senior Classic is an annual event.
In tennis, Newport, R.I., is home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame,one of the only lawn courts in the U.S. In Newport Beach, 2004 women’s Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova made a recent appearance. Local stars such as Lindsay Davenport frequent area courts.
Both cities are popular tourist spots, drawing travelers from Britain, Germany and Japan. Both have high name recognition, according to tourism officials.
Rhode Island officials say Newport’s population can triple in the summer, largely driven by the popularity of the mansions.
“The museums are the most significant tourist attraction and are central to the average person’s view of the Gilded Age,” Goddard said. “It’s an economic engine today.”
In Newport Beach, it’s the weather and summer holidays that swell the city’s ranks.
Then there are the celebrities. The East Coast Newport has benefited from films such as the “Great Gatsby” and “Amistad,” both filmed there. Recent celebrity sightings include Julia Roberts and Beyonce Knowles.
Newport Beach, meanwhile, benefits from the nighttime soap, “The O.C.” even though the show is filmed in Malibu. Musical group Sugar Ray is a hometown product, as is Kelly McGillis.
But don’t look for Newport Beach and Newport, R.I., to pair up for a promotion any time soon.
“I don’t think of Newport Beach as a sister city,” Rhode Island’s Goddard said. “Charleston is probably closer in that regard.”
