The History of the Port Streets

Here are eight things you might not know about the beginnings of Harbor View Homes, aka the Port Streets, in Newport Beach.

1: Bison once roamed the land adjacent the Port Streets, thanks to a funky tourist trap called the Buffalo Ranch. Buffalo Hills Park in the Port Streets is a tribute to that past.

 2: Harbor View was developed in the late 1960s by the Irvine Co. and a young builder named Donald Bren, who would go on to own the Irvine Co.

3: Harbor View has no views of the harbor.

4: The Port Streets was the second village-style development in Newport Beach, behind Eastbluff, and was built in three phases: Harbor View, Harbor Hills and Seaview.

5: The development highlights Bren's panache for master planning. Original plans called for more than 1,000 homes in six styles on 250 acres, looped streets to deter speeding and crime, a mile- long greenbelt with a variety of small parks, a centrally located elementary school and two community clubhouses with Olympic-sized swimming pools. The always hands-on Bren even got into the weeds of the landscaping.

6: Houses started at the equivalent of $233,000 in today's money. The lowest-priced Monaco was the best-selling model.

7: In 1969, the development's first year of sales, 367 homes were sold--more than one per day.

8: Since 1970, the homes have increased in value by over 1,400%.

William Lobdell is the historian laureate for the City of Newport Beach. He is also founder of Newport Beach in the Rearview Mirror, which produces a local history podcast and 90-second videos (with over 10 million views) that appear on Instagram.

Follow on IG @newport.in.the.rearview.mirror