Max Gardner and his wife, Artyn, decided to sell their home in Irvine and move to Balboa Island eight years ago because they wanted something more than a comfortable place to live. They were hunting for a lifestyle.
On this tony man-made island in Newport Beach, California, stately homes with street-facing patios are clustered together on avenues named after gemstones. Residents zip around in golf carts, taking in the harbor boats, art fairs and chic boutiques. Visitors ride in on a ferry to buy frozen bananas from a sweet shop that inspired the family banana stand on the TV sitcom "Arrested Development."
People who live here are fierce defenders of the island's cozy charm. They've battled the Federal Aviation Administration over jet noise from nearby John Wayne Airport and successfully fought to regulate short-term vacation rentals.
