Balboa Island is one of the more expensive real estate markets in North America outside of Lower Manhattan. A two-bedroom house with a water view from the living room can be had for about $3 million.
Local tradition has it that Balboa Island is where the frozen chocolate banana was first marketed: There are snack shops on Marine Avenue that will dip a frozen banana on a stick into chocolate sauce and roll it around in ground nuts or candy sprinkles. This legend is referenced in the American television show Arrested Development in which the wealthy Bluth family of Orange County owns a frozen chocolate banana. Also popular is the Balboa bar, a square of vanilla ice cream on a stick prepared in a similar fashion.
The Balboa Island zip code is 92662.