| Belvedere, California | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 37°52′22″N 122°27′52″W / 37.87278°N 122.46444°WCoordinates: 37°52′22″N 122°27′52″W / 37.87278°N 122.46444°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Marin |
| Incorporated | December 21, 1896[1] |
| Government | |
| - Type | city manager[1] |
| - County Board | District 3 Charles McGlashan |
| - Senate | Mark Leno (D) |
| - Assembly | Jared Huffman (D) |
| - U. S. Congress | Lynn Woolsey (D) |
| Area [2] | |
| - Total | 2.42 sq mi (6.3 km2) |
| - Land | 0.54 sq mi (1.4 km2) |
| - Water | 1.89 sq mi (4.9 km2) 78% |
| Elevation [3] | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Population (2000)[2] | |
| - Total | 2,125 |
| - Density | 3,935.2/sq mi (337.3/km2) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 94920 |
| Area code(s) | 415 |
| FIPS code | 06-05164 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1658031 |
| Website | http://www.cityofbelvedere.org |
Belvedere is an affluent town in Marin County, California, United States. Belvedere is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of Sausalito,[4] at an elevation of 36 feet (11 m).[3] As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,125 and the per-capita income was $113,595[5], making it one of the highest income cities in California and the 17th highest income place in the United States (1st with a population over 1,000).
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Location
Belvedere is located at 37°52′22″N 122°27′52″W / 37.87278°N 122.46444°W,[3] about 4 mi (6 km) north of San Francisco.
Situated on the Tiburon Peninsula at the southeastern base of Ring Mountain, between Richardson Bay and the Town of Tiburon, Belvedere consists of two "islands" and the lagoon (Belvedere Lagoon) between them. The larger of the two islands is Belvedere Island, and the smaller one is Corinthian Island, which is shared with Tiburon. This locale of Ring Mountain is notable for its archaeological resources of extant Native American petroglyphs as well as considerable biodiversity of California native plants.[6]
Belvedere lagoon is owned and maintained by the Belvedere Lagoon Property Owner's Association. The lagoon is not accessible by boat from the San Francisco Bay, and no public access is provided. Until somewhat late in the 20th century houseboats were present in Belvedere Lagoon.[7]
The city has a total area of 2.42 sq mi (6.3 km2), of which 0.54 sq mi (1.4 km2) is land and 1.89 sq mi (4.9 km2) (78%) is water.[2]
History
The first settlers arrived in the late 1800s, then the railroad came and Tiburon was the last stop for passengers and cargo heading to San Francisco and beyond.[citation needed] The Belvedere Lagoon was partially filled after World War II to provide building sites for tract houses and to improve access to Belvedere Island. It was also once the home to a 9 hole golf course.[citation needed]
Belvedere incorporated in 1896.[4] The first post office opened in 1897.[4]
The City Hall was formerly a Presbyterian Church. It was moved to its present location on San Rafael Avenue in 1949.[1]
Late actress Vivian Vance, who played Ethel on the I Love Lucy show died in this city at the age of 70.
Houses
Belvedere sits on the south side of the tip of Tiburon Peninsula, a small peninsula that extends into the San Francisco Bay. Many Belvedere properties are renowned for their spectacular views of the Bay Area, Angel Island, San Francisco, Sausalito, the Golden Gate Bridge and Mount Tamalpais. As a result, land values are extremely high. As of 2000, 87.6% of the city's owner-occupied housing units cost more than $1,000,000,[5] compared with 2.3% for California as a whole[8].
Many houses in Belvedere fall under the Victorian Style of architecture.[citation needed]Some Belvedere homes are featured on "The Home Tour" every May.[citation needed] With a recent flood of attention and demand for housing in Belevedere, housing and building has become a contentious issue as older members of the community have increasingly become frustrated with the large construction projects being developed in what once was a more humble community.[citation needed]
Community Life
No restaurants or stores are allowed in Belvedere, and the city enforces strict rules regarding house design and setbacks in order to preserve trees, views, and the town's spacious, wooded character.[citation needed] The adjacent city of Tiburon, however, is home to a wide range of services, shops, and eateries.
Originally a fishing based community,[citation needed] Belvedere has grown into a sailing community where the San Francisco Yacht Club is located.[9] Belvedere Park is also located in Belvedere.[citation needed]
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,125 people, 956 households, and 656 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,519.4/km² (3,968.9/mi²). There were 1,059 housing units at an average density of 757.2/km² (1,977.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.94% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.79% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 1.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 956 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.68.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 24, 14.9% from 25 to 44, 35.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $130,796, and the median income for a family was $185,590. The per capita income for the city was $113,595. About 2.9% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Largely because of the high cost of housing, the median age of residents in 2000 (52.7 years[5]) was much higher than that for California as a whole (33.3 years[8]).
As of 2009, registered Republicans in the town compromised 36.2%, while Democrats compromised 39% of registered voters.[10]
See also
References
- "Belvedere Lagoon Property Owner's Association". http://belvederelagoon.org/. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Ring Mountain, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham [1]
Line notes
- ^ a b c "Belvedere History". http://www.cityofbelvedere.org/cm_history.html. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ^ a b c d "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b c USGS GNIS: Belvedere, California
- ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 601. ISBN 9781884995149.
- ^ a b c "Belvedere city, California profile". http://censtats.census.gov/data/CA/1600605164.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008
- ^ Russell Conder. 1992
- ^ a b "California profile". http://censtats.census.gov/data/CA/04006.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ^ "San Francisco Yacht Club". http://www.sfyc.org/. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ^ http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/15day-stwdsp-09/politicalsub.pdf
External links
- City of Belvedere Web Site
- Town of Tiburon Web Site
- The Belvedere-Tiburon Library
- Reed Union School District
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