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'Belvedere' is a suburb in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 2,125 at the 2000 census. It is the highest income city in California, judged by average per capita annual income, and the 17th highest income place in the United States (1st with a population over 1,000).

Contents

Location

History

Houses

Community Life

Geography

Demographics

External links

Location

Located on the Tiburon Penninsula, between Richardson Bay and the Town of Tiburon, Belvedere consists of two "islands"—the larger being Belvedere Island, the smaller being Corinthian Island, which is shared with Tiburon—and a lagoon (Belvedere Lagoon) situated between the two islands.

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. 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.

Houses

Belvedere sits on the Southern side of the tip of Tiburon, 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; the average home in Belvedere is worth upwards of a $1,000,000 or greater.
Many houses in Belvedere fall under the Victorian Style of architecture. All Belvedere homes are featured on "The Home Tour" every May. 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.

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. The adjacent city of Tiburon, however, is home to a wide range of services, shops, and eateries.
Originally a fishing based community, Belvedere has grown into a sailing community where the San Francisco Yacht Club is located. Belvedere Park is also located in Belvedere.

Geography

Belvedere is located at (37.874559, -122.465823).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 km² (2.4 mi²). 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is land and 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it (78.10%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census 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. 2.16% 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. The median age was 53 years. 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 homes in the area, the average age of residents is higher than the average for California as a whole.

External links

★ City of Belvedere Web Site

★ Town of Tiburon Web Site

★ The Belvedere-Tiburon Library

★ Reed Union School District