Belvedere is a residential incorporated city located on the San Francisco Bay in Marin County, California, United States.[10] Consisting of two islands and a lagoon, it is connected to the Tiburon Peninsula by two causeways. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,126. The per-capita (per person) income of Belvedere residents in the year 2000 was $250,000, but currently the average income is $283,000,[11] making it one of the highest-income cities in California and the eighth highest-income community in the United States (highest with a population of over 1,000 residents). Belvedere and Tiburon share a post office and the 94920 ZIP code.
Houses on Belvedere and Corinthian Islands encompass a range of periods and architectural styles from Victorian to Mediterranean to post-and-beam "mid-century modern". Many are "cliff-hangers". Houses on the Belvedere Lagoon were designed by architects in the 1950s and 1960s. Houses on the lagoon have their own boat docks. Many of the homes on Belvedere and Corinthian Islands have docks with access to San Francisco Bay.
A number of Belvedere homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; e.g.,the Valentine Rey House[15] designed by Willis Polk and built in 1893. Notable designers of homes in Belvedere have included Joseph Esherick, Albert Farr, who designed the Belvedere Land Company building[16] and cottages, Henry Gutterson,[17] and Charles Warren Callister.
New construction has become a contentious issue as residents have become frustrated with large projects that they believe are negatively affecting the character of the community.
San Francisco Yacht Club House c 1894
Belvedere is a residential community. The nearby town of Tiburon provides services, shops and eateries.
276 households (29.7%) were made up of individuals, and 187 (20.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23. There were 611 families (65.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.76.
443 residents (21.4%) were under the age of 18, 45 (2.2%) were aged 18 to 24, 277 13.4%) were aged 25 to 44, 650 (31.4%) were aged 45 to 64, and 653 (31.6%) were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.
There were 1,045 housing units, with an average density of 434.2 units per square mile (167.6 per km2), of which 695 (74.9%) were owner-occupied and 233 (25.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 1,614 residents (78.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 454 residents (22.0%) lived in rental housing units.
Politics
As of January 2, 2018, Belvedere had 1,425 registered voters. Of these, 587 (41.2%) were registered as Democrats, while 416 (29.2%) were registered as Republicans. 371 (26.0%) declined to state. 51 were registered with other parties.[22]
^ abcDurham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 601. ISBN1-884995-14-4.
