Bombay Beach, California
Encyclopedia
Bombay Beach is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Imperial County
, California
. It is located on the Salton Sea
4 miles (6.4 km) west-southwest of Frink
. The population was 295 at the 2010 census, down from 366 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Centro, California
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
was 313.5 people per square mile (121.0/km²). The racial makeup of Bombay Beach was 223 (75.6%) White, 37 (12.5%) African American, 8 (2.7%) Native American, 1 (0.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 22 (7.5%) from other races
, and 4 (1.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59 persons (20.0%).
The Census reported that 295 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 175 households, out of which 19 (10.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51 (29.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 13 (7.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4 (2.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7 (4.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 1 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 97 households (55.4%) were made up of individuals and 51 (29.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69. There were 68 families
(38.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.54.
The population was spread out with 30 people (10.2%) under the age of 18, 16 people (5.4%) aged 18 to 24, 36 people (12.2%) aged 25 to 44, 98 people (33.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 115 people (39.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58.5 years. For every 100 females there were 113.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.
There were 449 housing units at an average density of 477.1 per square mile (184.2/km²), of which 115 (65.7%) were owner-occupied, and 60 (34.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 14.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.4%. 198 people (67.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 97 people (32.9%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 366 people, 178 households, and 93 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 363.8 people per square mile (139.9/km²). There were 440 housing units at an average density of 437.4 per square mile (168.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.3% White
, 18.6% Black
or African American
, 0.6% Native American
, 0.3% Asian
, 4.1% from other races
, and 5.2% from two or more races. 18.6% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 178 households out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. and the average family size was 2.8.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 32.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $17,708, and the median income for a family was $19,511. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $14,213 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $10,535. About 12.1% of families and 27.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
Bombay Beach is located on the east shore of the Salton Sea
and, like many communities along its shores, has had to contend with rising and falling water levels. A berm now protects the west end of the town but a portion of the town beyond the berm is either sunken under water or is half-buried in mud. http://www.polarinertia.com/july03/salton.htm
The town of Bombay Beach is located in Southern California's Sonoran Desert. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-saltonsea.html
Bombay Beach marks the southern end of the San Andreas fault
Bombay Beach is located in the 40th Senate
District, represented by Democrat
Juan Vargas
, and in the 80th Assembly
District, represented by Democrat
Manuel Perez
. Federally, Bombay Beach is located in California's 51st congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +7 and is represented by Democrat Bob Filner
.
.
The ruins of Bombay Beach attract many photographers and visitors. The town, as well as others on the shores of the Salton Sea, is one of the lowest settlements in altitude in North America.
Bombay Beach is very near to the San Andreas Fault
and was the location of a foreshock
in the fictional made for TV movie The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
(1990). Bombay Beach was also the location and the topic segment of the U.S. Southwest episode of the Travel Channel
series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations aired in 2008.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Imperial County
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is located on the Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
4 miles (6.4 km) west-southwest of Frink
Frink, California
Frink is an unincorporated community in Imperial County, California. It is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad north-northwest of Calipatria, at an elevation of 171 feet below sea level....
. The population was 295 at the 2010 census, down from 366 at the 2000 census. It is part of the El Centro, California
El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Bombay Beach had a population of 295. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 313.5 people per square mile (121.0/km²). The racial makeup of Bombay Beach was 223 (75.6%) White, 37 (12.5%) African American, 8 (2.7%) Native American, 1 (0.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 22 (7.5%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4 (1.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59 persons (20.0%).
The Census reported that 295 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 175 households, out of which 19 (10.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51 (29.1%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13 (7.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4 (2.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7 (4.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 1 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 97 households (55.4%) were made up of individuals and 51 (29.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69. There were 68 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(38.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.54.
The population was spread out with 30 people (10.2%) under the age of 18, 16 people (5.4%) aged 18 to 24, 36 people (12.2%) aged 25 to 44, 98 people (33.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 115 people (39.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58.5 years. For every 100 females there were 113.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.
There were 449 housing units at an average density of 477.1 per square mile (184.2/km²), of which 115 (65.7%) were owner-occupied, and 60 (34.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 14.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 16.4%. 198 people (67.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 97 people (32.9%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 366 people, 178 households, and 93 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 363.8 people per square mile (139.9/km²). There were 440 housing units at an average density of 437.4 per square mile (168.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.3% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 18.6% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.6% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.3% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 4.1% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 5.2% from two or more races. 18.6% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 178 households out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. and the average family size was 2.8.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 32.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $17,708, and the median income for a family was $19,511. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $14,213 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $10,535. About 12.1% of families and 27.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Geography
Bombay Beach is located at 33°21′03"N 115°43′47"W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
Bombay Beach is located on the east shore of the Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
and, like many communities along its shores, has had to contend with rising and falling water levels. A berm now protects the west end of the town but a portion of the town beyond the berm is either sunken under water or is half-buried in mud. http://www.polarinertia.com/july03/salton.htm
The town of Bombay Beach is located in Southern California's Sonoran Desert. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-saltonsea.html
Bombay Beach marks the southern end of the San Andreas fault
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Bombay Beach is located in the 40th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Juan Vargas
Juan Vargas
Juan C. Vargas is a Senator in the State of California, 40th District. He is a Democrat and former member of the California State Assembly, San Diego City Council, and Order of the Jesuits, having fought for the poor, aged, and infirmed....
, and in the 80th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Manuel Perez
Manuel Perez (politician)
V. Manuel Pérez is a Democratic Assemblymember from California's 80th State Assembly district from Coachella, California, United States.-Biography:...
. Federally, Bombay Beach is located in California's 51st congressional district
California's 51st congressional district
California's 51st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district includes all of Imperial County and the extreme southern portions of San Diego County that run across the U.S.-Mexico border...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +7 and is represented by Democrat Bob Filner
Bob Filner
Robert Earl Filner is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 50th, serving since 1993, and Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
.
General information
Most residents use golf carts to get around, since the nearest gas station is 20 miles (32.2 km) away in NilandNiland, California
Niland is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California. The town is located north of Calipatria, southeast of Salton Sea. The population was 1,006 at the 2010 census, down from 1,143 at the 2000 census...
.
The ruins of Bombay Beach attract many photographers and visitors. The town, as well as others on the shores of the Salton Sea, is one of the lowest settlements in altitude in North America.
Bombay Beach is very near to the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
and was the location of a foreshock
Foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic event and is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as foreshock, mainshock or aftershock is only possible after the event....
in the fictional made for TV movie The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
The Great Los Angeles Earthquake is a 1990 television film about a massive earthquake that strikes Los Angeles, California. The movie stars Joanna Kerns in the movie's lead role, seismologist Clare Winslow, who tries to warn city leaders of the possibility that a powerful earthquake may strike...
(1990). Bombay Beach was also the location and the topic segment of the U.S. Southwest episode of the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations aired in 2008.
External links
- The 2006 documentary filmDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (narrated by John WatersJohn Waters (filmmaker)John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
) documented the lives of the inhabitants of Bombay Beach, Niland, and Salton City, as well as the ecological issues associated with the Sea.