Belvedere, court of the Vatican named after a villa built (1485-87) for Innocent VIII. The villa was decorated with frescoes by Pinturicchio and others; a chapel painted by Mantegna was demolished when the villa was made part of the Museo Pio-Clementino at the end of the 18th cent. The Belvedere court, connecting the villa and the Vatican, was designed (1503-4) by Bramante for Julius II to include an architectural garden, a permanent theater, a museum building, and a statue court. The Laocoön, discovered in 1506, was placed in the statue court; in 1511 the Apollo Belvedere (see under Apollo, in Greek religion) was installed in a special niche. When Bramante died in 1514, only a portion of the Belvedere was completed; many modifications were made under a succession of architects including Giuliano Sangallo, Raphael, Peruzzi, and Antonio Sangallo. Now a museum, the Belvedere still contains the Laocoön and the Apollo as well as other rare works of classical antiquity.

Roofed architectural structure, freestanding or attached, and open on one or more sides. It is built in an elevated position to provide a view and capture daylight and fresh air. Used in Italy since the Renaissance, it often assumes the form of a loggia. The term is often used for a gazebo on top of a building, especially the glazed viewing room of a Victorian dwelling.

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Belvedere is an affluent city in Marin County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,125 and the per-capita income was $113,595, making it the highest income city in California and the 17th highest income place in the United States (1st with a population over 1,000).

Location

Belvedere is located at (37.874559, -122.465823), about north of San Francisco.

Situated on the Tiburon Peninsula, 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.

The city has a total area of , of which is land and (78%) is water.

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.

The City Hall was formerly a Presbyterian Church. It was moved to its present location on San Rafael Avenue in 1949.

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, compared with 2.3% for California as a whole.

Many houses in Belvedere fall under the Victorian Style of architecture.Some 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.

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. 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) was much higher than that for California as a whole (33.3 years).

It is the only town in Marin County, to have more registered Republicans than Democrats, the former outnumbering the latter by 8 people.

References

External links

• City of Belvedere Web Site
• Town of Tiburon Web Site
• The Belvedere-Tiburon Library
• Reed Union School District