Bay Point, California

Bay Point, formerly West Pittsburg and originally Bella Vista, is a census-designated place located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in Contra Costa County, California. Bay Point is just west of Pittsburg, California, and northeast of Concord, California, on the southern shore of Suisun Bay. The population of Bay Point was 23,896 as of 2020. The Pittsburg/Bay Point Station of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rail system is located adjacent to Bay Point in Pittsburg. The community is traversed by State Route 4, the California Delta Highway, a controlled-access road. Being unincorporated, Bay Point does not have its own police department. The community is policed by the California Highway Patrol and the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. The ZIP Code is 94565, and the area code is 925. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km2), 88.3% land and 11.7% water. Bay Point borders Suisun Bay. The northwest portion is the neighborhood of Shore Acres. Demographics Bay Point first appeared as a census-designated place in the 2000 United States census. Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Bay Point had a population of 23,896 and a population density of 3,718.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,435.8/km2). The median age was 33.2 years; 27.1% of residents were under age 18, 10.4% were 18 to 24, 30.1% were 25 to 44, 23.2% were 45 to 64, and 9.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.3 males. There were 6,867 households, of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 8.3% were cohabiting couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.47, and there were 5,333 families (77.7% of all households). There were 7,039 housing units, of which 2.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%; 54.2% of occupied units were owner-occupied and 45.8% were occupied by renters. The Census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized. 99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas. History Bay Point was previously known by several names, including Bella Vista and, until 1993, West Pittsburg. An election was held in 1993 to vote on renaming the community Bay Point, reviving a historical name used in this area. "West Pittsburg," the former name, was sometimes confused with the western unincorporated section of Pittsburg, California. Bay Point is similarly unincorporated. Ambrose Park annexation The neighboring City of Pittsburg annexed Ambrose Park in July 2008. Administrative control remained with the Ambrose Parks and Recreation District, which had owned and operated the site and its facilities since 1946. The move was designed to bring Pittsburg's greater development funding and general resources to a joint project to replace the long-time swimming pool facilities at the park. The new Ambrose Aquatic Center opened on July 4, 2016. By population, about 20% of the Ambrose Parks and Recreation District is within Pittsburg City limits. Ambrose Park features picnic, tennis, basketball and hiking, and picnic facilities in 12.3 acres (5.0 ha) of unincorporated land at 125 Memorial Way, immediately adjacent to the City of Pittsburg. It was a gift to the community from the local Enes family in 1947. Education Most of Bay Point is in the Mount Diablo Unified School District. A small portion is in the Pittsburg Unified School District. In 1940 the only grammar school was Ambrose Elementary, located on Willow Pass Road. The high school was in Pittsburg. A branch of the Contra Costa County Library is located in Bay Point at Riverview Middle School. Bay Point is served by the Mout Diablo Unified School District and has four public schools: Riverview Middle School (formerly Pacifica High School) for grades 6–8, Rio Vista Elementary School (formerly Riverview Middle School) for grades K-5, Shore Acres Elementary School for grades K-5 and Bel Air Elementary School for grades K-5. References External links Ambrose Park & Recreation District website Riverview Middle School website U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bay Point, California