Unincorporated Town,
Contra Costa County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 94511
Small Delta town located east of Antioch and
Oakley that for decades built very little but now is adding 600-700 units,
mostly single homes. Great town for fishing and boating. Many retirees and
vacation homes but some people commute. www.mccormacks.com
Bethel Island is an
island, surrounded by the False River, Taylor Slough and a large lake called
Frank’s tract.
Like many Delta
Islands, Bethel was created by building a circle of levees then pumping out the
water. Levee soundness is a big concern because down through the years Delta
levees have failed and the land has not been reclaimed. Frank’s tract used to
be farm land but its levees failed in the 1930s.
Click for regional or detailed map
These days levee
maintenance is getting more attention and funding but the design of many Bethel
Island homes reflects the worry over Delta waters.
Many Bethel Island homes are built to three
stories with the first story a kiss-off to a levee break. This story may be a
garage or a storage area. Some homes look like they are built on stilts.
As for the homes
themselves, some are in need of repair but most are well maintained and a few
in size and appointments approach opulent. The housing for the most part is
built right along the levees with easy access to the docks. Walk out your door
and you are on the water. www.mccormacks.com
The land is flat and
covers about 3,500 acres. Away from the housing, cattle graze. Strong feeling
of country, of being out in the sticks but Bethel Island has its shops, and
markets, restaurants, saloons and somewhat of a resort air.
With the housing
clustered, people have a chance to get to know one another and Bethel Island
has won a reputation for small-town intimacy and cohesiveness, especially when
fighting something they don’t like — the new housing. The residents got
the county to pare down what the developer proposed.
The projects include
Delta Coves, 495 homes, 65 townhouses and 150 boat slips. And Mariner Cove, 35
summer cottages.
Just south of Bethel
Island, another development is going up and Bethel’s Island growth should be
viewed as part of the East County boom that started over two decades ago.
In 1990,
Bethel Island counted 2,115 residents. By 2000, the number had inched up to
2,312. www.mccormacks.com
Median age
49, indicating the retirees. About 30 percent of the residents are over age 60.
Only 16 percent are under 18.
Kids
attend schools in the Oakley Elementary District, then move up to Freedom High
in the Liberty district. See Schools.
Fishing,
boating, houseboating, water skiing, swimming. Duck hunting in season. Golf
course, 18 holes. Skiers take to chilly waters on annual Frozen Bun Run each
New Year’s Day. The easy life.
In 1994,
residents formed what is called a Municipal Advisory Council. Although lacking
formal powers, it serves as a form of city council, soliciting opinions and
trying to influence policies affecting Bethel Island.
Tri-Delta
buses to Antioch and Pittsburg, connection to BART stations. www.mccormacks.com
A post
office designed to survive floods. If water gets in, flap valves allow it to
flow out. Fire station in 1996 added paramedic service.
For deeper
shopping, Bethel Island is within a short drive of Oakley, Brentwood and
Antioch. Movies and hospitals at Antioch and Brentwood.
Chamber of
commerce (925) 684-3220.
• Bethel
Island bridge is to be replaced. Work may start in 2007.
• The
recent home construction was slowed to remove the skeletons of two dozen Miwok
Indians buried in large mounds. The skeletons are thought to be 4,000 to 5,000
years old. www.mccormacks.com
