Discovery Bay is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in eastern

Contra Costa County, California ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

in the United States, about 60 miles (97 km) from San Francisco. It is located outside of the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

. As of 2020, its population was 15,358, a 15% percent gain from 13,352 at the 2010 census. Discovery Bay was originally a waterfront community built on a network of man-made dikes, surrounded by fresh water, except for the southeast quadrant, which comprises the golf course of Discovery Bay Country Club. Some homes have private docks with access to the

Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta The Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in Northern California. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and Sa ...

. Newer developments have been added on former agricultural land to the west of the initial town-site. Road access is via

California State Route 4 State Route 4 (SR 4) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, routed from Interstate 80 in the San Francisco Bay Area to State Route 89 in the Sierra Nevada. It roughly parallels the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a popular are ...

History

Discovery Bay has a short history. It began as a planned community in 1964, and originally designated as "Riverside" and "River Lake." It was built on land known as the Byron Tract, which was previously used for growing barley and potatoes. In 1968, Jurgen Lunding led an effort to give the community its current name. In July 2007, Discovery Bay received its own ZIP code: 94505. Formerly, it had shared 94514 with

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

. The ensuing celebration included a paddle boat raft-up that set a world record.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which of it is land and of it (11.7%) is water.

Government

Discovery Bay is one of the

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

s in California that has a community services district (CSD), a special district that provides some basic services that are usually provided by the county. The primary duties of the area's community services district, known as The Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District, are handling water, sewer, landscaping and recreation. The CSD Board has five members who are elected by community residents. While the CSD Board has no land use or zoning authority, the CSD can advise the county on decisions related to police and fire services, residential and commercial development, and more. In December 2016, the CSD Board announced that Discovery Bay resident Mike Davies would become the general manager of CSD, effective January 3, 2017. He would replace the interim manager, Catherine Kutsuris. Davies had served as a police officer in Brentwood, California, including five years as chief of police there. Retiring from Brentwood Police Department in 2006, he was hired at the California Police Officers Standards and Training organization in Sacramento.

Demographics

2000

At the 2000 census there were 8,981 people, 3,349 households, and 2,635 families in the town. The population density was 429.2/km (1,111.9/mi²). There were 3,781 housing units at an average density of 180.7/km (468.1/mi²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 87.57%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.84%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.84% Native American, 1.78% Asian, 0.18%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 3.95% from other races, and 3.84% from two or more races. 10.43% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. Of the 3,349 households 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 14.0% of households were one person and 2.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 24.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median household income was $89,915 and the median family income was $90,272. Males had a median income of $66,121 versus $41,850 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $41,313. About 1.9% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the

poverty threshold The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

2010

At the 2010 census Discovery Bay had a population of 13,352. The population density was . The racial makeup of Discovery Bay was 10,909 (81.7%)

, 550 (4.1%)

, 86 (0.6%) Native American, 522 (3.9%) Asian, 51 (0.4%)

, 468 (3.5%) from other races, and 766 (5.7%) from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2,074 persons (15.5%). The census reported that 13,315 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 37 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 4,702 households, 1,879 (40.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,133 (66.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 369 (7.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 231 (4.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 297 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 42 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 686 households (14.6%) were one person and 193 (4.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.83. There were 3,733 families (79.4% of households); the average family size was 3.12. The age distribution was 3,588 people (26.9%) under the age of 18, 837 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 3,571 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 3,871 people (29.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,485 people (11.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males. There were 5,403 housing units at an average density of ,of which 4,702 were occupied, 3,873 (82.4%) by the owners and 829 (17.6%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%. 10,578 people (79.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,737 people (20.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Education

Schools in Discovery Bay are part of the Byron Union School District. There are two K–5 schools in the district, and both were named

California Distinguished School California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately 5-10% of California schools are awarded t ...

s in 2012: Discovery Bay Elementary and Timber Point Elementary. Excelsior Middle School is located in Byron and is the district's sole 6–8 school. Major renovations and new buildings were completed at Excelsior Middle School in 2012. It was a California Distinguished School in early 2004. High school students (9–12) attend Liberty High School in the Liberty Union High School District, located in nearby Brentwood. Liberty High School students have founded an arts group known as "PADA" and have arranged with city officials to allow select students to paint and personalize certain electrical boxes, walls, etc. in the theme of the town. Plans for a fifth high school on the south side of State Route 4 are on hold.

References

External links

Discovery Bay InformationTown of Discovery BayReclamation District 800Discovery Bay Chamber of CommerceDiscovery Bay Lions Club

Discovery Bay Yacht HarborDiscovery Bay Golf & Country Club
{{authority control Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Contra Costa County, California Populated places established in 1964 Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta 1964 establishments in California