Bombay Beach, California


Bombay Beach is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California, United States. It is located on the Salton Sea, west-southwest of Frink and is the lowest community in the United States, located below sea level. The population was 295 at the 2010 census, down from 366 in 2000. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The population declined for years and the buildings were rotting away, but by 2018, a number of people had moved into the settlement. An article in The Guardian stated that it was "enjoying a rebirth of sorts with an influx of artists, intellectuals and hipsters who have turned it into a bohemian playground". The Bombay Beach Biennale, an annual art festival, is held here. The population estimate for 2020 was 415 persons.

Geography

Bombay Beach is located in Southern California's Sonoran Desert. Bombay Beach is located on the east shore of the Salton Sea and like many communities along its shores, has had to contend with fluctuating water levels, reducing size of the lake and increasing salinity. A berm was built in the 1970s to protect the west end of the town, but a portion of the town beyond the berm was either submerged or half-buried in mud. Bombay Beach marks the southern end of the San Andreas Fault.

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Bombay Beach had a population of 295. The population density was 313.5 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Bombay Beach was 223 White, 37 African American, 8 Native American, 1 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 22 from other races, and 4 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59 people.
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 175 households, 19 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51 were married couples living together, 13 had a female householder with no husband present, 4 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 7 unmarried partnerships, and 1 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 97 households were one person and 51 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 1.69. There were 68 families ; the average family size was 2.54.
The age distribution was 30 people under the age of 18, 16 people aged 18 to 24, 36 people aged 25 to 44, 98 people aged 45 to 64, and 115 people who were 65 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 108.6 males.
There were 449 housing units at an average density of 477.1 per square mile, of which 175 were occupied, of which 115 were owner-occupied, and 60 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 15%; the rental vacancy rate was 16%. 198 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 97 people lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 366 people, 178 households, and 93 families in the CDP. The population density was 363.8 people per square mile. There were 440 housing units at an average density of 437.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 71% White, 19% Black or African American, 1% Native American, 0% Asian, 4% from other races, and 5% from two or more races. 19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 178 households 18% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39% were married couples living together, 11% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47% were non-families. 40% of households were one person and 26% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2 and the average family size was 2.8.
The age distribution was 18% under the age of 18, 3% from 18 to 24, 20% from 25 to 44, 26% from 45 to 64, and 33% 65 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 household income was $17,708 and the median family income 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% of families and 28% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40% of those under age 18 and 14% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Bombay Beach is in, and. In the United States House of Representatives, Bombay Beach is in.

History

An article provided this information about the community during the 1950s: "Bombay Beach was a celebrity destination. Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys and Bing Crosby frequented its luxury resorts perched at the edge of the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake. Lauded for its fishing, boating and water skiing,... Birds, too, loved the lake, with thousands spending winters there every year". By the 1970s, the runoff which was full of salty chemicals led to a warning that the salinity of the lake would no longer sustain wildlife; that occurred by the early 1980s. A September 2019 report stated that ten years earlier, "there were some 100 million fish in the Sea. Now, more than 97 percent of those fish are gone".
Most of the few residents use golf carts to get around, since the nearest gas station is away in Niland. The only store selling food items is a convenience store and the closest hospital requires a 45 minute drive. The Ski Inn bar and restaurant remains popular. The "Bombay Beach Drive-In" is an art installation with broken down cars. A visitor in 2019 wrote that there were many "discarded homes and trailers long-since abandoned ... windowless husks blanketed in graffiti, surrounded by broken furniture and rubble.
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 elevation in North America. Besides the local American Legion, the Ski Inn is the only drinking establishment or bar in the town.
House prices had risen by 2018; some bungalows were selling for "tens of thousands of dollars", according to a news report.
The community has held an event each spring since 2017, inviting "artists, academics, writers, and film-makers to create work, give lectures, and stage happenings". A March 2020 article described the settlement in these words:
"Bombay Beach is the post-apocalyptic star of this excruciatingly drawn out disaster. The mostly elderly residents who make up the population live in a grid of mobile homes and eccentric small homes and shacks."

In popular culture

Music

of the music duo "uncertain" grew up in Bombay Beach. Fauna credits the place as an inspiration to her music. According to Paris-based art community :fr:L'Artchipel|Artchipel, Fauna said the place had a "big impact on her childhood and becomes a major influence in her life." In an interview with Buffalo, New York alternative newspaper The Publics Cory Perla, she described it as "a very kind of post-apocalyptic-looking town."
Bombay Beach is the subject of the 2019 single "Bombay Beach" by the Minneapolis blues rock band The Dead Century.

Sports

for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League also grew up in Bombay Beach, California. He became one of the primary subjects of the 2011 documentary Bombay Beach directed by Alma Har'el. He later cited boredom in Bombay Beach as his inspiration for pro football.

Filming