Belden, California

Belden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Plumas County, California, United States.^[3] Belden is located on the Feather River Route and the North Fork Feather River, 7 miles (11.3 km) southwest of Caribou.^[4] The population was 15 at the 2020 census, down from 22 in 2010.

Belden
Unincorporated Community Census Designated Place
The Belden Town Hotel in February 2022
Location in Plumas County and the state of California
Belden Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°0′23″N 121°15′9″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Plumas
Area [1]
• Total	0.73 sq mi (1.88 km2)
• Land	0.61 sq mi (1.58 km2)
• Water	0.12 sq mi (0.30 km2)  15.95%
Elevation [2]	2,221 ft (677 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15
• Density	25/sq mi (9.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	95915
Area codes	530, 837
FIPS code	06-04856
GNIS feature IDs	266440; 2407822
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belden, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Belden, California

History

1915 postcard of Belden station

The Belden post office opened in 1909.^[4] The name honors Robert Belden, its first postmaster.^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), of which 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (15.95%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	26		—
2010	22		−15.4%
2020	15		−31.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1850–1870[6][7] 1880-1890[8] 1900[9] 1910[10] 1920[11] 1930[12] 1940[13] 1950[14] 1960[15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[20]

Belden first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.^[19]

2020

Belden CDP, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[21]	Pop 2010[22]	Pop 2020[23]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	26	20	8	100.00%	90.91%	53.33%
Black or African American alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0	1	0.00%	0.00%	6.67%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	0	2	0	0.00%	9.09%	0.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	0	0	6	0.00%	0.00%	40.00%
Total	26	22	15	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

The 2020 United States census reported that Belden had a population of 15. The population density was 24.6 inhabitants per square mile (9.5/km²). The racial makeup of Belden was 8 (55%) non-Hispanic white, 1 (7%) Native American, and 6 (40%) Hispanic or Latino.

There were 9 households, of which 4 were families.

There were 4 people under the age of 18, 7 people aged 25 to 64, and 4 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years.

There were 11 housing units, of which 9 were occupied, 5 by owners and 4 by renters.^[24][25]

Media

The primary local news source is The Plumas Sun, a nonprofit news website. The century-old Feather River Bulletin newspaper shuttered in 2023.

Government

In the state legislature Belden is located in the 1st senatorial district, represented by Republican Megan Dahle,^[26] and the 1st Assembly district, represented by Republican Heather Hadwick.^[27]

Federally, Belden is in California's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Kevin Kiley.^[28]

Education

The school district is Plumas Unified School District.^[29]

External links