West Bishop is defined by open space and mountain views
West Bishop is the largest part of Bishop, a small town in California’s Owens Valley. Although it is over 250 miles north of Los Angeles, that city plays a significant role in West Bishop’s day-to-day. “The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power owns the vast majority of the land around here, so the land is not open to development,” says Realtor Curtis Amundson with Bishop Real Estate, a lifelong area resident. This lack of development ensures open space and views of the Sierra Nevada mountains for residents, with many properties having access to their own creeks and ponds. "We’re sort of isolated here in the valley, in our own little micro-climate, but the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport makes it possible to get places that we can’t drive to easily, and the town itself has pretty much everything you could want.”
Los Angeles DWP limits new construction and preserves open space
Manufactured and mobile homes on the east side of the neighborhood can cost between $85,000 and $180,000, depending on the square footage of the unit. Farther west towards the mountains, lot sizes expand, and permanent homes dominate the landscape. “It’s a mix of larger lots, usually between a half- and a full-acre,” Amundson says. “Most of what you’ll find there are midcentury ranch-style homes, built anywhere between 1950 and 1970. There’s only scant new development because of DWP’s ownership of the land.” Prices for stick-built homes in West Bishop can run anywhere from $350,000 to $900,000, depending on square footage, lot size and number of bedrooms.
Bishop Unified School District are consistently well-rated
Children in West Bishop are zoned to attend schools in the Bishop Unified School District, which receives an overall B-plus from Niche. Bishop Elementary, located on Elm Street, scores a B. Home Street Middle, home of the Colts, also earns a B. Bishop Union High, the closest public secondary school, is rated B-plus. The high school was established in 1904 and offers a snow sports club, which provides students weekly trips to nearby ski slopes.
Hiking, camping and fishing are popular pastimes around West Bishop
Small county green spaces like Izaak Walton Park offer picnic tables and shaded fields for residents to spend time outdoors. At Bishop City Park, locals can make use of the public pool, work out at the open-air exercise center or meet up at the city’s skatepark. Camping and hiking west of town are also popular pastimes. “The DWP has opened a lot of the land for recreational use, so people are always hiking and fishing, either in the Buttermilk Boulders or at the Bishop Creek Canal,” Amundson says. “We even have a celebration for the opening of the fishing season called Fishmas, which usually happens in the last week of April.” West Bishop is also close to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, located 43 miles northwest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Highways and a small airport connect Bishop to regional destination
Two main roads provide the main lifeline for West Bishop. “Highway 168 heads up to the mountain lakes for fishing and camping,” Amundson says. “And most people are either heading east on 168 to work in Bishop, or making the 5-hour drive down Highway 395 to Los Angeles.” Eastern Sierra Regional Airport offers flights to San Francisco and Denver. “We have 14,000-foot mountain peaks on either side of us, so even though we’re geographically close to the Bay Area, flying there is quicker than trying to drive,” he says.
Downtown Bishop offers classic diners and small-town shops
Manor Market, operated by the same local family since 1969, is West Bishop's main grocery store. In the same shopping center, residents can pick up DIY project necessities and household goods at Manor True Value Hardware. Bishop’s downtown district offers several restaurants, from coffee shops like Black Sheep Coffee Roasters to classic American roadside diners like Jack’s Restaurant.
