Marin County, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marin County, California | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of California |
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 California's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | February 18, 1850 |
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| Seat | San Rafael |
| Largest City | San Rafael |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
828 sq mi (2,145 km²) 520 sq mi (1,346 km²) 308 sq mi (799 km²), 37.24 |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
247,289 476/sq mi (184/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific : UTC-8/-7 |
| Website: www.co.marin.ca.us | |
Marin County (pronounced "mah-RIN") is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2000, the population was 247,289. The county seat is San Rafael. Marin County is world-renowned for its stunning natural beauty, liberal politics and affluence. It is the number one county in the nation for per capita income.[citation needed]
San Quentin Prison is located in the county, as is Skywalker Ranch. The largest employer in Marin is Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, headquartered in Novato. Autodesk, the publisher of AutoCAD, is located there, as are numerous other high-tech companies. The headquarters of film and media company Lucasfilm Ltd., previously based in San Rafael, have moved to the Presidio of San Francisco. United States Senator Barbara Boxer is from Marin.
The Marin County Civic Center was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and draws thousands of visitors a year to guided tours of its arch and atrium design.
America's oldest cross country race, the Dipsea Race takes place annually in Marin County, attracting thousands of athletes. The progressive organic dairy Straus Family Creameries, based in Marin, was the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi.
Marin County's many beautiful natural sites include the famous Muir Woods redwood forest, Stinson Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Mount Tamalpais, the birthplace of mountain biking.
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[edit] History
Marin County is one of the original 27 counties of California, created February 18, 1850, following adoption of the Constitution of 1849 and just months before the state was admitted to the Union.[1]
The origin of the county's name is not clear. One version is the county was named for Chief Marin, of the Coast Miwok, Licatiut tribe of Native Americans who inhabited that section and waged fierce battle against the early Spanish military explorers. The other version is that the bay between San Pedro and San Quentín points was named Bahía de Nuestra Señora del Rosario la Marinera in 1775, and it is quite possible that Marin is simply an abbreviation of this name.
The Coast Miwok Indians were hunters and gatherers whose ancestors had occupied the area for thousands of years. About 600 village sites have been identified in the county.
The English explorer and privateer, Sir Francis Drake and the crew of the Golden Hind was thought to have landed on the Marin coast in 1579 claiming the land as Nova Albion. A bronze plaque inscribed with Drake's claim to the new lands, fitting the description in Drake's own account, was discovered in 1933. This so-called Drake's Plate of Brass was later declared a hoax.
In 1595 Sebastian Cermeno lost his ship, the San Agustin, while exploring the Marin Coast. The Spanish explorer Viscaino landed about twenty years after Drake in what is now called Drake's Bay. However the first Spanish settlement in Marin was not established until 1817 when Mission San Rafael Archangel was founded partly in response to the Russian-built Fort Ross to the north in what is now Sonoma county.
Mission San Rafael Arcángel was founded in what is now downtown San Rafael as the 20th Spanish mission in the colonial Mexican province of Alta California by four priests, Father Narciso Duran from Mission San Jose, Father Abella from Mission San Francisco de Asís, Father Gil y Taboada and Father Mariano Payeras, the President of the Missions, on Dec. 14, 1817, four years before Mexico gained independence from Spain.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,145 km² (828 mi²). 1,346 km² (520 mi²) of it is land and 799 km² (308 mi²) of it (37.24%) is water. According to the records at the County Assessor-Recoder's Office, as of June 2006, Marin had 91,065 acres of taxable land, comprised of 79,086 parcels with a total tax basis of $39.8 billion. These parcels are divided into the following classifications:
| Parcel Type | Tax ID | Quantity | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacant | 10 | 6,900 | $508.17 million |
| Single Family Residential | 11 | 61,264 | $30,137.02 million |
| Mobile Home | 12 | 210 | $7.62 million |
| House Boat | 13 | 379 | $61.83 million |
| Multi Family Residential | 14 | 1,316 | $3,973.51 million |
| Industrial Unimproved | 40 | 113 | $12.24 million |
| Industrial Improved | 41 | 562 | $482.83 million |
| Commercial Unimproved | 50 | 431 | $97.89 million |
| Commercial Improved | 51 | 7,911 | $4,519.64 million |
Geographically, the county forms a large, southward-facing peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay to the east, and -- across the Golden Gate -- the city of San Francisco to the south. Marin County's northern border is with Sonoma County.
Most of the county's population resides on the eastern side, with a string of communities running along San Francisco Bay, from Sausalito to Tiburon to Corte Madera to San Rafael. The interior contains large areas of agricultural and open space; West Marin, through which California State Route 1 runs alongside the California coast, contains many small unincorporated communities dependent on agriculture and tourism for their economies.
[edit] Transportation Infrastructure
[edit] State and interstate highways
Interstate 580
U.S. Highway 101 (Redwood Highway)
California State Route 1
California State Route 37
California State Route 131 (Tiburon Boulevard)
[edit] Scenic roads
- Conzelman Road, Marin Headlands
- Dillon Beach Road
- Paradise Drive
- Crown Road
- Tomales Petaluma Road
- Chileno Valley Road: Connects Marshall Petaluma Road to Tomales Petaluma Road
- Marshall Petaluma Road
- Hicks Valley Road: Connects Marshall Petaluma Road to Point Reyes Petaluma Road
- Point Reyes Petaluma Road
- Novato Boulevard: Novato to Point Reyes Petaluma Road
- Sir Francis Drake Blvd: Point Reyes Lighthouse to California Park
- Bolinas Fairfax Road: Connects Sir Francis Drake Blvd to California State Route 1 (also a scenic road) at Bolinas
- Bolinas Ridge Road: Connects Bolinas Fairfax Road to Panoramic Highway and Muir Woods Road
- Lucas Valley Road and Nicasio Valley Road: Connect 101 with Point Reyes Petaluma Road
[edit] Public Transportation
Golden Gate Transit provides service primarily along the US 101 corridor, serving cities in Marin County, as well as San Francisco and Sonoma County. Service is also provided to Contra Costa County via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Ferries to San Francisco operate from Larkspur and San Rafael. Ferry service from Tiburon is provided by Blue and Gold Fleet and by the Angel Island Ferry.
Local bus routes within Marin County are operated by Golden Gate Transit under contract to the Marin County Transit District. MCTD also operates the West Marin Stage, serving communities in the western, rural areas of Marin County.
Greyhound Lines buses serve San Rafael.
[edit] Airports
Marin County Airport is a general aviation airport operated by the County Department of Public Works. San Rafael Airport is a private airstrip. The nearest airports with commercial flights are San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport.
[edit] Educational Institutions
[edit] High Schools
- Tamalpais High School- Mill Valley
- Redwood High School- Larkspur
- San Rafael High School- San Rafael
- Marin Academy High School- San Rafael
- Terra Linda High School- San Rafael
- Drake High School- San Anselmo
- The Branson School- Ross
- Novato High School- Novato
- San Marin High School- Novato
- Marin Catholic High School- Kentfield
- Tomales High School- Tomales
San Domenico School-San Anselmo
The Marin School-Sausalito
[edit] Elementary/Middle Schools
- Adeline E. Kent Middle School- Kentfield
- Bacich Elementary- Kentfield
- Bayside/MLK Elementary School- Sausalito
- Bel Aire School- Tiburon
- Del Mar School- Tiburon
- St. Hilary School- Tiburon
- Old Mill School- Mill Valley
- Edna Maguire Elementary School- Mill Valley
- Marin Horizon School- Mill Valley/Presidio of San Francisco
- Mill Valley Middle School- Mill Valley
- Mount Tamalpais School- Mill Valley
- The Park School- Mill Valley
- Marin Montessori School- Corte Madera
- Marin Country Day School- Corte Madera
- Marin Primary & Middle School- Larkspur
- Ring Mountain School- Larkspur
- Bahia Vista Elementary School- San Rafael
- Davidson Middle School- San Rafael
- Glenwood Elementary School- San Rafael
- Miller Creek Middle School- Marinwood/San Rafael
- Sun Valley Elementary School- San Rafael
- St. Mark's School - San Rafael
- St. Raphael's- San Rafael
- Santa Venetia Valley School- Santa Venetia/San Rafael
- White Hill Middle School- Fairfax
- Hamilton Elementary School- Novato
- Hill Middle School- Novato
- Loma Verde Elementary School- Novato
- Lynwood Elementary School- Novato
- Montessori School Of Novato- Novato
- North Bay Christian Academy- Novato
- Olive Elementary School- Novato
- Our Lady Of Loretto Catholic School- Novato
- Pleasant Valley Elementary- Novato
- Rancho Elementary School- Novato
- Reed School - Tiburon
- San Jose Middle School- Novato
- San Ramon Elementary- Novato
- Sinaloa Middle School- Novato
- Tomales Elementary School- Tomales
- Vallecito Elementary School- Terra Linda
- West Marin School- Point Reyes Station
[edit] Colleges/Universities
- Dominican University of California - San Rafael
- College of Marin - Kentfield
[edit] Ecology
Marin county is considered in the California Floristic Province, a zone of extremely high biodiversity and endemicism. There are numerous ecosystems present, including coastal strand, oak woodland, chaparral and riparian zones. There are also a considerable number of protected plant and animal species present: fauna include the Northern Red-legged Frog and California freshwater shrimp, while flora include Marin Dwarf Flax, Hesperolinon congestum; Tiburon Jewelflower, Streptanthus niger; and Tiburon Indian paintbrush, Castilleja neglecta.
A number of watersheds exist in Marin County including Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio, San Rafael Creek, Pickleweed Creek and Americano Creek.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 247,289 people, 100,650 households, and 60,691 families residing in the county. The population density was 184/km² (476/mi²). There were 104,990 housing units at an average density of 78/km² (202/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.03% White, 2.89% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 4.53% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 4.50% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. 11.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 100,650 households out of which 27.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.40% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.70% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.30% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 29.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $71,306, and the median income for a family was $88,934. Males had a median income of $61,282 versus $45,448 for females. The per capita income for the county was $44,962. About 4.70% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.90% of those under age 18 and 2.50% of those age 65 or over. Marin County has the second highest median household income in California behind Santa Clara County.
Marin County has the highest per capita income of any county in the United States. This is driven in particular by expensive enclaves in Belvedere, Kentfield, Larkspur, Ross, Tiburon, Mill Valley, Sausalito, San Anselmo and portions of San Rafael and Novato.
The traditionally middle class towns of Corte Madera, Fairfax, Novato and San Rafael (where per capita incomes typically paralleled the California state average as late as 1985) also have experienced especially sharp rises in real estate values, due in part to their proximity to the "prestige" address areas. The county's resistance to urban sprawl and its preservation of open space have also had an upward impact on housing prices by reducing the number of new subdivisions built in the area since 1970.
The trend of increased affluence has not held true for two neighborhoods in particular, populated almost exclusively by low-income persons of color: Marin City (which shares a zip code with Sausalito) and the Canal Neighborhood in San Rafael. Government policies have both forbidden property owners from raising rents and have also subsidized housing prices in these neighborhoods for tenants who do not report incomes higher than 200% of the poverty level on their IRS tax return. Marin City has a population of 3,000 and is ethnically diverse with large East Asian, Hispanic, and African American populations. Many families live in public housing apartment buildings. The population in The Canal is largely Hispanic, with many households residing in over-crowded apartment units. San Rafael has asserted to the Federal Government that this population is significantly undercounted by the U.S. Census due to the high percentage of illegal immigrants, depriving the city of tax funds for improved social services. They assert that the 6.6% of the county-wide population listed as below the poverty line is both under-reported, and heavily concentrated in The Canal.
[edit] Media
Marin county has several media outlets that serve the local community.
- Marin Independent Journal - a daily newspaper with headquarters in Novato.
- The Pacific Sun - a free weekly distributed throughout the county.
- The Point Reyes Light - a weekly newspaper.
- KWMR radio - West Marin Radio, serving the West Marin audience.
- Channel 26 - public access television in Marin.
[edit] Notable current and former residents
See notable residents and former residents of Marin County
[edit] Presidential elections results
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 25.4% 34,378 | 73.2% 99,070 |
| 2000 | 28.3% 34,872 | 64.3% 79,135 |
| 1996 | 28.2% 32,714 | 58.0% 67,406 |
| 1992 | 23.3% 30,479 | 58.3% 76,158 |
| 1988 | 39.7% 46,855 | 58.8% 69,394 |
| 1984 | 49.0% 56,887 | 49.6% 57,533 |
| 1980 | 45.8% 49,678 | 42.9% 39,231 |
| 1976 | 52.5% 53,425 | 42.9% 43,590 |
| 1972 | 52.1% 54,123 | 45.6% 47,414 |
| 1968 | 50.1% 41,422 | 43.8% 36,278 |
| 1964 | 38.1% 28,682 | 61.7% 46,462 |
| 1960 | 57.3% 37,620 | 42.5% 27,888 |
Though the county is marked by its fiscal conservatism and isolationism, it tends to support liberal positions on social issues, and it (like much of the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area) has become a stronghold of the Democratic Party in recent decades. Marin County presidential election returns since 1960 can be seen in the adjoining table.
[edit] Cities, Towns and Unincorporated Districts
- Belvedere
- Bolinas
- Corte Madera
- Dillon Beach
- Fairfax
- Inverness
- Inverness Park
- Kentfield
- Lagunitas-Forest Knolls
- Larkspur
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- Lucas Valley-Marinwood
- Peacock Gap
- Santa Venetia
- Terra Linda
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[edit] Adjacent counties
- San Francisco County, California - south (across the Golden Gate Bridge)
- Contra Costa County, California - east (across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge)
- Sonoma County, California - north
[edit] In books and films
Marin County has been used as the venue for numerous films and books; in some cases these works have also incorporated scenes set in nieghboring San Francisco or Sonoma County. The following are representative works produced in whole or in part in Marin County:
- Marin County lifestyles of the 1970s were spoofed in the 1977 novel The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County by Cyra McFadden, and in the subsequent film Serial (1980 film) which was based on the novel.
- The book Invasion of the Body Snatchers was set in Mill Valley.
- Key scenes in the 1973 movie American Graffiti were filmed in Marin at Tamalpais High School and on 4th Street in downtown San Rafael.
- A scene from The Godfather: Part II was filmed in Marin.
- Marin County's reputation as a counterculture enclave, especially the town of Bolinas and its isolationist reputation, made it a location of many key events in the 1981 novel Ecotopia Emerging by Ernest Callenbach.
- The 2002 film High Crimes takes place in Marin.
- Many scenes of the 1971 film Dirty Harry and its sequels were filmed in Marin.
- The Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds (1963) takes place in Bodega Bay which borders Marin and Sonoma county.
- The 1996 film Jack was filmed almost entirely in Ross.
- The 2001 film Bandits was filmed in Marin.
- The 1997 film Gattaca was filmed at the Marin County Civic Center.
[edit] Notes
- ^ California's Legislature, "APPENDIX M, Origin and Meaning of the Names of the Counties of California With County Seats and Dates Counties Were Created," p. 302. Spring 2006, Accessed March 26, 2007
[edit] See also
- List of California counties
- Golden Gate Transit
- List of school districts in Marin County, California
- Gnoss Field
- Mount Tamalpais State Park
- Moon Over Marin, a Dead Kenendys song about pollution in Marin County
[edit] External links
- County of Marin official website
- Marin County Free Library
- Marin County Real Estate
- Photos of Marin County - Terra Galleria
- Marin Fraternal Organizations
- Marin County community profiles at the Marin Independent Journal
- Marin County Arts
- Marin County Fire Department
- Marin County Businesses & Events
