Marin County, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marin County, California
Map
Map of California highlighting Marin County
Location in the state of California
Map of the U.S. highlighting California
California's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded February 18, 1850
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 (IPA: /məˈrɪn/) 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 and county government is the largest employer in the County. Marin County is renowned for its natural beauty, liberal politics and affluence. According to the 2000 Census, Marin County has the highest per capita income in the country at $44,962. It is governed by local cities and the Marin County Board of Supervisors.

San Quentin Prison is located in the county, as is Skywalker Ranch. 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. Mountain biking is said to have been invented on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais in Marin.

Marin County's many beautiful natural sites include the famous Muir Woods redwood forest, the Marin Headlands, Stinson Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Mount Tamalpais, one of the West's first tourist mountains.

Contents

[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 Point and San Quentin Point 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 Vizcaíno 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 Arcángel 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 828 square miles (2,145 km²), of which, 520 square miles (1,346 km²) of it is land and 308 square miles (799 km²) of it (37.24%) is water. According to the records at the County Assessor-Recorder's Office, as of June 2006, Marin had 91,065 acres (369 km²) 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
The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands.
The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands.

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 State Route 1 runs alongside the California coast, contains many small unincorporated communities whose economies depend on agriculture and tourism.

[edit] National protected areas

[edit] Transportation infrastructure

[edit] State and interstate highways

[edit] Scenic roads

  • Conzelman Road, Marin Headlands
  • Dillon Beach Road
  • 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
  • Manuel T Freitas Pkwy
  • Bolinas Fairfax Road: Connects Sir Francis Drake Blvd to 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
  • Point/North San Pedro Road: Connects Santa Venetia and Peacock Gap neighborhoods via China Camp State Park

[edit] Public transportation

Golden Gate Transit provides service primarily along the U.S. 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 Sausalito. 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 service San Rafael.

[edit] Airports

Marin County Airport or Gnoss Field (ICAO: KDVO) 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 as well as Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport north of Marin County.

[edit] Educational institutions

[edit] Elementary and middle schools

Bolinas:

Corte Madera:

Fairfax:

  • Manor School
  • White Hill Middle School

Kentfield:

  • Adeline E. Kent Middle School
  • Bacich Elementary

Larkspur:

  • Marin Primary & Middle School
  • Henry C. Hall Middle School
  • Ring Mountain School

Mill Valley:

Novato:

  • Hamilton Elementary School
  • Hill Middle School
  • Loma Verde Elementary School
  • Lynwood Elementary School
  • Montessori School Of Novato
  • North Bay Christian Academy
  • Olive Elementary School
  • Our Lady Of Loretto Catholic School
  • Pleasant Valley Elementary
  • Rancho Elementary School
  • San Jose Middle School
  • San Ramon Elementary
  • Sinaloa Middle School

Point Reyes Station:

  • West Marin School

Ross:

  • Ross School

San Anselmo:

  • Brookside Elementary School
  • Wade Thomas Elementary School

San Rafael:

  • Bahia Vista Elementary School
  • Brandeis Hillel Day School (Marin Campus)
  • Coleman Elementary School
  • Dixie Elementary School
  • Glenwood Elementary School
  • James B. Davidson Middle School
  • Laurel Dell Elementary School
  • Mary E. Sylviera Elementary School
  • Miller Creek Middle School
  • Sun Valley Elementary School
  • St. Mark's School - private
  • St. Raphael's School - private
  • St. Isabella - private
  • Vallecito Elementary School
  • Venetia Valley K-8 School

Sausalito:

  • Bayside/MLK Elementary School
  • Willow Creek Academy School

Tiburon:

  • Bel Aire School
  • Del Mar School
  • Reed School
  • St. Hilary School

Tomales:

  • Tomales Elementary School

[edit] High schools

Kentfield:

Corte Madera/Tiburon/Ross/Greenbrae/Kentfield/Larkspur

Continuing Education:

  • San Andreas High School, continuation school
  • Tamiscal High School, independent study

Mill Valley:

Novato:

Ross:

  • The Branson School, private school

San Anselmo:

San Rafael:

Sausalito:

Tomales:

[edit] Colleges and universities

[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 Walker Creek, Lagunitas Creek, Miller Creek, and Novato Creek.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 247,289 people, 100,650 households, and 60,691 families residing in the county. The population density was 476 people per square mile (184/km²). There were 104,990 housing units at an average density of 202 per square mile (78/km²). 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. 11.5% were of Irish, 11.0% English, 10.2% German and 8.4% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 80.8% spoke English, 9.6% Spanish, 1.4% French and 1.1% German as their first language.

In 2005 76.9% of Marin County's population was non-Hispanic whites. 12.6% of the population was Latino (mostly concentrated in the Canal Area of San Rafael).[citation needed] 5.3% of the population was Asian and 3.1% was African-American.[citation needed]

In 2000 there were 100,650 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% 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 20.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 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 4.7% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 2.5% 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 where displays of conspicuous consumption, especially luxury cars, are common. The county has the highest density of BMW cars (locally known as 'Basic Marin Wheels') in the United States, according to dealers in the county [1].

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 precedent for this was set after a huge development project that would have put a suburb atop the Marin Headlands called Marincello was defeated in court.

The trend of increased affluence has not held true for two neighborhoods in particular, populated almost exclusively by low-income disadvantaged groups (aside from Asians): 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. Nevertheless, if it weren't for these two neighborhoods, the service industry of Marin County would not function because the only other working-class neighborhoods are across the San Francisco Bay.

[edit] Politics

Marin is part of California's 6th congressional district, which is held by Democrat Lynn Woolsey.

In the state legislature Marin is in the 6th Assembly district, which is held by Democrat Jared Huffman, and the 3rd Senate district, which is held by Democrat Carole Migden.

[edit] Presidential elections results

The county has become a stronghold of the Democratic Party in recent decades. Out of California counties, only San Francisco County and Alameda County voted more Democratic in the 2004 Presidential election.

According to the California Secretary of State, Marin County has 144,691 voters. Of those, 77,438 (53.5%) are registered Democratic, 30,791 (21.3%) are registered Republican, 6,643 (4.6%) are registered with other political parties, and 29,819 (20.6%) have declined to state a political party. Except for Belvedere, every city, town, and the unincorporated areas of Marin County have more registered Democrats than Republicans. As of April, 2008, Republicans hold only a thin advantage of 8 voters over the Democrats in Belvedere.

Presidential election results
Year DEM GOP Others
2004 73.2% 99,070 25.4% 34,378 1.4% 1,877
2000 64.2% 79,135 28.3% 34,872 7.4% 9,148
1996 58.0% 67,406 28.2% 32,714 13.8% 16,020
1992 58.3% 76,158 23.3% 30,479 18.4% 24,070
1988 58.9% 69,394 39.7% 46,855 1.4% 1,671
1984 49.6% 57,533 49.0% 56,887 1.4% 1,630
1980 36.2% 39,231 45.8% 49,678 18.1% 19,598
1976 42.9% 43,590 52.5% 53,425 4.6% 4,700
1972 45.6% 47,414 52.1% 54,123 2.3% 2,346
1968 43.8% 36,278 50.1% 41,422 6.1% 5,055
1964 61.6% 46,462 38.1% 28,682 0.3% 220
1960 42.5% 27,888 57.3% 37,620 0.2% 157

[edit] Economy

As of 2008, the largest private-sector employers in Marin County were:[3]

  1. Kaiser Permanente (1,626 full-time employees in Marin County)
  2. Marin General Hospital (1,267)
  3. Autodesk (1,200)
  4. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company (1,200)
  5. Comcast (619)
  6. Safeway Inc. (452)
  7. Macy's, Inc.
  8. Frank Howard Allen Realtors (423)
  9. BioMarin Pharmaceutical
  10. Fair Isaac
  11. MHN (350)
  12. Dominican University of California (325)
  13. W. Bradley Electric (295)
  14. Brayton Purcell (288)
  15. Guide Dogs for the Blind (287)
  16. Novato Community Hospital (274)
  17. Mollie Stones (270)
  18. Wells Fargo
  19. Costco
  20. Ghilotti Bros. (250)
  21. Kentfield Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospital
  22. Lucasfilm
  23. Longs Drugs
  24. Nordstrom (211)
  25. Coldwell Banker (207)

[edit] Media

Marin county has several media outlets that serve the local community.

[edit] Notable current and former residents

Main article: Notable residents and former residents of Marin County

[edit] Cities, towns and unincorporated districts

[edit] Adjacent counties

[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 neighboring San Francisco or Sonoma County. The following are representative works produced in whole or in part in Marin County:

  • 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.
  • Many scenes of the 1971 film Dirty Harry and its sequels were filmed in Marin.
  • The 1996 film Jack was filmed almost entirely in Ross.
  • The 2001 film Bandits was filmed in Marin.
  • In the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark starring Harrison Ford, the college scenes were filmed at Dominican University of California and Indiana Jones' home exteriors was filmed in San Rafael as well.
  • The book A Time For Dancing was set in Mill Valley, and the characters attended Tamalpais High School
  • Scenes from the 1992 film Basic Instinct were filmed in Marin, particularly the car chase scene when Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), follows Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone) from Mill Valley to Muir Beach on Highway 1.
  • Short scenes in the 1995 movie Nine Months were set in Tiburon with a view of San Francisco.
  • Short scenes from the 2007 film "Zodiac" were filmed in and around Marin County. Note: the stabbing scene at the lake was not filmed in Novato but at Lake Berryessa.
  • The staging of George Grisby's shooting in Lady From Shanghai was shot on the dock outside what is now the Gaylord Indian Restaurant in Sausalito.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Cochrane, Laura; Princesa Pabalan. "Private-sector employers - Marin County", North Bay Business Journal, 2008-06-09, pp. M3-9. (English) 

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
San Francisco Bay Area Portal

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Marin County, California
County seat: San Rafael
Cities and towns
Marin County map
CDPs
Unincorporated
communities
v • d • e
San Francisco Bay Area
Bodies of water San Francisco Bay Area
Counties
Major cities
Cities and towns
100k-250k
Cities and towns
25k-99k
Cities and towns
10k-25k
Sub-regions
Flag of California
v • d • e

 
State of California
Sacramento (capital)
Topics
Regions

Antelope Valley · Big Sur · Cascade Range · Central Coast · Central Valley · Channel Islands · Coachella Valley · Conejo Valley · Cucamonga Valley · Death Valley · East Bay (SF) · Eastern California · Emerald Triangle · Gold Country · Great Basin · Greater Los Angeles · Inland Empire · Lake Tahoe · Los Angeles Basin · Mojave · North Bay (SF) · North Coast · Northern California · Owens Valley · Oxnard Plain · San Francisco Peninsula · Pomona Valley · Redwood Empire · Russian River · Sacramento Valley · San Bernardino Valley · San Fernando Valley · San Francisco Bay Area · San Joaquin Valley · Santa Clara Valley · Santa Clarita Valley · Shasta Cascade · Sierra Nevada · Silicon Valley · South Bay (SF) · Southern California · Tech Coast · Tri‑Valley · Wine Country · Yosemite
Metro areas
Micro areas
Counties

Alameda · Alpine · Amador · Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Del Norte · El Dorado · Fresno · Glenn · Humboldt · Imperial · Inyo · Kern · Kings · Lake · Lassen · Los Angeles · Madera · Marin · Mariposa · Mendocino · Merced · Modoc · Mono · Monterey · Napa · Nevada · Orange · Placer · Plumas · Riverside · Sacramento · San Benito · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Joaquin · San Luis Obispo · San Mateo · Santa Barbara · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Shasta · Sierra · Siskiyou · Solano · Sonoma · Stanislaus · Sutter · Tehama · Trinity · Tulare · Tuolumne · Ventura · Yolo · Yuba

Coordinates: 38°02′N 122°44′W / 38.04, -122.74