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137-631: Mill Valley is a city in Marin County , California , United States , located about 14 miles (23 km) north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and 52 miles (84 km) from Napa Valley . The population was 14,231 at the 2020 census . Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay , and the eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais . Beyond the flat coastal area and marshlands, it occupies narrow wooded canyons , mostly of second-growth redwoods , on

274-646: A Pacific herring fishery and oyster beds. The herring fishing fleet serving all of San Francisco Bay is based in Richardson Bay at the Sausalito harbor. This herring fishing is overseen by the California Department of Fish and Game ; the herring population is in a downward trend, although not from excessive fishing pressure with the net techniques in use, but rather from ocean environmental factors. Herring spend most of their lives in

411-583: A wildlife sanctuary. The Audubon Society purchased this upland parcel along with the entirety of the subtidal and intertidal lands of Richardson Bay in 1960. The Lyford House built in 1876 occupies the Verall parcel, even though the house was built at a different location in the vicinity known as Strawberry Point. The house is furnished in period style and is used by the National Audubon Society for special functions and events. As of 2019,

548-511: A "Goheen Home". George C. Goheen built the so-called "defense homes" for defense workers throughout the 1940s and 1950s in the Alto neighborhood. With a population just over 7,000 by 1950, Mill Valley was still relatively rural. Workers commuted to San Francisco on the Greyhound bus when the streets were not flooding in heavy rain, and there still were not any traffic lights. The military built

685-428: A "no discharge" rule to protect the elaborate and fragile ecosystems present, including a complex fishery , diverse mollusk populations and even marine mammals such as the harbor seal . Owing to its lack of depth and complicated channel structure, Richardson Bay is limited in boating uses to kayaking and small sailing craft. There are extensive hiking and bicycling paths at the bay perimeter, especially in

822-635: A 75.1 percent to 24.9 percent margin. The official tally was 103,341 against and 34,324 in favor. Only San Francisco County voted against the measure by a wider margin (75.2% against). According to the California Secretary of State , as of February 10, 2019, Marin County has 161,870 registered voters. Of those, 89,526 (55.31%) are registered Democrats, 23,380 (14.44%) are registered Republicans , 7,020 (4.35%) are registered with other political parties, and 41,908 (25.89%) have declined to state

959-458: A brickyard and stone quarry. Reed also did brisk businesses in hunting, skins, tallow, and other products until his death in 1843 at 38 years of age. Richardson sold butter, milk and beef to San Francisco during the Gold Rush . Shortly thereafter, he made several poor investments and wound up massively in debt to many creditors. On top of losing his Mendocino County rancho, he was forced to deed

1096-502: A change in wind direction. In October of that year, the Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods Scenic Railway ran for the last time. The fire caused great devastation to tourism and tourist destinations, but the railroads were also crushed by the automobile . Panoramic Highway, running between Mill Valley and Stinson Beach was built in 1929–1930. The stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression crippled what little railroad tourism there

1233-555: A debt, Throckmorton acquired a large portion of Rancho Saucelito in 1853–54 and built his own rancho, "The Homestead," on what is now Linden Lane and Montford Avenue. The descendants of ranch superintendent Jacob Gardner continue to be active in Marin. Some of the rest of his land was leased out for dairy farming to Portuguese settlers. A majority of the immigrants came from the Azores . Those who were unsuccessful at gold mining came north to

1370-578: A facelift; it was rebuilt to the same specifications as the original in 1991. The 1990s also saw another influx of affluence. Many new homeowners gutted homes built in the 19th and early 20th centuries or tore them down altogether. The dawn of the new millennium brought reflection on the past, as the city celebrated 100 years of incorporation. Soon after Mill Valley got its brand new Community Center at 180 Camino Alto, adjacent to Mill Valley Middle School . On January 31, 2008, Mill Valley's sewage treatment plant spilled 2.45 million gallons of sewage into

1507-443: A female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85. 21.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

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1644-648: A heterogeneous mixture of sedimentary , igneous and metamorphic rock gathered together in the course of the tectonic evolution of the region from the Late Jurassic to the Middle Miocene . These assemblages of Franciscan rocks are referred to as tectonostratigraphic terrains and two of them, the Central Belt and the Coastal Belt, are in fault contact near Richardson Bay. Richardson Bay

1781-619: A natural wilderness. Mill Valley and the Homestead Valley Land Trust maintains many minimally disturbed wildland areas and preserves which are open to the public from sunrise to dusk every day. Several nature trails allow access as well as providing gateway access to neighboring state and federal park lands, and the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed wildland on the broad eastern face of Mt. Tamalpais that overlooks Mill Valley. These are undeveloped natural areas and contain many species of wild animals, including some large predators like

1918-433: A new Children's Room, a downstairs Fiction Room, and Internet computers. It also joined MARINet, a consortium of all the public libraries in Marin, to allow patrons greater access to information. MARINet now has an online catalogue of all the materials, both physical and electronic, in the Marin public libraries, which patrons can order, pick up, and drop off materials at any of the participating libraries. The Old Mill also got

2055-492: A noted engineer to lay out roads, pedestrian paths, and step-systems for what the developers hoped would become a new city. He also built the Cascade Dam & Reservoir for water supply, and set aside land plots for churches, schools, and parks. On May 31, 1890, nearly 3,000 people attended The Tamalpais Land & Water Co. land auction near the now-crumbling sawmill. More than 200 acres (0.81 km) were sold that day in

2192-512: A permanent annual event and the old Carnegie library was replaced with an award-winning library at 375 Throckmorton Ave. Designed by architect Donn Emmons, the new library was formally dedicated on September 18, 1966. The 1970s saw a change in attitude and population. Mill Valley became an area associated with great wealth, with many people making their millions in San Francisco and moving north. New schools and neighborhoods cropped up, though

2329-515: A political party. The combination of Mill Valley's idyllic location nestled beneath Mount Tamalpais coupled with its relative ease of access to nearby San Francisco has made it a popular home for many high-income commuters . Over the last 30 years, following a trend that is endemic throughout the Bay Area , home prices have climbed in Mill Valley (the median price for a single-family home

2466-600: A political party. Democrats hold wide voter-registration majorities in all political subdivisions in Marin County. Democrats' largest registration advantage in Marin is in the town of Fairfax , wherein there are only 344 Republicans (6.1%) out of 5,678 total voters compared to 3,758 Democrats (66.2%) and 1,276 voters who have declined to state a political party (22.5%). Richardson Bay In spite of its urbanized periphery, Richardson Bay supports extensive eelgrass areas and sizable undisturbed intertidal habitats. It

2603-471: A population of 252,409. The racial makeup of Marin County was 201,963 (80.0%) White , 6,987 (2.8%) African American , 1,523 (0.6%) Native American , 13,761 (5.5%) Asian , 509 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 16,973 (6.7%) from other races , and 10,693 (4.2%) from two or more races. There were 39,069 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (15.5%). As of the census of 2000, there were 247,289 people, 100,650 households, and 60,691 families residing in

2740-469: A state of indentured servitude to the California land grant owners. That same year, the governor of Alta California, José Figueroa , awarded to John T. Reed the first land grant in Marin, Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio . Just west of that, Rancho Saucelito was transferred to William A. Richardson in 1838 after being originally awarded to Nicolas Galindo in 1835. William Richardson also married

2877-525: A total tax basis of $ 39.8 billion. These parcels are divided into the following classifications: 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

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3014-627: A well-connected woman; both he and Reed were originally from Europe. Richardson's name was later applied to Richardson Bay , an arm of the San Francisco Bay that brushes up against the eastern edge of Mill Valley. The Richardson rancho contained everything south and west of the Corte Madera and Larkspur areas with the Pacific Ocean , San Francisco Bay, and Richardson Bay as the other three borders. The former encompassed what

3151-734: Is San Rafael . Marin County is across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, and is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area . Marin County's natural sites include the Muir Woods redwood forest, the Marin Headlands , Stinson Beach , the Point Reyes National Seashore , and Mount Tamalpais . Marin is one of the highest-income counties by per capita income and median household income. The county

3288-503: Is a feeding and resting area for a panoply of estuarine and pelagic birds, while its associated marshes and littoral zones support a variety of animal and plant life. Richardson Bay has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA), based upon its large number of annual bird visitors and residents, its sightings of California clapper rail and its strategic location on the Pacific Flyway . The bay's waters are subject to

3425-525: Is also home to the Lucretia Hanson Little History Room, which has thousands of books, photographs, newspapers, pamphlets, artifacts, and oral histories on the history of California, Marin County, and Mill Valley. Mill Valley is the home of several annual events, many of which attract national and international followings: Mill Valley has also been home to many artists, actors, authors, musicians, and TV personalities, and it

3562-549: Is an important ecological area being managed by Audubon California as the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary. There are significant estuarine resources, marsh birdlife , mammalian species and marsh plants. Birds are abundant in Richardson Bay, with over one million migratory visitors each winter, many of whom utilizing the upper mudflats and Bothin Marsh associated with the area west of

3699-426: Is being restored, leading to further extent of this habitat. There is an extensive pickleweed habitat at the western end of the bay, where many acres of mudflat areas are exposed to shorebirds at low tide at the efflux of Pickleweed Inlet . Upland plants found at the perimeter of Richardson's Bay include toyon , coast live oak , California bay , and native California bunch grasses . On November 7, 2007, there

3836-920: Is considered in the California Floristic Province , a zone of extremely high biodiversity and endemism . There are numerous ecosystems present, including Coastal Strand , oak woodland , mixed evergreen forest , and Coast Redwood Forests chaparral and riparian zones . There are also a considerable number of protected plant and animal species present: Fauna include the California red-legged frog ( Rana draytonii ) 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 . Notably,

3973-691: Is governed by the Marin County Board of Supervisors . 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. In 1994, a new county jail facility was embedded into the hillside nearby. The United States' oldest cross country running event, the Dipsea Race , takes place annually in Marin County, attracting thousands of athletes. Modern mountain biking has many early origins on

4110-694: Is in California's 2nd congressional district , represented by Democrat Jared Huffman . From 2008 to 2012, Huffman represented Marin County in the California State Assembly . In the California State Legislature , Marin County is in: For most of the 20th century, Marin County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1880 until 1984, the only Democrats to win there were Woodrow Wilson , Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson . However,

4247-735: Is now southern Corte Madera, the Tiburon Peninsula , and Strawberry Point. In 1836, John Reed married Hilaria Sanchez, the daughter of a commandante in the San Francisco Presidio . He built the first sawmill in the county on the Cascade Creek (now Old Mill Park) in the mid-1830s on Richardson's rancho and settled near what is now Locke Lane and LaGoma Avenue. The mill cut wood for the San Francisco Presidio . He raised cattle and horses and had

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4384-732: Is part of the Tamalpais Union High School District , whose five campuses serve central and southern Marin County . North Bridge Academy, a private school located in downtown Mill Valley, serves 2nd - 8th grade students with dyslexia. Marin Horizon School is an independent school serving students in grades PK-8. Founded in 1977, the school enrolls 296 students. The municipal library overlooks Old Mill Park and provides many picturesque reading locations, as well as free computer and Internet access. The Mill Valley library first digitized its vast holdings under

4521-550: Is simply an abbreviation of this name. 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 revealed as a hoax in 2003. In 1595, Sebastian Cermeno lost his ship,

4658-793: Is the California clapper rail , a non-migratory endangered species . Beginning in 2014, endangered black oystercatchers have been observed nesting on Aramburu Island. Common year around residents of the Richardson Bay Sanctuary include great blue heron , snowy egret , and great egret ; mallard ; red-tailed hawk and turkey vulture ; killdeer and western gull ; mourning dove and rock dove ; Anna's hummingbird . Common residents Passeriformes include scrub jay , American crow , chestnut-backed chickadee , bushtit , Bewick's wren , house sparrow , red-winged blackbird , house finch , California towhee and song sparrow . Fishery characteristics of Richardson Bay include

4795-636: Is the oldest structure in Mill Valley. The San Francisco Savings & Union Bank organized the Tamalpais Land & Water Company in 1889 as an agency for disposing of the Richardson land gained from the Throckmorton debt. The board of directors was President Joseph Eastland, Secretary Louis L. Janes (Janes Street), Thomas Magee (Magee Avenue), Albert Miller (Miller Avenue), and Lovell White (Lovell Avenue). Eastland, who had been president of

4932-484: Is the setting for or is mentioned in many artworks. For example: Marin County, California Marin County ( / m ə ˈ r ɪ n / mə- RIN ; Spanish : Condado de Marín ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California . As of the 2020 census , the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city

5069-475: Is what makes for the favorable ecology required by the Coastal Redwood forests which still cover much of the town and surrounding area, and have played such a pivotal role throughout the history of Mill Valley. The 2010 United States Census reported that Mill Valley had a population of 13,903. The population density was 2,868.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,107.4/km). The racial makeup of Mill Valley

5206-400: The 2020 presidential election . Marin has voted for many gubernatorial candidates who went on to become high-profile national figures, including Richard Nixon , Ronald Reagan , Jerry Brown , and Dianne Feinstein . On November 4, 2008, the citizens of Marin County voted strongly against Proposition 8 , a constitutional amendment which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, by

5343-508: The Golden Gate on December 27: "...we came to anchor near the mouth of the bay, under a high and beautifully sloping hill, upon which herds of hundreds and hundreds of red deer [note: "red deer" is the European term for "elk"], and the stag, with his high branching antlers, were bounding about...," although it is not clear whether this was the Marin side or the San Francisco side. The 2010 United States Census reported that Marin County had

5480-545: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation , a female in Marin County could expect to live 85.0 years, the longest for any county in the United States. The national average is 80.8 years for a female. According to the 2010 United States Census , the racial composition of Marin County was as follows: According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey (ACS), 81.3% of Marin County's residents were born in

5617-478: The Marin Headlands and later brought their families. In Mill Valley, Ranch "B" is one of the few remaining dairy farm buildings and is located near the parking lot at the Tennessee Valley trailhead. Throckmorton also suffered devastating financial problems before his death in 1887. His surname would later be applied to one of the major thoroughfares in Mill Valley. Richardson and Reed had never formalized

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5754-633: The Mexican-American war , areas of Marin County were seized by Americans as part of the conquest of California (1846–1847). Marin County is one of the original 27 counties of California, created February 18, 1850, following adoption of the California Constitution of 1849 and just months before the state was admitted to the Union. According to General Mariano Vallejo , who headed an 1850 committee to name California's counties,

5891-708: The Mill Valley Air Force Station to protect the area during the Korean War . In 1956, a group of Beat poets and writers lived briefly in the Perry house, most notably Jack Kerouac and San Francisco Renaissance Beat poet Gary Snyder . The house and its land is now owned by the Marin County Open Space District. By the beginning of the 1960s, however, the population swelled. The Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival became

6028-589: The Port of San Francisco , and built the first significant residence in San Francisco, although it was meant to be a trading post. He had charge of several schooners belonging to the Mission Dolores and Mission Santa Clara . Richardson received a 19,500-acre (79 km ) Mexican land grant in 1838, Rancho Saucelito , which is all of the land north of the Golden Gate extending from bay to ocean and ranging north to Mount Tamalpais The grant contained all

6165-604: The San Agustin , while exploring the Marin Coast. The Spanish explorer Vizcaíno landed about twenty years after Drake in what is now called Drakes 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

6302-580: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 828 square miles (2,140 km ), of which 520 square miles (1,300 km ) is land and 308 square miles (800 km ), comprising 37.2%, is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in California by land area. According to the records at the County Assessor-Recorder's Office , as of June 2006, Marin had 91,065 acres (369 km ) of taxable land, consisting of 79,086 parcels with

6439-573: The U.S. Route 101 . In addition to being designated a high score IBA, Richardson's Bay has been dedicated as a Hemispheric Reserve of the Western Shorebird Network. Migrating birds that winter regularly at Richardson's Bay include least sandpiper , western sandpiper , spotted sandpiper , American avocet , dunlin , marbled godwit , greater yellowlegs , willet , long-billed curlew and dowitchers . A special resident of Bothin Marsh, Blackies' Creek mouth and DeSilva Island

6576-626: The United States House of Representatives , Mill Valley is in California's 2nd congressional district , represented by Democrat Jared Huffman . From 2008 to 2012, Huffman represented Marin County in the California State Assembly . In the California State Legislature , Mill Valley is in: According to the California Secretary of State , as of February 10, 2019, Mill Valley has 10,189 registered voters. Of those, 6,270 (61.5%) are registered Democrats , 965 (9.5%) are registered Republicans , and 2,605 (25.6%) have declined to state

6713-487: The coyote , the bobcat , and the cougar . Mill Valley has a mild Mediterranean climate which results in relatively wet winters and very dry summers. Winter lows rarely drop below freezing and summer highs rarely peak 90 °F (32 °C) with 90% of the annual rain falling in November through March. Wind speeds average lower than national averages in winter months and higher in summer, and often become quite gusty in

6850-468: The sea snail Littorina planaxis ; the crab Hemigrapsis oregonensis ; the isopod Sphaeroma quoyanum ; the barnacles Balanus glandula and Balanus amphitrite ; the nemertean Lineus ruber ; and the anemones Diadumene leucolena and Haliplanella luciae . Mammals visiting Richardson Bay include the harbor seal , which hauls out on DeSilva Island and on the Tiburon shore near

6987-474: The 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. In 2007, MSN and Forbes magazine ranked Mill Valley seventy-third on its "Most expensive zip codes in America" list. While Mill Valley has retained elements of its earlier artistic culture through galleries, festivals, and performances, its stock of affordable housing has diminished, forcing some residents to leave the area. This trend has also affected some of

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7124-559: The 1929 fire. This occurred as a result of a drop in ridership due to increased usage of automobiles rather than trains for recreation and construction of the Panoramic Highway and connecting road to Ridgecrest in 1929. Rails connected Mill Valley with neighboring cities and commuters to San Francisco via ferries. By 1900, the population was nearing 900 and the locals pushed out the Tamalpais Land & Water Co. in favor of incorporation. Organizations and clubs cropped up including

7261-559: The 1980s. Fifty percent of historical salmon habitat is now behind dams. Strong efforts are also being made to protect and restore undammed, headwater reaches of this Watershed in the San Geronimo Valley , where upwards of 40% of the Lagunitas salmon spawn each year and where as much as 1/3 of the juvenile salmon (or fry) spend their entire freshwater lives. The "Salmon Protection and Watershed Network" leads winter tours for

7398-572: The 19th century. The California State Legislature had been discussing legislation for forest-fire suppression as early as 1881, but the formal department did not come into being until approximately 1901. The Marin County Fire Department came into existence in its current incarnation on July 1, 1941, with passage of an ordinance and two resolutions by the Board of Supervisors. In the United States House of Representatives , Marin County

7535-403: The 2006–2008 ACS, English was the most commonly spoken language at home by residents over five years of age; those who spoke only English at home made up 77.1% of Marin County's residents. Speakers of non-English languages accounted for the remaining 22.9% of the population. Speakers of Spanish made up 11.7% of the county's residents, while speakers of other Indo-European languages made up 7.1% of

7672-587: The 640-acre (2.6 km) Rancho Saucelito to his wife, Maria Antonia Martinez, daughter of the commandante of the Presidio, in order to protect her. The rest of the rancho, including the part of what is now Mill Valley that did not already belong to Reed's heirs, was given to his administrator Samuel Reading Throckmorton . At his death in 1856 at 61 years old, Richardson was almost destitute. Throckmorton came to San Francisco in 1850 as an agent for an eastern mining business before working for Richardson. As payment of

7809-616: The Bay's original given name was possessive: Richardson's Bay . However, the United States Board on Geographic Names discourages the use of apostrophes in United States place names, which is why the name appears as Richardson Bay in government databases and maps. Richardson Bay is developed on surficial sediments of clays , silts and minor sands and gravels deposited in a primarily marine and estuarine environment during periods of previous high stands of water relative to

7946-634: The Coast Miwok and the Southern Pomo , all of whom can date their ancestry back to 14 survivors as original tribal ancestors. In Mill Valley, on Locust Avenue (between Sycamore and Walnut avenues), there is now a metal plaque set in the sidewalk in the area believed to be the birthplace of Chief Marin in 1781; the plaque was dedicated on May 8, 2009. The village site was first identified by Nels Nelson in 1907, and his excavation revealed tools, burials and food debris, among other things, just beyond

8083-424: The Coast Miwok encompasses all of Marin County, north to Bodega Bay and southern Sonoma County . More than 600 village sites have been identified, including 14 sites in the Mill Valley area. Nearby archaeological discoveries include rock carvings and grain-grinding sites on Ring Mountain . The pre- Missionization population of the Coast Miwok is estimated to have been between 1,500 (Alfred L. Kroeber's estimate for

8220-458: The Coast Miwok of southern Marin began to slowly enter the mission; first, those from Sausalito came, followed by those from areas now known as Mill Valley, Belvedere, Tiburón and Bolinas. They called themselves the "Huimen" people. At the mission, they were taught the Catholic faith, lost all of their known freedom, and over three-quarters died as a result of exposure to foreign diseases, to which

8357-609: The Lagunitas Creek Watershed is home to the largest remaining wild run of coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) in Central California. These coho are part of the "Central California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit, " or CCC ESU, and are listed as "endangered" at both the state and federal level. Significant efforts to protect and restore these fish have been underway in the Watershed since

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8494-558: The Lucretia Hanson Little History Room in the library opened and became the base of operations for the Mill Valley Historical Society. Marin County was hit with one of the worst droughts on record beginning in 1976 and peaking in 1977, brought on by a combination of several seasons of low rainfall and a refusal to import water from the Russian River , instead relying solely on rain water from Mt. Tam and

8631-463: The Mill Valley area: Mill Valley maintains many recreational parks which often contain playgrounds, wooded trails and other designated areas specifically designed for playing various sports. Public schools are managed by the Mill Valley School District . There are five elementary schools and one middle school, Mill Valley Middle School , a four-time winner of the California Distinguished School Award. The local high school, Tamalpais High School ,

8768-401: The Mission era had ended and California was under the control of the Mexican government. They took Miwok ancestral lands, divided them and gave them to Mexican soldiers or relatives who had connections with the Mexican governor. The huge tracts of land, called ranchos by the Mexican settlers, or Californios , soon covered the area. The Miwoks who had not died or fled were often employed under

8905-455: The Native Americans lacked immunity. Nearly just as many people died from violent acts perpetrated by the Spaniards and Europeans. As a result of the high death rate at Mission Dolores, it was decided to build a new Mission San Rafael, built in 1817. Over 200 surviving Coast Miwok were taken there from Mission Dolores and Mission San Jose—including the 17 survivors of the Huimen Coast Miwok of the Richardson Bay area California Missions. By 1834,

9042-538: The North Pacific Coast Railroad in 1877 and retained an interest, pushed to extend the railroad into the area in 1889. Though Reed, Richardson, and the Cushings were crucial to bringing people to the Mill Valley area, it was Eastland who really propelled the area and set the foundation for the city today. He had founded power companies all around the San Francisco Bay area, was on the board of several banks, and had control of several commercial companies. The Tamalpais Land & Water Co. hired Michael M. O'Shaughnessy , already

9179-400: The Outdoor Art Club (1902) (organized by Laura Lyon White ), Masonic Lodge (1903) which celebrated its centennial in 2003 and the Dipsea Race (1905), the latter marking its 100th anniversary in 2010. The second big population boom came after the 1906 Great earthquake . While much of San Francisco and Marin County was devastated, many fled to Mill Valley and most never left. In that year alone

9316-415: The Richardson Bay Audubon Sanctuary headquarters. The endangered salt marsh harvest mouse is also thought to be present. Flora include intertidal and upland species. Probably the most notable feature is the extensive eelgrass population at the tideland perimeter of Richardson Bay. This eelgrass occurrence in Richardson Bay is considered one of the most sizeable stands in Northern California, and it

9453-408: The San Francisco Bay side, becoming 100 feet (30 m) in depth almost immediately. This portion of San Francisco Bay, also known as Raccoon Strait , possesses highly turbulent waters. Boating in Richardson Bay is limited to small sailing craft and kayaks due to limited draft available, and nearly 900 acres of the bay is closed for six months during the winter each year to provide protection for

9590-402: The San Francisco Bay. This marked the second such spill in Mill Valley within a week (the previous one spilled 2.7 million gallons), and the most recent of several that occurred in Marin County in early 2008. Mill Valley's treatment plant attributed the spills to "human error". The spills caused distress in Mill Valley's administrative government, which remains outspoken about "dedicating itself to

9727-417: The Sulphur Springs, a natural hot spring where locals could revive their lagging spirits, was covered over and turned in the playground of the Old Mill Elementary School .1929 was a year of great change for Mill Valley. The Great Fire raged for several days in early July and nearly destroyed the fledgling city. It ravaged much of Mt. Tam (including the Tavern and 117 homes) and the city itself was spared only by

9864-667: The Tavern of Tamalpais on the mountain summit (built in 1896, rebuilt after the 1923 fire, and razed in 1950 by the California State Parks), the West Point Inn (built in 1904, by the scenic railway, operated commercially until 1943, closed briefly and then run by volunteers to the present day), and the Muir Woods Inn (burned in 1913, rebuilt in 1914, destroyed in 1930). The tracks were removed in 1930 after

10001-527: The United States. Approximately 80.0% of the county's residents were born in one of the fifty states or born abroad to American parents. Foreign-born individuals made up the remaining 18.7% of the population. Latin America was the most common birthplace of foreign-born residents; those born in Latin America made up the plurality (42.2%) of Marin County's foreign population. Individuals born in Europe were

10138-503: The Unknown Museum shut their doors, as did Red Cart Market and Tamalpais Hardware. In their places came boutiques, upscale clothing stores, coffee shops, art galleries, and gourmet grocery stores. Downtown Plaza and Lytton Square were remodeled to fit the new attitude. The population in the city alone swelled over 13,000 and many of the old, narrow, winding streets grew clogged with traffic congestion. The Public Library expanded with

10275-849: The West Marin watersheds to fill the then-six reservoirs. By June 1977, the County managed to pipe in water from the Sacramento River Delta , staving off disaster. The rainfall during the winter of 1977-78 was one of the heaviest on record. The Mill Valley Film Festival , now part of the California Film Institute , began in 1978 at the Sequoia Theatre. The 1980s and 1990s saw the decline of small businesses in Mill Valley. Local establishments like Lockwood's Pharmacy closed in 1981 after running almost continuously for 86 years. Old Mill Tavern, O'Leary's, and

10412-431: The age of 18 living in them, 2,984 (49.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 465 (7.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 178 (2.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 306 (5.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 55 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 2,016 households (33.1%) were made up of individuals, and 888 (14.6%) had someone living alone who

10549-543: The area, including the Masonic Lodge in 1904. Before his death in 1894, Eastland built a large summer home, "Burlwood", constructed on Throckmorton Avenue in 1892 that still stands though much of the original land has been parceled off. Burlwood was the first home in the town to have electricity, and when telephones were installed only he and Mrs. Cushing, the owner of the Blithedale Hotel, had service. After

10686-400: The areas of present-day Throckmorton, Cascade, Lovell, Summit, and Miller Avenues and extending to the west side of Corte Madera Avenue. By 1892, there were two schools in the area and a few churches. The auction also brought into Mill Valley architects, builders, and craftsmen. Harvey A. Klyce was one of the most prominent of the architects and designed many private homes and public buildings in

10823-480: The bay contains about one hundred people who live on boats one-quarter mile from the shore. Richardson bay joins San Francisco Bay where the water depth becomes 20 feet (6 m), demarcated by a highly irregular boundary connecting the southern end of the Sausalito Marina] with the southern tip of Belvedere, sometimes called Peninsula Point. At this line of demarcation the depth increases rapidly on

10960-554: The boundary lines separating their ranchos. Richardson's heirs successfully sued Reed's heirs in 1860 claiming the mill was built on their property. The border was officially marked as running along the Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio along present-day Miller Avenue. Everything to the east of the creek was Reed property, and everything to the west was Richardson land. It was Richardson's territory that would soon become part of Mill Valley when Throckmorton's daughter Suzanna

11097-636: The brand of Republicanism prevailing in Marin County was historically a moderate one. Like most of the historically Republican suburbs of the Bay Area, it became friendlier to Democrats as the demographics of the area changed and the national party embraced social and religious conservatism. In 1984, it very narrowly voted for Walter Mondale and has supported the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since then. Out of all California counties , only San Francisco County voted more Democratic in

11234-481: The bulk of such establishments were notoriously regarded during the time of United States Prohibition -era gin joints and brothels . The Manzanita was located near the intersection of U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 . Built in 1916, the " Blind Pig " roadhouse was located outside of the dry laws that were enforced more strictly within the city itself. In 1776, with the foundation of Mission San Francisco de Asís (commonly known as Mission Dolores),

11371-414: The canyon regions of town. California coastal fog often affects Mill Valley, making relative humidity highly variable. The wetter winter months tend to make for a more consistent daily relative humidity around 70-90% (slightly higher than US averages). During the summer months, however, while the morning fog often keeps morning humidity normal, in a typical 70-80% range, by afternoon after the fog burns off,

11508-672: The city from 1941 through 1970 and helped increase the Marin population. With the demise of the railroads came the introduction of local bus service. Greyhound moved into the former train depot in Lytton Square in October 1940. In Sausalito, Marinship brought over 75,000 people to Marin, many of whom moved to Mill Valley permanently. At the height of the War, nearly 400 locals were fighting, including many volunteer firemen and government officials. By 1950, 1 in 10 Mill Valleyans were living in

11645-423: The city in 2010 was 85.8% non-Hispanic White , 0.8% non-Hispanic African American , 0.1% Native American , 5.3% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.3% from other races , and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population. There were 6,147 households, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 7.6% had

11782-620: The city maintained its defense of redwoods and protected open space. Cascade Dam, built in 1893, was closed in 1972 and drained four years later in an attempt to curb the "hordes" of young people using the reservoir for nude sunbathing and swimming. Youth subculture would come under attack again in 1974 when the City Council banned live music, first at the Sweetwater and later at the Old Mill Tavern, both now defunct. In 1977,

11919-559: The city's well-known cultural centers like Village Music and the Sweetwater Saloon . As of April 2007, only one affordable housing project was underway: an initiative to renovate and expand a century old but now abandoned local landmark roadhouse and saloon called the Fireside Inn. This renovation was completed in the fall of 2008 and provided around 50 low-income apartments, with around 30 dedicated to low-income seniors and

12056-618: The county was named for "Marin," great chief of the tribe Licatiut." Marin had been named "Huicmuse" until he was baptized as "Marino" at about age 20. Marin / Marino was born into the Huimen people, a Coast Miwok tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the San Rafael area. Vallejo believed that "Chief Marin" had waged several fierce battles against the Spanish. Marino definitely did reside at Mission Dolores (in modern San Francisco) much of

12193-643: The county's population resides on the eastern side, with a string of communities running along U.S. Route 101 and the San Francisco Bay, from Sausalito to Tiburon to Corte Madera to San Rafael and Novato . 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. West Marin has beaches which are popular destinations for surfers and tourists year-round. Notable features of

12330-399: The county. The population density was 476 inhabitants per square mile (184/km ). There were 104,990 housing units at an average density of 202 units per square mile (78 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 84.0% White , 2.9% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American, 4.5% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 4.5% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. 11.1% of

12467-692: The driveway of a residence on Locust Ave. At that time, the mound was 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Shell mounds have been discovered in areas by streams and along Richardson Bay, including in the Strawberry and Almonte neighborhoods. Another famous Mill Valley site was in the Manzanita area, underneath the Fireside Inn, previously known as the Manzanita Roadhouse (and the Manzanita Hotel, Emil Plasberg's Top Rail, and Top Rail Tavern);

12604-512: The ecological system, particularly migratory waterbirds. Richardson Bay receives inflow from numerous seasonal small unnamed streams and three major streams: Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio which receives the surface runoff from the steep southeast slopes of Mount Tamalpais ; Pickleweed Inlet ; and Coyote Creek (Marin County) , which receives the runoff from the slopes to the west of Richardson Bay. These streams empty into Richardson Bay from

12741-512: The government and managed to acquire the land. Before his death in 1879 he had built a sanitarium in the peaceful canyon. In Sausalito the North Pacific Coast Railroad had laid down tracks to a station near present-day Highway 101 at Strawberry. Seeing the financial advantages of a railroad his descendants then turned the hospital into the Blithedale Hotel after the land title was finally granted in 1884. The sanitarium

12878-476: The humidity regularly plummets to around 30% as one would expect in this dry seasonal climate. Mill Valley is also affected by microclimate conditions in the several box canyons with steep north-facing slopes and dense forests which span the southern and western city limits, which, along with the coastal fog, all conspire to make many of the dense forested regions of Mill Valley noticeably cooler and moister, on average, than other regions of town. This microclimate

13015-466: The land auctions the area was known as both "Eastland" and "Mill Valley". Janes, by then the resident director of Tamalpais Land & Water Co. (and eventually the city's first town clerk), and Sidney B. Cushing, president of the San Rafael Gas & Electric Co. set out to bring a railroad up Mt. Tamalpais. The Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway opened in 1896 (with Cushing as president) and ran from

13152-492: The land southeast of Mount Tamalpais , and included Redwood Canyon and the lands now within Muir Woods National Monument . Richardson Bay was thus named in the honor of this energetic early settler and builder. The Tiburon Peninsula on the northeast side of the bay was part of Rancho Corte Madera del Presidio granted to John Thomas Reed in 1834. According to local sources and period maps,

13289-590: The male death row and the execution chamber of California . The Marin County Sheriff's Office serves as the county's main law enforcement agency. The Central Marin Police Authority is responsible for law enforcement in Larkspur , Corte Madera , and San Anselmo . The first formal fire department in what is now Marin County was The Tamalpais Forestry Association, formed around the turn of

13426-539: The median income for a family was $ 88,934. As of 2007, these figures had risen to $ 83,732 and $ 104,750. In May 2010, the county had the lowest unemployment rate in California . According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, in July 2010, Marin's unemployment rate rose to 8.3%. San Quentin State Prison of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is in the county. San Quentin houses

13563-513: The migration from their spawning grounds in the Lagunitas Creek area to the Pacific Ocean. This increase in migration was significantly up from the previous historic record for the same migration measured in 2006 at 11,000. In 2010, all of the county's beaches were listed as the cleanest in the state. When Richard Henry Dana Jr. visited San Francisco Bay in 1835, he wrote about vast tule elk ( Cervus canadensis nannodes ) herds near

13700-441: The northwest. Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio and Coyote Creek are intermittent in flow. The National Audubon Society operates a nature center in Tiburon that offers adult and children's nature programs, including summer camp, school science programs, birthday and family events, lectures, guided walks, environmental education workshops, Bay Shore Studies docent programs and volunteer projects. Recent efforts included renovation of

13837-427: The open ocean and come to Richardson Bay and other estuaries for winter spawning in the shallow protected waters. In Richardson Bay their eggs attach to assorted surfaces such as eelgrass, piers or rip rap . After the eggs hatch, the herring larvae consume plankton ; before hatching the eggs are subject to predation by gulls at low tide and sturgeon and other assorted estuarine fauna at higher tides. Regarding

13974-428: The oyster beds, an experimental program is underway as of 2006, in which foreign oyster shells (biologically inert) are bagged and em-placed in underwater locations to serve as larval substrates, in order to assist the native oysters in propagating. Locally oysters are preyed upon by the bat ray and certain crabs . The extensive mudflats of Richardson Bay provide a rich habitat for marine invertebrates . Many of

14111-672: The perimeter of Richardson Bay, even though considerable development has occurred. The Audubon Society manages the whole Richardson Bay Sanctuary subject to governance by the Joint Powers Agency of the four peripheral cities. One parcel deeded from Reed to Rosie Verall, who worked for the Reed family, is now the core of the Audubon Richardson Bay Sanctuary. Verall donated this land of approximately 13 acres (5.3 ha) to be held in permanent trust as

14248-454: The populace. Speakers of Asian languages and indigenous languages of the Pacific islands made up 3.4% of the population. The remaining 0.7% spoke other languages. Source: According to the 2007–2009 ACS, there were 16 ancestries in Marin County that made up over 0.9% of its population each. The 16 ancestries are listed below: The median income for a household in the county was $ 71,306 and

14385-473: The population grew to over 1,000 permanent residents. Creeks were bridged over or dammed, more roads laid down and oiled, and cement sidewalks poured. Tamalpais High School opened in 1908, the first city hall was erected in 1908, and Andrew Carnegie's library in 1910. The Post Office opened under the name "Eastland", however after many objections it was changed to "Mill Valley" in 1904. The very first Mountain Play

14522-441: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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

14659-482: The population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,966 people (28.5%) lived in rental housing units. At the 2000 census , there were 13,600 people, 6,147 households and 3,417 families residing in the city, not including those living in unincorporated territories. The population density was 2,883.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,113.2/km). There were 6,286 housing units at an average density of 1,332.6 units per square mile (514.5 units/km). The racial makeup of

14796-478: The present shoreline. The bay muds are widespread in San Francisco Bay and, at Richardson Bay, are approximately 80 to 95 feet (24 to 30 meters) deep . The Bay Muds are of Holocene Age (less than 10,000 years of age). They overlie firm alluvial soils which contain two sand layers at 92 and 110 feet (29 and 35 meters), respectively. This section, in turn, overlies shale of the Franciscan Complex ,

14933-487: The protection of air quality, waste reduction, water and energy conservation, and the protection of wildlife and habitat" in Mill Valley. According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12 km), of which 4.7 square miles (12 km) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km) of (1.74%) water. The Mill Valley 94941 area lies between Mt. Tamalpais on

15070-498: The public to learn about and view these spawning salmon, and also leads year-round opportunities for the public to get involved in stream restoration, monitoring spawning and smolt outmigration, juvenile fish rescue and relocation in the summer, and advocacy and policy development. Around 490 different species of birds have been observed in Marin County. Despite the lack of rain in the Marin County area due to historic drought levels, in 2014, an estimated 20,000 juvenile Coho salmon made

15207-587: The remainder going to low-income families. Strawberry is an unincorporated census-designated place to the east of the City of Mill Valley. The other CDP with a Mill Valley mailing address is Tamalpais-Homestead Valley . Smaller unincorporated areas include Alto and Almonte. Muir Beach is in the Mill Valley School District , but it is in the Sausalito mailing area. Neighborhoods in

15344-458: The second largest foreign-born group; they made up 25.3% of Marin County's foreign population. Immigrants from Asia made up 23.7% of the county's foreign population. Those born in other parts of North America and Africa made up 3.9% and 3.8% of the foreign-born populace respectively. Lastly, residents born in Oceania made up a mere 1.2% of Marin County's foreign population. Source: According to

15481-572: The shore areas of Mill Valley and the town of Tiburon . On August 22, 1822, an English whaler , the Orion, put into Yerba Buena Cove in San Francisco for supplies; the captain was William Anthony Richardson , described as tall, fair haired, blue-eyed and young, was sighted by Maria Antonia, daughter of the Commandante of the Presidio of San Francisco , Ygnacio Martinez . Martinez, for whom

15618-802: The shoreline along the San Francisco Bay include the Sausalito shoreline, Richardson Bay , the Tiburon Peninsula , Ring Mountain , and Triangle Marsh at Corte Madera . Further north lies San Quentin State Prison along the San Rafael shoreline. The Marin County Department of Parks and Open Space manages numerous county parks and open spaces, including Stafford Lake County Park . The Marin Municipal Water District has 130 mi (209 km) of trails. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems: Marin County

15755-722: The slopes of Mount Tamalpais in Marin. San Quentin State Prison is located in the county. Thousands of years ago, Coast Miwok people first populated the area today known as Marin County. In 1770, Coast Miwok population ranged from 1,500 to 2,000, with about 600 village sites throughout the county. In 1967, the Marin Museum of the American Indian was established, with exhibits focusing on Coast Miwok artifacts, crafts, and artwork. As of 2021, Indigenous-led events include healing drumming, dogbane cordage demonstrations, trade feasts, and traditional dancing. During

15892-479: The southeastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais. The Mill Valley 94941 ZIP Code also includes the following adjacent unincorporated communities: Almonte, Alto , Homestead Valley, Tamalpais Valley , and Strawberry . The Muir Woods National Monument is also located just outside the city limits. The first people known to inhabit Marin County, the Coast Miwok , arrived approximately 6,500 years ago. The territory of

16029-471: The species are found elsewhere in San Francisco Bay. Characteristic organisms include burrowing clams , polychaete worms, decapod crustaceans , amphipods , phoronids and anemones . A field survey conducted on a broad mudflat along the Strawberry/Belvedere shoreline found species associated with rocks including: bivalves , ( Macoma balthica , Mya arenaria and Mytilus edulis );

16166-532: The stewardship of Thelma Weber Percy, who was determined to see the Mill Valley Public Library come into the computer age. Recently they have begun offering Museum Passes to 94941 residents for free entry to Bay Area museums. As part of the City of Mill Valley's decision to "go Green", the library has a Sustainability Collection with books and DVDs with information about how to become more environmentally friendly. The Mill Valley Public Library

16303-510: The surrounding redwoods, meaning that most of the redwoods growing today are second- or third-growth. The King family (King Street) owned property near the Cushing land. One of its buildings was a small adobe house which is believed to have predated the King farm. The Blithedale Hotel used it as a milk house. The adobe structure is still standing and connected to a house on West Blithedale Avenue; it

16440-534: The time from his 1801 baptism and marriage until 1817, frequently serving as a baptism witness and godfather; he may have escaped and been recaptured at some point during that time. Starting in 1817, he served as an alcalde (in effect, an overseer) at the San Rafael Mission, where he lived from 1817 off and on until his death. In 1821, Marino served as an expedition guide for the Spanish for a couple of years before escaping and hiding out for some months in

16577-653: The tiny Marin Islands (also named after him); his recapture resulted in a yearlong incarceration at the Presidio before his return to the Mission San Rafael area for about 15 years until his death in 1839. In 2009, a plaque commemorating Chief Marin was placed in Mill Valley. Another version of the origin of the county name 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 that Marin

16714-558: The town center (present-day Lytton Square) all the way to the summit. In 1907, the railroad added a branch line into "Redwood Canyon", and in 1908, the canyon became Muir Woods , a national monument . The railroad built the Muir Inn (with a fine restaurant) and overnight cabins for visitors. The Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Scenic Railway , "The Crookedest Railroad in the World" and its unique Gravity Cars brought thousands of tourists to

16851-617: The town of Martinez is named, decided to invite the Captain to reside with their family. Maria married the captain after he joined the Catholic Church , being baptized "Guillermo Antonio Richardson." This wedding, held at Mission Dolores on May 12, 1826 was the first great Spanish-Anglo Saxon wedding in North America. Richardson taught carpentry , boat building and navigation at Mission Dolores , served as Captain of

16988-703: The west, the city of Tiburon on the east, the City of Corte Madera on the north, and the Golden Gate National Recreational Area (GGNRA) on the south. Two streams flow from the slopes of Mt. Tamalpais through Mill Valley to the bay: the Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio; and Cascade Creek. Mill Valley is surrounded by hundreds of acres of state , federal , and county park lands. In addition, there are many municipally maintained open-space reserves, parks, and coastal habitats which, when taken together, ensconce Mill Valley in

17125-505: The year 1770 AD) and 2,000 (Sherburne F. Cook's estimate for the same year). The pre-Spanish era Coast Miwok population may have even been as high as 5,000. Cook speculated that by 1848, their population had decreased to merely 300, from foreign disease-exposure and Spanish violence, and was down to 60 by 1880. As of 2011, there are over 1,000 registered members of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria , which includes both

17262-448: Was 12,341 (88.8%) White , 118 (0.8%) African American , 23 (0.2%) Native American , 755 (5.4%) Asian , 14 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 152 (1.1%) from other races , and 500 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 622 persons (4.5%). The Census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households and 0.5% were institutionalized. There were 6,084 households, out of which 1,887 (31.0%) had children under

17399-432: Was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90. In the county, 20.3% of the population was 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% was 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. According to the most recent data on U.S. life expectancy, published in 2010 by

17536-481: Was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median household income was $ 90,794, and the median family income was $ 119,669. Males had a median income of $ 94,800 versus $ 52,088 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 64,179. About 2.7% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over. In

17673-416: Was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males. There were 6,534 housing units at an average density of 1,348.0 units per square mile (520.5 units/km), of which 3,974 (65.3%) were owner-occupied, and 2,110 (34.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 9,861 people (70.9% of

17810-415: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27. There were 3,627 families (59.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.94. The population was spread out, with 3,291 people (23.7%) under the age of 18, 459 people (3.3%) aged 18 to 24, 2,816 people (20.3%) aged 25 to 44, 4,714 people (33.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,623 people (18.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

17947-544: Was a large oil spill in the San Francisco Bay . This Cosco Busan oil spill was found to be lethal to herring fry in oiled versus non-oiled sites in Richardson Bay. This spill has greatly affected the organisms in the bay . Through the latter 19th century and early 20th century, the land fronting on Richardson Bay was extensively subdivided into public and private ownership encompassing thousands of parcels. The cities of Tiburon, Mill Valley, Belvedere and Sausalito have enacted strong shoreline development policies to protect

18084-684: Was enlarged, cottages were built up along the property, and horse-drawn carriages were purchased to pick up guests at the Alto station. Within a few years, several other summer resort hotels had cropped up in the canyon including the Abbey, the Eastland, and the Redwood Lodge. Fishing, hunting, hiking, swimming, horseback riding, and other activities increased in popularity as people came to the area as vacationers or moved in and commuted to San Francisco for work. Meanwhile, Reed's mill deforested much of

18221-541: Was forced to relinquish several thousand acres to the San Francisco Savings & Union Bank to satisfy a debt of $ 100,000 against the estate in 1889. In 1873, San Francisco physician Dr. John Cushing discovered 320 "lost" acres between the Reed and Richardson boundaries between present-day Corte Madera Avenue, across the creek, and into West Blithedale Canyon. Using the Homestead Act he petitioned

18358-539: 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 December 14, 1817, four years before Mexico gained independence from Spain. According to

18495-424: Was in excess of $ 1.5 million as of 2005), which has had the effect of pushing out some residents who can no longer afford to live in the area. This trend has also transformed Mill Valley's commercial activity, with nationally recognized music store Village Music having closed, then replaced in 2008 by more commercial establishments. In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Mill Valley tenth on its list of

18632-535: Was performed at the Mountain Theater on Mt. Tam in 1913. By the 1920s, most roads were paved over, mail delivery was in full swing, and the population was at its highest at more than 2,500 citizens. Mill Valley Italian settlers made wine during Prohibition , while some local bar owners made bootleg whiskey under the dense foliage around the local creeks. January 1922 saw the first of several years of snow in Marin County, coating Mt. Tam white. Two years later

18769-819: Was to the point where the tracks were eventually taken up in 1931. During the Great Depression, many famous local landmarks were constructed with the help of the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps , including the Mead Theater at Tam High (named after school board Trustee Ernest Mead), the Mountain Theater rock seating, and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1934–1937. The latter event suspended ferry commuting between Marin and

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