Marin County 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 extreme affluence.
County of Marin, California | |
|---|---|
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| Location of Marin County within California. Location of Marin County within California. | |
| Country State | United States California |
| Government | |
| • Board of Supervisors
District One | Susan Adams |
| Population | |
• Total | 247,289 |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (Pacific) |
| Website | http://www.co.marin.ca.us/ |
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. has 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.
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.
History
Marin County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.
The origin of the county's name is not clear. One version is the county was named for Chief Marin, of the 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 Quentin points was named Bahia de Nuestra Senora del Rosario la Marinera in 1775, and it is quite possible that Marin is simply an abbreviation of this name.
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 is water. The total area is 37.24% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 247,289 people, 100,650 households, and 60,691 families residing in the county. The population density is 184/km² (476/mi²). There are 104,990 housing units at an average density of 78/km² (202/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 100,650 households out of which 27.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.40% are married couples living together, 8.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.70% are non-families. 29.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.34 and the average family size is 2.90.
In the county the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $71,306, and the median income for a family is $88,934. Males have a median income of $61,282 versus $45,448 for females. The per capita income for the county is $44,962. 6.60% of the population and 3.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.90% of those under the age of 18 and 4.50% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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, Ross, Tiburon, Mill Valley, Sausalito 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. As a result of these factors, many lower-income middle class families have moved, often to Sonoma County, California, for cheaper housing.
Against this backdrop two neighborhoods in particular are populated almost exclusively by low-income persons of color as opposed to the surrounding population of Marin, which is largely Caucasian and more affluent: Marin City (which shares a zip code with Sausalito) and the Canal Neighborhood in San Rafael.
- Marin City has a population of 2,500 and is is ethnically diverse with large East Asian, Hispanic,and African American populations. Many families live in public housing apartment buildings that are now approaching 50 years old.
- 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.
Notable current and former residents
- Barbara Boxer, current United States Senator.
- Pete Carroll, head football coach at USC.
- Gary Fisher, mountain biking pioneer.
- Klaus Kinski, actor.
- Anne Lamott, writer.
- Barry Levinson, director.
- John Walker Lindh, American traitor who fought for the Taliban.
- George Lucas, film director and founder of Lucasfilm.
- Van Morrison, singer and sonwriter.
- Jonny Moseley, gold medal winning olympic skier.
- Gavin Newsom, current mayor of San Francisco.
- Sean Penn, actor.
- Robin Wright Penn, actor.
- Tupac Shakur, rapper, poet, and actor.
- Peter Tork, musician. Member of The Monkees
- Charles Schwab, investor.
- Robin Williams, actor and comedian.
- Tony Williams, drummer.
- Lynn Woolsey, current United States Congressman
- Most members of The Grateful Dead
Presidential elections results
The increasing gentrification of Marin County has been accompaned by the collapse of the Republican Party. This change has been most pronounced in the more affluent southern portion of the county.
| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Cities, Towns and Unincorporated Districts
See also
