Corte Madera
Corte Madera Statistics
The third town across the Golden Gate Bridge is Corte Madera, which borders Mill Valley and Tiburon on the south and Larkspur to the north. The town of Corte Madera can be thought of in three distinct parts:
- To the east side of 101 (on your right going north on 101) fringing the bay, backing up the hill facing north towards Larkspur, San Quentin and the Richmond Bridge;
- The valley area around the Village at Corte Madera Mall on the east side of 101 (on your right driving north); and
- The west side of 101 nestled on the northeast slopes of Mount Tamalpias and around the Corte Madera Town Center mall.
Historically, the town was part of the second rancho awarded adventurer John Reed in the late 1830’s, called Corte Madera Del Presidio, which means roughly ‘where they cut the wood for the Presidio’. The rancho consisted of modern day Belvedere, Tiburon, and parts of Corte Madera. To process the wood, Reed built a mill in a nearby valley, which eventually became Mill Valley. Unfortunately, John Reed took ill with a terrible cold in 1843; his friends tried to cure him by the practice of “bleeding”, but instead they severed an artery and he actually bled to death.
Corte Madera is close to the center point of Marin County. The town is home to two large malls with great shopping and dining, as well as a large selection of public parks, including the Corte Madera Town Park, a Marin favorite for families with young children.
Residents of the extreme east portion Corte Madera on the backside of the Tiburon peninsula are served by the Reed Union School District, but the vast majority are served by the Larkspur School District which includes Neil Cummins Elementary School (K-5), Hall Middle School (6-8) and Redwood High School.
Corte Madera is generally warmer in the summer than Sausalito, Mill Valley, Tiburon and Belvedere as it is more protected by the Marin Headlands and Mount Tamalpais on the west and Horse Hill and Ring Mountain to the south. Mount Tamalpais and Christmas Tree Hill tend to shelter Corte Madera from the summer fog, but it does get its fair share, particularly on summer mornings when an atmospheric eddy (local low pressure) sits outside the Golden Gate.
Corte Madera is a great choice for families desiring to be close to San Francisco. The town has excellent schools and is a bit more affordable than other areas of Sothern Marin. Please go to the “Search MLS” page or call us to find out what is available in Corte Madera.