About San Rafael

The Franciscan Missionaries created 21 missions in California-- the 20th of which was Mission San Rafael. For many years, the Indians at Mission Delores, just south of San Francisco, suffered from a constant ailment which was termed "White Man's Disease". It was thought that the sunny hills north of the Golden Gate would be a far more healthy location and named the Mission after Saint Raphael, the saint of bodily healing. For a period of time it was both a sanitarium and an outpost chapel of the San Francisco Mission, and then became a full fledged mission in 1822.

San Rafael incorporated in early 1874 and is Marin County's oldest and biggest city. With a population of approximately 57,000, San Rafael is far larger than any other Marin County town (with the exception of Novato) with an estimated population of about 50,000. San Rafael is also the Governmental center of Marin County, with the offices located at the Civic Center in North San Rafael-- which is a beautiful example of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural work; and was also staged for the 1997 Science Fiction film Gattaca. Similarly, George Lucas got his start when he filmed American Graffiti on 4th Street in San Rafael.

San Rafael is a large town / small city with a diverse population-more so than any town in Marin save Novato. The city has been gentrifying for a decade and now hosts fantastic new restaurants, boutiques and specialty stores. There are a great many neighborhoods in San Rafael some of which are still quite affordable for families and others offer breathtaking views of the Bay, Bridges and Marin Headlands.

San Rafael has a 14 Civic Parks including China Camp, the location of an old Chinese Fishing Village on the San Pablo Bay with fantastic mountain biking and hiking on the hills surrounding it. The Civic Center Park hosts a farmers market every weekend as well as an annual summer fair. Also of note is the Jewish Community Center in Santa Venetia, near the Civic Center. The Center was recently immaculately re-done and now offers people of all faiths very affordable memberships to the JCC athletic club, 2 pools, gyms, spinning and aerobic classes, and other related facilities.

A replica of the original San Rafael Mission was built in 1949 and stands as a monument and museum and currently hosts some very interesting artifacts of the mission's early days.