About Ross
Ross is truly a special place. Not in the grandiose sense of Belvedere with views, but in a timeless, old America, tight-knit community manner, with mature Bougainvillea and Wisteria. Home to approximately 800 very successful families (~2,000 people-30% of which are under 18), Ross has beautiful, private houses with wrap-around porches, quiet, tree-lined streets with old sidewalks, and a quaint downtown. It is a small, bucolic community with its own School District (only 400 students in K-8) that ranks in the 99th percentile in the state and rivals Reed Union and Kentfield as Marin's best school. There is a small main street with a few shops and a market, but Ross is quite close to San Anselmo, Greenbrae, Kentfield, and San Rafael for shopping, movies and the like.
Ross is named after James Ross, a Scot from Inverness Shire, Scotland, who left his family at home and came to California in search of gold in 1849. He established a successful liquor business in San Francisco and eventually purchased the 8,750 acre "Rancho Punta de Quentin" for $50,000 in Gold coin-and area that stretched from the mouth of the Corte Madera Creek into modern day San Anselmo. James Ross, like many of the early Marin settlers, died early -- after living only 5 years on his new ranch. His widow Annie remarried and built a house on the site of today's Marin Art and Garden center-- planting many beautiful plants and trees including the fabulous Magnolia and others that flourish at the site today.
The Lagunitas Country Club (tennis and swim club) is nestled in Ross amidst 800 year old Sequoia other activities when they are not hiking, biking, or walking their numerous tree-lined streets, trails and paths.
The weather in Ross, like Kentfield, is generally warmer than other parts of Southern Marin May-Sept. as the summertime / maritime air is pushed south by the combination of our predominant northwest flow and the great Mount Tamalpais-- the combination of which sends the fog south into San Francisco.
If you plan on commuting from Ross to downtown San Francisco during normal working hours please be prepared to for 35-45 minutes in the morning and 40-50 minutes or more in the afternoon. The 101 corridor from Mill Valley to the Sir Francis Drake exit tends to back up as well as Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The Larkspur Ferry provides a commuting alternative and has regular high-speed boats to and from the city every 40 minutes or so. Please call or email us for more specific information about Ross or Southern Marin in general.
The Ross School District serves Ross and sections of Kentfield and has only one school, Ross School, which provides education for students from Kindergarten thru 8th grade. All students continuing in the public school system are part of Tamalpais Union School District and typically attend Redwood High School. Unique to Ross school is the Learning Lab Program which provides extra help for students in specific areas of need. In 1991, Child magazine named Ross Elementary School as one of the top ten schools in the nation. The academic ranking is the 99th percentile, the highest any school can achieve.
Ross School District
| Ross Grammer School (k-5) & (6-8) | 415-457-2705 | Lagunitas Road Ross |
| Redwood High School (9-12) | 415-924-6200 | 395 Doherty Drive |
Marin Public Schools (PDF 538k)
Marin Private Schools (PDF 161k)
Childcare and Nursery School (PDF 244k)
http://www.rossschool.net
Ross Historical Pricing Stats
Investing in Ross Real Estate, more so than most Marin towns, has been a rewarding experience-not only did you live in one of the greatest small towns in the world, but you also made a fortune doing so. In 1970 the average house in Ross sold for $75,000; by 2006 that number had risen to 2,710,000. The first quarter of 2007 the average price sale for a home in Ross is over $3,200,000. The 36 year compounded rate of return through 2006 is 10.5%. The dollar rate of return interestingly tells more: the total dollar rate of return from 1970 through 2006 is about $2,635,000 but more than half of has come since 1998.
Ross' rate of return (without a mortgage) of near 10.4% is tied with Mill Valley and is second only to Belvedere (10.7% ) in Marin County. The Marin County real estate average rate of return was 9.8% through 2006. The State of California average real estate rate of return for the same period was 9.0% and the national average rate of return was only 6.5%..
| Year | Ross | Marin County | California | USA Average |
| 2007 | 3,205,385 | 1,201,931 | 556,640 | 221,900 |
| 2006 | 2,710,850 | 1,090,916 | 556,640 | 221,900 |
| 2005 | 2,786,116 | 1,078,819 | 522,670 | 219,000 |
| 2004 | 2,159,374 | 929,103 | 450,770 | 195,200 |
| 2003 | 1,771,137 | 817,961 | 371,520 | 180,200 |
| 2002 | 2,202,495 | 782,829 | 316,130 | 167,600 |
| 2001 | 2,209,950 | 757,523 | 262,350 | 156,600 |
| 2000 | 1,585,023 | 722,780 | 241,350 | 147,300 |
| 1999 | 1,369,952 | 590,821 | 217,510 | 141,200 |
| 1998 | 1,300,242 | 495,093 | 200,100 | 136,000 |
| 1997 | 1,003,212 | 443,135 | 186,490 | 129,000 |
| 1996 | 1,057,352 | 417,324 | 177,270 | 122,600 |
| 1995 | 891,670 | 397,069 | 178,160 | 117,000 |
| 1990 | 905,806 | 379,581 | 197,770 | 97,300 |
| 1985 | 354,537 | 200,557 | 119,860 | 75,500 |
| 1980 | 295,577 | 168,508 | 99,550 | 62,200 |
| 1975 | 101,840 | 64,215 | 41,600 | 35,300 |
| 1970 | 75,000 | 37,845 | 24,640 | 23,000 |
| 36 Year Return | 10.5% | 9.8% | 9.0% | 6.5% |
| 2006 % of | 100% | 248% | 487% | 1222% |
11 Year Average100% | 247% | 572% | 1089% |
Ross Compounded 36 Year Rate of Return
| Mortgage Type: | No Mortgage | 50% Mortgage | 80% Mortgage | Dollar Return |
| Ross | 10.5% | 12.6% | 15.5% | $2,635,850 |
| Marin County Average | 9.8% | 11.9% | 14.7% | 1,053,071 |
| California | 9.0% | 11% | 13.9% | $532,000 |
| USA | 6.5% | 8.4% | 11% | $198,900 |
Please visit "Investing in Marin Real Estate for town to town comparisons, price trends and rates of return.
