San Anselmo

About San Anselmo

The Miwok Indians roamed Marin for centuries favoring parts of San Anselmo and fishing in San Anselmo Creek. In the mid 1800's the Mexican Government granted to the Sais Family roughly half of San Anselmo and the other half was granted to Juan Bautista Cooper in the "Punta de Quintin de Corte Madera, La Laguna y Canada de San Anselmo" grant. James Ross purchased most of the modern day San Anselmo but it change hands again soon after his untimely death.

The land was primarily pastoral until the mid 1870's when the North Pacific Coast Railroad laid tracks from Sausalito to Tomales through San Anselmo. For a period of time, the town was referred to simply as "Junction" until it finally incorporated and took the name San Anselmo from the original land grant.

Today, Sir Francis Drake Blvd. connects San Anselmo with 101. The farther one drives on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, the warmer the summers are less hectic the pace of life becomes. When you arrive to the town of San Anselmo, you have reached one of the most laid-back towns in Marin, perhaps second only to Fairfax, with some of the best Mountain biking and hiking in the county.

San Anselmo gets less fog than most other towns in Marin and has beautiful long warm summer days. If you plan on commuting to San Francisco from Fairfax, it is best to leave early and return early, or return late as the "rush hour" on 101 and Sir Francis Drake is almost that-an "hour".

Shopping in San Anselmo is famous for antiques as there are over 100 antique dealers in town and is known as "The Antique Capital of North America".

San Anselmo Links

San Anselmo Community Contacts

San Anselmo Schools

The Ross Valley School District is an elementary / middle school district serving the central Marin communities of San Anselmo and Fairfax. District enrollment is approximately 1,775 students and upon graduation, students are then part of the Tamalpais Union High School District and most attend Sir Francis Drake High School.

San Anselmo Schools: Ross Valley School District

Cheryl Crawley, Superintendant
110 Shaw Drive
415-451-4060
rvsd.marin.k12.ca.us

San Anselmo Historical Pricing Statistics

Investing in San Anselmo Real Estate, like most Marin towns, has been a rewarding experience-not only did you live in one of the greatest suburbs in the world, but you also made a small fortune doing so. In 1970 the average house in San Anselmo sold for $32,500; by 2006 that number had risen to $1,070,000 for a 36 year compounded rate of return of 10.2%. The dollar rate of return interestingly tells more: the total dollar rate of return since 1970 is about $1,038,000 but more than half of has come since 1998.

San Anselmo's rate of return from 1970 through 2006 (without a mortgage) is about 10.2% and is significantly ahead of the Marin County average of 9.8%. The State of California average real estate rate of return for the same period was 9.0% and the national average rate of return, no mortgage, was only 6.5%.

San Anselmo Compounded 36 Year Rate of Return

Please visit "Investing in Marin Real Estate for town to town comparisons, price trends and rates of return.

Neighborhood Info