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.
San Rafael Schools
San Rafael has three school districts:
- The San Rafael Elementary School District which has six elementary schools, one K-8 school and one middle schools. The schools for kindergarten through fifth grade are Bahia Vista, Coleman, Glenwood, Laurel Del, San Pedro and Sun Valley Elementary Schools. Gallinas is the K-8th school. The J.B. Davidson Middle School serves students in 6-8th grades. Enrollment in this district is 3,500 students. Superintendent Laura D. Alvarenga 415-492-3200, web http://www.srcs.org
- The Dixie School District serves northern San Rafael, Terra Linda, Marinwood, Lucas Valley, and a portion of Contempo Marin. The district has three elementary schools (Dixie, Vallecito and Mary E. Silveria Elementary Schools), and sixth through 8th graders attend Mill Creek Middle School. District enrollment is approximately 1,775. Dixie was founded in 1964 making it one of the oldest districts in the county. Superintendent Dr. Thomas J. Lohwasser 415-492-3700, web: http://dixiesd.marin.k12.ca.us
- San Rafael High School District provides secondary education to students graduating from both the San Rafael Elementary School District as well as the Dixie School District. The district has 2 primary high schools, San Rafael High and Terra Linda high, an alternative high school, Madrone, and adult education program for those wanting to learn English. Enrollment is 2,100 students.
San Rafael School District
| Bahia Vista School (K-5) | 415-485-2415 | 125 Bahia Way |
| Coleman School (K-5) | 415-485-2373 | 800 Belle Ave |
| Dixie School (K-5) | 415-492-3730 | 1175 Idlyberry Road |
| Gallinas School (K-5) | 415-492-3150 | 177 No. San Pedro Road |
| Glenwood School (K-5) | 415-485-2430 | 24 Castlewood Drive |
| Laura Del School (K-5) | 415-485-2317 | 225 Woodland Ave |
| Mary Silveira School (K-5) | 415-492-3741 | 375 Blackstone Drive |
| San Pedro School (K-5) | 415-485-2450 | 498 Point San Pedro Road |
| Sun Valley School (K-5) | 415-485-2440 | 75 Happy Lane |
| Vallecito School (K-5) | 415-492-3750 | 50 Nova Albion Way |
| Davidson Middle School (6-8) | 415-485-2400 | 280 Woodland Ave |
| Miller Creek School (6-8) | 415-492-3760 | 2255 Las Gallinas Ave |
| San Rafael High School (9-12) | 415-485-2330 | 185 Mission Blvd |
| Terra Linda High (9-12) | 415-492-3100 | 320 Nova Albion Way |
| Madrone High School | 415-485-2435 | 310 Nova Albion Way |
Superintendent Laura D. Alvarenga 415-492-3200, web http://www.srcs.org
San Rafael Historical Pricing
Investing in San Rafael 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 Rafael sold for $38,000; by 2006 that number had risen to about $883,350 for a 36 year compounded rate of return of 9.1%. The dollar rate of return interestingly tells more: the total dollar rate of return since 1970 is about $845,000 but more than half of has come since 1998.
San Rafael's real estate rate of return (without a mortgage) is about 9.1% and is significantly behind the Marin County average of 9.8%. The State of California average real estate rate of return from 1970 through 2006 was 9.0% and the national average rate of return was 6.5%.
| Year | San Rafael | Marin County | California | USA Average |
| 2007 | 889,015 | 1,201,931 | 556,640 | 221,900 |
| 2006 | 883,354 | 1,090,916 | 556,640 | 221,900 |
| 2005 | 880,761 | 1,078,819 | 522,670 | 219,000 |
| 2004 | 755,721 | 929,103 | 450,770 | 195,200 |
| 2003 | 615,000 | 817,961 | 371,520 | 180,200 |
| 2002 | 649,092 | 782,829 | 316,130 | 167,600 |
| 2001 | 607,638 | 757,523 | 262,350 | 156,600 |
| 2000 | 540,514 | 722,780 | 241,350 | 147,300 |
| 1999 | 456,957 | 590,821 | 217,510 | 141,200 |
| 1998 | 409,178 | 495,093 | 200,100 | 136,000 |
| 1997 | 368,903 | 443,135 | 186,490 | 129,000 |
| 1996 | 344,708 | 417,324 | 177,270 | 122,600 |
| 1995 | 335,215 | 397,069 | 178,160 | 117,000 |
| 1990 | 352,990 | 379,581 | 197,770 | 97,300 |
| 1985 | 174,353 | 200,557 | 119,860 | 75,500 |
| 1980 | 144,349 | 168,508 | 99,550 | 62,200 |
| 1975 | 61,285 | 64,215 | 41,600 | 35,300 |
| 1970 | 38,000 | 37,845 | 24,640 | 23,000 |
| 36 Year Return | 9.1% | 9.8% | 9.0% | 6.5% |
| 2006 % of | 100% | 81% | 159% | 398% |
| 11 Year Average | 100% | 80% | 186% | 354% |
San Rafael Compounded 36 Year Rate of Return
| Mortgage Type: | No Mortgage | 50% Mortgage | 80% Mortgage | Dollar Return |
| San Rafael | 9.1% | 11.2% | 14.0% | $845,354 |
| 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.
