Mill Valley: Which Valley are you really in?

For years, Mill Valley was the poster child for everything good and bad about Marin County, the legendary land of psychotherapy, hot tubs, new age religion, and liberal politics.

As anyone who has driven through downtown knows though, it has evolved into a very upscale town with interesting, one-of-a-kind boutiques, shops, and restaurants. Walk into Wilkes Bashford and look at the thousand dollar suits, and you’ll know how far this town has come from the hippie hangout of the 60s and 70s.

But Mill Valley is much bigger than downtown, and is one of the more complex places to buy a home in Marin. There are more areas of distinct geography, neighborhoods, and microclimates than just about anywhere in the county.

The first thing to ask when buying a house in Mill Valley: which valley are you in? There’s actually at least three: Mill Valley, which includes the downtown area; Homestead Valley, which is the next valley south and closer to the Pacific; and Tam Valley, which is bisected by the legendary Highway 1. It’s an important distinction, because the climate can change dramatically in each location.

I ride my bike regularly through the area, and there are many days when Tam Valley is foggy, windy and cold, and downtown is warm and sunny. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – some people love the fog, and the larger lots, and more wide open views of Tam Valley are what many people prefer. It’s important to understand though, because geographically, the distance between the two is just a few miles.

Also, Tam Valley and Homestead Valley are not actually in the City of Mill Valley; they’re part of unincorporated Marin County. That means different jurisdictions for everything from planning and development to police and schools.

Within the City of Mill Valley itself, there are number of distinct neighborhoods.

Sycamore Park is near town, characterized by mostly flat lots, family homes, and lots of kids everywhere. Boyle Park, which is not surprisingly right next to Boyle Park, is across Blithedale and is also an excellent family area. Go up the hill and you’re in Country Club, where the homes and lots tend to be bigger, as do the views.

Downtown is its own neighborhood, according to most residents. There’s more apartment buildings there, but also lots of homes where people enjoy the convenience of walking to town for coffee at any one of the three coffee shops (my last count, anyway) that can be found in a one block area.

And in Mill Valley, there’s also some nightlife – Sweetwater has been featuring great music for years, and locals like Bonnie Raitt or Bob Weir have been known to sit in for a few numbers. 142 Throckmorton, a small theater, has instituted a Tuesday night comedy show which has drawn locals like Dana Carvey, and Robin Williams has occasionally made the trek over the bridge to perform.

Head west of downtown, towards Mt. Tamalpais on Blithedale, and you’re in Blithedale Canyon. Suddenly, there are giant redwood trees everywhere, and in the winter, the sound of running water. A little further down the canyon and it opens up, with many homes nicely situated on flat, sunny lots. Many homes have terrific views of Mt. Tamalpais, and the wooded ridges that come off it.

Halfway down the canyon, make a left and go up into the highly coveted area known as Middle Ridge. One of Mill Valley’s nicest areas, the streets are narrower, but being on the ridge means it tends to be warmer and sunnier than in the canyon. In fact, these areas are listed as a separate climate zone in Sunset Magazine’s Western Garden Guide, because cold air drains into the valleys, making these ridges warmer.

Anywhere in this canyon is also a great starting point for a mountain bike ride. Several fire roads come out of the canyon, including Old Railroad Grade, which will take you all the way to the top of Mt. Tamalpais at a steady 7% grade. A friend of mine calls it “a Stairmaster with a view.”

This is just an overview, as we haven’t even really gotten into other variables like schools, and architecture, but it does start to give you a sense of what is out there. Mill Valley is a big place, with all of the best that Marin has to offer in one small town.

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