Ross is a very special kind of small town. There are only about 800 homes with a median sale price of $2.12M in 2009. There are some grand old homes, many over 100 years old, which range in price up to $14M (10 bedrooms and 9 baths on 3 acres, sold in 2010).
Here are two Ross CA homes for sale now:
Grayoaks, by architect Bernard Maybeck, 126 Winding Way, $2,995,000
IDX Courtesy of Donna Goldman, Alain Pinel Realtors
20 Glenwood Ave, $14,850,000
IDX Courtesy of Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian, Decker Bullock Sothebys International Realty
Ross residents collect their mail at the post office on the “Common,” the town square. The few shops on the Common include a grocery shop, Sam the Butcher (now an art gallery), two restaurants, a coffee shop, and a boutique selling fine women’s handbags.
Ross began in 1857 when James Ross, a Tasmanian immigrant and liquor supplier to the Gold Rush, bought the land that now includes Ross.
To learn more about Ross, you can visit the Ross page at LivinginMarin.com.
How Small is Marin?
Recently we showed clients several houses in Ross. In the process, we learned that Ross has only about 800 homes in 1.6 square miles, which surprised many of our friends. It is difficult to determine judge the number of homes, since the town is heavily wooded and spread out, hiding homes from view.
We wondered about the sizes of other towns. The San Francisco Chronicle conveniently published on April 11, 2010 these numbers derived from sf.blockshopper.com:
| Community | Number of Homes |
| Marshall | 93 |
| Lagunitas | 297 |
| Point Reyes Station | 322 |
| Woodacre | 580 |
| Bolinas | 646 |
| Stinson Beach | 729 |
| Ross | 811 |
| Belvedere | 860 |
| Kentfield | 2,343 |
| Fairfax | 2,625 |
| Corte Madera | 3,224 |
| Sausalito | 3,401 |
| Tiburon | 3,697 |
| Larkspur | 3,751 |
| Mill Valley | 4,936 |
| San Anselmo | 5,173 |
| Novato | 18,896 |
| San Rafael | 19,010 |
You can see that the villages of West Marin, Ross, and Belvedere have the smallest numbers of homes. Most Marin cities have from 2,300 to 5,200 homes. San Rafael and Novato are tied for the largest number, at about 19,000.
Marin Mini-News
Larkspur Landing Development Terminated
The agreement to build 126 townhomes and condos, and a 100-room hotel at Larkspur Landing has been terminated by the developer, Campus-St. James. The developer had planned to purchase and develop 9.5 acres from the by the Ross Valley Sanitary District (RVSD). Kelly Dunleavy discusses the complications, involving contaminated soil, in the Twin Cities Times, April 7, 2010.
Our Neighbors, the Coyotes
Marin has a good number of coyotes living in its hills and open space. Paul Jones reports on ways to coexist with coyotes in the San Rafael News Pointer on April 7, 2010.
Wetlands Restoration in the Point Reyes National Seashore
The addition of 9.3 acres completed the 563-acre wetlands restoration area in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The land was acquired by an exchange with the Giacomini family, original owners of the wetlands area. Andrea Blum reports on the latest in the wetlands project in the West Marin Citizen.
