San Anselmo () is an incorporated town in

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet (14 m). It is located about north of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. The town is bordered by San Rafael to the east,

Fairfax Fairfax may refer to: Places United States * Fairfax, California * Fairfax Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California * Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, centered on Fairfax Avenue * Fairfax, Georgia * Fairfax, Indiana * Fa ...

to the west, and

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

to the south.

Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...

dominates the view to the south. The population was 12,830 at the 2020 census.

History

Early history

The land in and around San Anselmo was mostly

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

until 1874, when the North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) added to its line a spur track from San Anselmo to San Rafael. In 1875, the railroad completed a line from Sausalito to

Tomales Tomales is a census-designated place (CDP) on State Route 1 in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 187 at the 2020 census. Geography Tomales is located above Keys Creek, about northeast of Tomales Bay. The nearest city ...

and north to Cazadero via San Anselmo. For a few years, the town was referred to on railroad maps as "

Junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (film), a 2012 American film * Jjunction, a 2002 Indian film * Junction (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (EP), by Basement Jaxx, 2002 * Junction (manga), or ''Hot ...

", but in 1883 the name San Anselmo came back into use. The San Anselmo post office opened in 1892. Two postal substations were operated: Lansdale, from 1924 to 1962, and Yolanda, from 1924 to 1954. From 1902 until the early 1940s, San Anselmo was part of Marin's

Northwestern Pacific The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a regi ...

(in 1907, investors formed the NWP) Electric Train system. The Miracle Mile's and Center Boulevard's current "raised roadbed" were the railroad's right of way. Becoming unprofitable as a result of competition from the automobile and the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, the railway was officially closed on March 1, 1941. The last of the major San Anselmo railroad station buildings was razed in 1963, according to the town's timeline. The 1913 electric train schedule shows a commute time from San Anselmo to the Sausalito Ferry to the Ferry Building in San Francisco of a mere 58 minutes, including the 32-minute ferry transit. San Anselmo incorporated on April 9, 1907. Its name came from the Punta de Quintin land grant, which marked the valley as the Canada del Anselmo, or Valley of Anselm, ''Anselm'' being the name of a Native American who was buried in the area. San Anselmo was a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

capital in the early 1900s.

World War II

Sleepy Hollow ammunition storage

During World War II, the Army based a small ammunition storage dump, known as ASP #2, about up Butterfield Road from Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The facility was located between the road and San Anselmo Creek and had 23 to 45 men stationed there. There were two batteries composed of four-inch antiaircraft cannon manned by five soldiers on a 24-hour basis. One battery was on Stuyvesant Drive and the other on Oak Springs Hill. During the war, the Sleepy Hollow Country Club, located in the old Hotaling mansion, was still open and provided a pleasant break from "grueling" guard duty, according to those stationed at the ammo dump.

Air raid wardens

During World War II,

air raid warden Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...

s, like Zinnia and Alfred Heiden of San Francisco Blvd., patrolled their assigned neighborhood during nighttime air raid drills to notify neighbors of any light that showed out of their houses. Windows were covered with cloth or thick paper during the war to deny enemy bombers illuminated nighttime bombing targets.

Pilot training accidents

In the late afternoon of November 2, 1941, five weeks before the US entered the war, San Anselmo residents were startled when two low-flying Curtiss P-40 warplanes roared up the valley at just above roof level and crashed into the east side of Bald Hill (often incorrectly reported as Mount Baldy or Bald Mountain) at 5:40pm. Element leader Lt. Thomas "Bud" L. Truax and Lt. Russell E. Speckman were killed when their planes crashed, in low visibility, into Bald Hill, just shy of the peak. It was almost dark, was misty and they were under a low cloud ceiling. They were critically low on fuel and part of a larger training group that had gotten separated. They were under the wintertime marine layer of low clouds that are common in the Marin County area, searching for nearby Hamilton Field to land. Truax Field / Dane County Regional Airport, located in Madison, WI was named in memory of Lt. Truax. A third pilot, Lt. Walter V. "Ramblin" Radovich, had left the formation over San Rafael, almost hit the city courthouse on 4th Street, circled the Forbes Hill radio beacon (37°58'44.73"N,122°32'50.78"W), clipped a tree and then turned northeast, towards Hamilton Field. Unsure of what the oncoming terrain would be and critically low on fuel, he decided to climb up though the typically thin marine cloud layer to , trim the airplane for straight and level flight and bail out. According to USAAF accident reports, his left leg was broken when exiting the plane and he parachuted down, landing near Hwy 101 in Lucas Valley, reportedly near where Fireman's Fund / Marin Commons is currently located (38° 1'10.66"N, 122°32'29.36"W). Ironically, after Lt. Radovich bailed out, the airplane slowly descended back down through the clouds and made a relatively smooth "gear-up" landing.

Post-WWII

On March 12, 1974, San Anselmo officially became a town. In 1963, a cast iron statue of a deer affectionately known as "Sugarfoot" by locals was donated to the town by Joeseph Dondero. This statue still stands today and children enjoy riding on his back after trips to the library next door. The town features in the song " Snow in San Anselmo" by Irish-born singer/songwriter

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

, about an unusual bout of winter weather that occurred when he was living in Fairfax, near San Anselmo, in the 1970s. San Anselmo's most prominent resident, movie director

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...

, used some of the proceeds from his film '' American Graffiti'' to buy an old Victorian house in San Anselmo; his then-wife

Marcia Lucas Marcia Lou Lucas (née Griffin; born October 4, 1945) * * is an American film editor and film producer. She is best known for her work editing Martin Scorsese's ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1973), ''Taxi Driver'' (1976), and ''New York, N ...

named it "Parkhouse." Lucas worked on his ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' script for two and a half years, writing much of it at the back of his San Anselmo house in a room he shared with a gaudy

Wurlitzer jukebox The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

. In 1977, Lucas screened an early version of ''Star Wars'', without completed special effects, at his San Anselmo home for a small group of Hollywood friends, including the producer Alan Ladd, Jr., directors

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

Brian DePalma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

, and

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

, and screenwriters

Jay Cocks John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College.Willard Huyck, and Gloria Katz.

Geography

The average high temperature is , in July, and the average low temperature is , in January and December. The record high was in July 1972, and record low was in December 1990. Average rainfall is , with the rainiest month being January. All but a sliver of San Anselmo lies within the Ross Valley Watershed that flows into

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

. The principal waterway of the town's portion of the watershed is San Anselmo Creek, a branch of Corte Madera Creek. Two of San Anselmo Creek's tributaries, Sleepy Hollow Creek and Sorich Creek, also flow through the town, as do East Fork Creek and West Fork Creek, Sorich Creek's two tributaries. There are three main roads running through San Anselmo. Their junction is known locally as the Hub, which lies near the central business district. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard runs north from Ross, turns north-west at the Hub, and then proceeds west to Fairfax. Red Hill Avenue (also called "The Miracle Mile") runs west from San Rafael, after 4th Street and 3rd Street merge, and into the Hub where it becomes Center Boulevard. Center Boulevard runs northwest from the Hub to Fairfax and Sir Francis Drake parallels Center Boulevard to Fairfax, offset to the north. The town's natural skyline is dominated by the hills of Ross Valley. To the north are Red Hill and Grove Hill. To the southwest is Bald Hill. To the east is Moore Hill. In the distance to the south is

. A large part of southern and western San Anselmo is built on a natural floodplain. About every 15–23 years, heavy rains cause San Anselmo Creek to

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

the center of town by up to 4 feet - 1925, 1940 (11.38" rainfall in 3 days), 1963, January 1982, as well as December 30/31, 2005. The worst flood, on Jan 2, 1982, (the highest creek water level, according to interviews with longtime creek-side residents) was preceded by a rainfall amount that exceeded 8" in 12 hours. San Anselmo's historic raised railroad bed (now Center Boulevard), acts as a dike, providing some flood protection to the west-side houses, upstream of the business district. A number of homes on the floodplain (called the "Flatlands" by the Town) as far back as at least 1920, have been built with raised foundations to accommodate the minor periodic floods. Most of the downtown antique and boutique stores and restaurants, for which San Anselmo is well known, are along the banks of San Anselmo Creek.

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census San Anselmo had a population of 12,336. The population density was . The racial makeup of San Anselmo was 11,134 (90.3%) White, 106 (0.9%) African American, 40 (0.3%) Native American, 437 (3.5%) Asian, 26 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 164 (1.3%) from other races, and 429 (3.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 717 people (5.8%). The census reported that 99.6% of the population lived in households and 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters. There were 5,243 households, 1,695 (32.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,607 (49.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 471 (9.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 173 (3.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 273 (5.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 66 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,564 households (29.8%) were one person and 484 (9.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 3,251 families (62.0% of households); the average family size was 2.93. The age distribution was 2,879 people (23.3%) under the age of 18, 500 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 2,804 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 4,492 people (36.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,661 people (13.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. There were 5,538 housing units at an average density of 2,068.6 per square mile, of the occupied units 3,484 (66.5%) were owner-occupied and 1,759 (33.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 8,849 people (71.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,434 people (27.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 12,378 people in 5,267 households, including 3,191 families, in the town. The population density was . There were 5,408 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town in 2010 was 86.4% non-Hispanic White, 0.8% non-Hispanic African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8%. Of the 5,267 households 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 28.7% of households were one person and 7.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84. The age distribution was 21.8% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $71,488, and the median family income was $86,528. Males had a median income of $61,172 versus $47,170 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,977. About 2.5% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

San Anselmo has a council–manager form of government, in which an elected town council creates policy and hires a town manager to implement the policy. The five-member town council is elected by the voters at large. The posts of mayor and vice-mayor rotate among the council. San Anselmo's current mayor is Brian Colbert and the Town Manager is David P. Donery. The town of San Anselmo is the second-most Democratic political subdivision in Marin County (behind only

). According to the Secretary of State of California, as of October 22, 2012, San Anselmo has 8,622 registered voters. Of those, 5,361 (62.2%) are registered Democrats, 994 (11.5%) are registered

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, 1,806 (21.0%)

decline to state Decline to State (DTS) was an affiliation designation on the California voter registration form that allows voters to register to vote without choosing a party affiliation. It is similar to what in other states would be called declaring oneself as ...

a political party, and 461 are registered with other parties. Since 2013 police services have been provided by the Central Marin Police Authority, which also polices the nearby towns of Corte Madera, Larkspur, and portions of Greenbrae.

Federal and state representation

In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, San Anselmo is in . From 2008 to 2012, Huffman represented Marin County in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

. In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, San Anselmo is in: * * .

Presidential election results

San Anselmo is an overwhelmingly Democratic city in presidential elections. In 2012,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

received 83.10% of the vote, and in 2016,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

received 85.43% of the vote.

Notable people

Dave Anthony David Sean Anthony (born August 26, 1967) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and podcaster. He is best known as the creator and co-host of the comedy podcast ''The Dollop'', in which he tells notable stories from American history to h ...

(born 1967), American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and podcaster. * Arj Barker (born 1974), American stand-up comedian, attended Sir Francis Drake High School. * John Boccabella (born 1941), former Major League Baseball player *

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...

(born 1950) drummer, percussionist, and vocalist with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

and founder of the new wave group

Missing Persons A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...

. *

Gary Fisher Gary Christopher Fisher (born November 5, 1950) is considered one of the inventors of the modern mountain bike. Fisher started competing in road and track races at age 12. He was suspended in 1968 because race organizers cited a rule that his ...

(born 1950), inventor of the mountain bike, opened his first store, MountainBikes, in San Anselmo. *

Dana Gilbert Dana Gilbert (born November 26, 1959) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. Biography Gilbert grew up in California, one of three siblings. Her youngest brother is Brad Gilbert, who also played tennis professionally, and ...

(born 1959), tennis player *

Jane Levy Jane Colburn Levy ( ; born ) is an American actress. After attending the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, she debuted as the original Mandy Milkovich on the Showtime comedy-drama '' Shameless'' (2011). Levy left ''Shameless'' following its first ...

(born in Los Angeles 1989), actress, raised in San Anselmo *

(born in Modesto 1944), film director, screenwriter, producer, and entrepreneur *

Don Novello Donald Andrew Novello (born January 1, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, singer, writer, film director and producer. He is best known for his work on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1978 to 1980, and again from 1985 to 1986, often as the ...

(Fairfax 1943), comedian *

Mary Ann Shaffer Mary Ann Shaffer (née Fiery; December 13, 1934 – February 16, 2008) was an American writer, editor, librarian, and a bookshop worker. She is noted for her posthumously published work ''The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'', whi ...

(1934–2008), American writer, lived and died in San Anselmo *

Neal Schon Neal (Neil) is a given masculine name and surname of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "hono ...

, guitarist of rock band Journey *

Michael Schwab (designer) Michael Schwab (born 1952) is an American graphic designer and illustrator, he is the Principal at Michael Schwab Studio in San Anselmo, California. He was one of the founders of the San Francisco Bay Area postmodern movement in graphic design, th ...

(born 1952), American graphic designer and illustrator, his design studio is in San Anselmo. *

Scott Thunes Scott Thunes (pronounced "TOO-nis") (born January 20, 1960) is a bass player, formerly with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys, Big Bang Beat, and others. Thunes was raised in San Anselmo, ...

(born 1960) bass guitarist with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys, Big Bang Beat, and others. Raised in San Anselmo.

Schools

San Anselmo is home to a variety of schools: *

Brookside Elementary School School District 36 Surrey operates schools in Surrey, White Rock, and Barnston Island, British Columbia. It is the largest school district in British Columbia with 71,838 students during the 2016/2017 school year. District 36 includes 101 el ...

of the Ross Valley School District, grades K-5 * Hidden Valley Elementary School, Ross Valley School District, grades K-5 * Wade Thomas Elementary School, Ross Valley School District, grades K-5 * White Hill Middle School, Ross Valley School District, grades 6-8 * Saint Anselm's Catholic School, a private school founded in 1924 by the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Church; grades K-8 * San Domenico School, co-ed pre-kindergarten through 12th *

Archie Williams High School Archie Williams High School is a public secondary school located in San Anselmo, California. It is named after a former math and computing teacher Archie Williams, who was also a gold medalist in the 1936 Summer Olympics, a flight instructor with ...

Tamalpais Union High School District The Tamalpais Union High School District or TUHSD provides high school education to students residing in ten elementary districts in central and southern Marin County, California and parts of West Marin. The headquarters are on the property of ...

, grades 9-12 * San Francisco Theological Seminary, a part of the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

system of seminaries * Stapleton School of the Performing Arts

Notes

External links

*
San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce

San Anselmo Historical Museum
{{Authority control Cities in Marin County, California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California 1907 establishments in California Populated places established in 1907