Larkspur is a city 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 ac ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. Larkspur is located directly south of

Kentfield Kentfield (formerly Ross Landing, Tamalpais, and Kent) is a unincorporated community in Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. Kentfield is located southwest of downtown San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet (35 ...

and south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 13,064. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that of the neighboring Corte Madera and town of San Anselmo as the

Central Marin Police Authority The Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA) is a police agency in Marin County, California, covering Corte Madera, Larkspur, San Anselmo and portions of Greenbrae. In 1980 Corte Madera and its neighbor Larkspur merged their police departments ...

. The city's main thoroughfare is Magnolia Avenue, which runs through the

Larkspur Downtown Historic District The Larkspur Downtown Historic District, known also as Old Downtown Larkspur, is a historic district (United States), historic district along Magnolia Avenue in downtown Larkspur, California, Larkspur, Marin County, California. The district co ...

. Madrone Canyon, a residential area amidst a

redwood Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...

grove, traces scenic Larkspur Creek.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (6.80%) is water.

History

Charles W. Wright laid out the town in 1887. The first post office opened in 1891. Larkspur incorporated in 1908. Larkspur's Downtown Historic District, known also as Old Downtown Larkspur, is a historic district that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982. The restored

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

Lark Theater is part of this downtown district. The historic Blue Rock building, originally opened in the 1890's, is currently home to popular restaurant The Left Bank.

Communities

Murray Park is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Larkspur. Escalle is named after a 19th-century French immigrant.

Government

Federal and state

In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Larkspur 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, Califor ...

. In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Larkspur is in: * * . According to the

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's o ...

, as of February 10, 2019, Larkspur has 8,871 registered voters. Of those, 4,944 (55.7%) are registered Democrats, 1,250 (14.1%) 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 ...

, and 2,324 (26.2%) have declined to state a political party.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Larkspur had a population of 13,064. The population density was . The racial makeup of Larkspur was 75.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.6% Native American, 6.3% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 5.3% from other races, and 10.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race were 11.1% of the population. The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.7% were institutionalized. There were 6,102 households, out of which 24.5% included children under the age of 18, 42.6% were married-couple households, 7.0% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 33.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 36.8% of households were one person, and 20.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.13. There were 3,347

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(54.9% of all households). The age distribution was 18.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% aged 18 to 24, 20.1% aged 25 to 44, 30.4% aged 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 49.2years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. There were 6,459 housing units at an average density of , of which 6,102 (94.5%) were occupied. Of these, 48.6% were owner-occupied, and 51.4% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 16.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 80.6% spoke only English at home, 8.7% spoke

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, 6.6% spoke other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

, 3.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.1% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 96.6% were high school graduates and 69.4% had a bachelor's degree. The median household income in 2023 was $134,744, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $103,235. About 3.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

At the 2010 census Larkspur had a population of 11,926. The population density was . The racial makeup of Larkspur was 10,311 (86.5%) White, 186 (1.6%) African American, 26 (0.2%) Native American, 563 (4.7%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 343 (2.9%) from other races, and 484 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 918 people (7.7%). The census reported that 11,803 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 42 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 81 (0.7%) were institutionalized. There were 5,908 households, 1,314 (22.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,266 (38.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 433 (7.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 197 (3.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 329 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 74 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,502 households (42.3%) were one person and 1,009 (17.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.00. There were 2,896 families (49.0% of households); the average family size was 2.77. The age distribution was 2,176 people (18.2%) under the age of 18, 466 people (3.9%) aged 18 to 24, 2,620 people (22.0%) aged 25 to 44, 4,103 people (34.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,561 people (21.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 48.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males. There were 6,376 housing units at an average density of 1,966.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 2,898 (49.1%) were owner-occupied and 3,010 (50.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%. 6,494 people (54.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,309 people (44.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Transportation

Ferry service

Larkspur is the location for one of

Golden Gate Transit Golden Gate Transit (GGT) is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It primarily serves Marin County, Sonoma County, and San Francisco, and also provides limited ser ...

Larkspur Landing Larkspur Landing, also known as Larkspur Ferry Terminal, is the main Golden Gate Ferry Landing (water transport), terminal in Larkspur, California, in Marin County, California, Marin County, north of San Francisco. The terminal is a regional hub ...

, the main ferry terminal for its commuter passenger ferry service between Marin County and the

San Francisco Ferry Building The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal station, terminal for ferry, ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay, a food hall and an office building. It is located on Embarcadero (San Francisco), The Embarcadero in San Francisco, Ca ...

and job centers in the

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies, and other related finance corporations have their headquarters offices. In major cities, financial districts often host ...

. This

Golden Gate Ferry Golden Gate Ferry is a commuter ferry service operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District in San Francisco Bay, part of the Bay Area of Northern California, United States. Regular service is run to the Ferry Bui ...

portals and has a ridership of over 8,500 per day, on average. There is special direct ferry service from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal to

Oracle Park Oracle Park is a ballpark in the South of Market, San Francisco, SoMa district of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). The stadium stands along San Francisco Bay ...

for

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

games.

Rail service

The

Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a commuter rail service and bicycle-pedestrian pathway project in Sonoma and Marin counties of the U.S. state of California. When completed, the entire system will serve a corridor between Clover ...

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

service was extended to Larkspur station in 2019. The line provides daily trips as far north as Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport and is eventually planned to extend to

Cloverdale station Cloverdale Depot is a bus station and future intermodal passenger transport, intermodal station in Cloverdale, California. It is served by Amtrak Thruway#7, Amtrak Thruway 7 and Sonoma County Transit buses. Additional service to Sonoma County Ai ...

. The

North Pacific Coast Railroad The North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) was a common carrier narrow-gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) and rebuilt the southern section into a standard-ga ...

(later absorbed by the

Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a mainline railroad from the former ferry connections in Sausalito, California north to Eureka, with a connection to the national railroad system at Schellville. The railroad has gone through a complex h ...

) provided

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

services to Larkspur until 1941.

Education

Larkspur-Corte Madera School District serves much of Larkspur for elementary and middle school.
Text list
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Neil Cummins Elementary School Larkspur-Corte Madera School District is a school district headquartered in Larkspur, California, Larkspur, California. Its schools include Neil Cummins Elementary School, Henry Hall Middle School, and the Cove School. Its boundary includes m ...

and Hall Middle School serve both Corte Madera and Larkspur. Neil Cummins serves grades K to 5, while Hall serves grades 6 to 8. The former San Clemente Elementary School was reopened as The Cove School in 2014. In lieu of extensive retrofit to the existing structures, new buildings have been built on the same site. This school serves neighborhoods currently served by Neil Cummins Elementary, mostly to the west of Highway 101, and new developments in the area. A portion of Larkspur is in the Kentfield Elementary School District. The

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 ...

, which serves most of Larkspur (the Larkspur-Corte Madera and Kentfield district portions), comprises five high schools that serve the region. A portion of Larkspur is in the San Rafael Elementary School District and the San Rafael High School District, jointly operated as

San Rafael City Schools San Rafael City Schools is a school district headquartered in San Rafael, California, San Rafael, California, United States. The district, according to the San Rafael city charter, is composed of two separate boundaries: the San Rafael Elementar ...

. Residents of the San Rafael high school district may choose either

San Rafael High School San Rafael High School is a public high school located at 150 Third St. in San Rafael, California, United States. The school is part of the San Rafael City Schools school district. Its official nickname is the Bulldog; however, its athletic te ...

Terra Linda High School Terra Linda High School (also known as TLHS and more commonly known as TL) is a public secondary school located in Terra Linda, San Rafael, California, United States. In 2006, it was named a California Distinguished School. The school is part of ...

. Marin Primary and Middle School is a local private school.

In popular culture

Scenes in the 1949 film noir ''

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...

'' featured several areas around Larkspur, including the home and gas station of the Probert family, in the location now occupied by Perry's Larkspur restaurant. In the film, the town is frequently mentioned as being in Idaho. The final scenes of Clint Eastwood's 1971 movie ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American action-thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry (film series), ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first appearance as San Francisco Polic ...

'' were filmed in Larkspur at the old Hutchison Gravel Quarry (now

Town twinning

Corte Madera, California Corte Madera (; Spanish for "Chop Wood") is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. Corte Madera is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 39 feet (12 m). The population was 10,222 at the 2020 census. The town was named af ...

("twin city") *

Shangyu Shangyu District () is a district of the prefecture-level city of Shaoxing in the northeast of Zhejiang province, China. At the 2010 census, its population in the built-up (''or metro'') area was 779,412, up from 722,523 in the 2000 census. Shang ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, China (

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

)

Notable people

Jake Curhan Jake Curhan (born February 9, 1998) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was a two-time Pac-12 ho ...

(born 1998),

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) * Matt Doyle, Broadway actor. *

Leonard Gardner Leonard Gardner (born 3 November 1933) is an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His writing has appeared in ''The Paris Review'', ''Esquire'', '' The Southwest Review'', and other publications, and he has been awarded a Gugg ...

, author of the novel '' Fat City'', lives in Larkspur. *

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American actress who began her career as a model. She has also worked as a casting agent. Her roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' ...

, television actress. *

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

's last known residence was located in Larkspur at 380 West Baltimore Avenue. *

Charles S. Kilburn Charles S. Kilburn (January 2, 1895 – December 28, 1978) was a career officer in the United States Army who attained the rank of brigadier general and was most notable for his World War II command of the 11th Armored Division from 1944 to 1945 ...

, U.S. Army brigadier general *

Ki Longfellow Ki Longfellow (born Baby Kelly, formerly Pamela Kelly; December 9, 1944 – June 12, 2022) was an American novelist, playwright, theatrical producer, theatre director and entrepreneur with dual citizenship in Britain. She is best known in the Un ...

grew up in Larkspur's Madrone Canyon: 201 Madrone Avenue, (''The Illustrated Vivian Stanshall, a Fairytale of Grimm Art'', Eio Books, 2018) *

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

, California Governor, lived in Larkspur in his youth. *

Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and frontman of the rock band Journey during their most successful years from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He wrote/co-wrote ...

, former lead singer of rock band Journey. *

Michael Savage Michael Alan Weiner (born March 31, 1942) known by his professional name Michael Savage, is an American author, political commentator, activist, and former radio host. Savage is best known as the host of '' The Savage Nation'', a nationally ...

, conservative broadcaster. *

Leon Uris Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was an American author of historical fiction who wrote many bestselling books, including '' Exodus'' (published in 1958) and ''Trinity'' (published in 1976). Uris was a co-founder of the Write ...

wrote his acclaimed first novel, ''

Battle Cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religio ...

'' (1953), in Larkspur. * Corinne West, singer/songwriter.

Gallery

File:Alexander-Acacia Bridge Alexander Ave & Acacia Ave Larkspur CA 3-21-2010 1-20-18 PM.JPG, Alexander-Acacia Bridge, Larkspur File:Larkspur Fire Department May 2013.jpg, Fire Department, Larkspur File:Downtown Larkspur, California 2011 B - Stierch.jpg, Downtown Larkspur File:Larkspur Library entrance, Larkspur, CA.jpg, entrance to Larkspur Library in city hall, Larkspur File:St. Patrick's Church, Larkspur, CA.jpg , St. Patrick's Church, across from Larkspur City Hall File:Dolliver House 58 Madrone Ave Larkspur CA 3-21-2010 2-06-23 PM.JPG, Dolliver House in Madrone Canyon, Larkspur File:Lark Theater, Larkspur, California.jpg, Lark Theater on Magnolia St., Larkspur File:Larkspur 100 years banner.jpg, street banner celebrating the 100th anniversary of Larkspur File:Larkspur post office, Larkspur, California.jpg, U.S. post office in Larkspur File:Blue Rock Inn, Larkspur, CA.jpg, the Blue Rock Inn (formerly the Blue Rock Hotel) on Magnolia St., Larkspur File:Green Brae Brick Yard 125 E Sir Francis Drake Blvd Larkspur CA 3-21-2010 2-30-23 PM.JPG, Greenbrae Brick Yard, Larkspur File:Larkspur Landing 3020 03.JPG, Larkspur Landing

References

External links

Larkspur, California home page
{{authority control Cities in Marin County, California Populated places established in 1887 1887 establishments in California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California