Muir Beach is a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP),

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 ...

, and beach on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The community is located northwest of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in western

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Unlike many other entities in the area, it is not named directly in honor of conservationist

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...

; instead, it was named after

Muir Woods National Monument Muir Woods National Monument ( ) is a National monument (United States), United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service and named after naturalist John Muir. It is located on Mount Tamalpais near the Pacific Ocean, Pacific ...

to capitalize on the latter's popularity. The population was 304 at the 2020 census. The community itself flanks the northwest side of the beach. Located about from the entrance to Muir Woods, the beach is about long and wide, with coarse sand and several large boulders. Redwood Creek empties into the beach. There is a parking lot at the beach, which is accessible via a footbridge. The subdivision of homes was formerly called Bello Beach, and the beach itself was formerly called Big Lagoon after a freshwater lagoon that was located where the parking lot is now. Damage from 20th century dairy farms interfered with the flow of the creek and the lagoon.

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 CDP has a total area of , all of it land.

California State Route 1 State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, ...

leads northeast to

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

near

Sausalito Sausalito (Spanish for "small willow grove") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located southeast of Marin City, south-southeast of San Rafael, and about north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito's p ...

and northwest to Point Reyes Station. The beach is one of the cleanest in the state.Bay Area beaches grade well for safe swimming
May 27, 2010, by Carolyn Jones, ''San Francisco Chronicle''

Demographics

Muir Beach first appeared as a

in the 2000 U.S. Census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Muir Beach had a population of 304. The population density was . The racial makeup of Muir Beach was 273 (89.8%)

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 ...

, 5 (1.6%)

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 ...

, 1 (0.3%) Native American, 10 (3.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

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 ...

, 3 (1.0%) from other races, and 12 (3.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10 persons (3.3%). The census reported that 299 people (98.4% of the population) lived in households, 5 (1.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 135 households, out of which 32 (23.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 65 (48.1%) were married-couple households, 13 (9.6%) 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, 25 (18.5%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 32 (23.7%) had a male householder with no partner present. 40 households (29.6%) were one person, and 19 (14.1%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21. There were 81

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 ...

(60.0% of all households). The age distribution was 45 people (14.8%) under the age of 18, 23 people (7.6%) aged 18 to 24, 54 people (17.8%) aged 25 to 44, 81 people (26.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 101 people (33.2%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 53.7years. For every 100 females, there were 108.2 males. There were 160 housing units at an average density of , of which 135 (84.4%) were occupied. Of these, 101 (74.8%) were owner-occupied, and 34 (25.2%) were occupied by renters.

2010

At the 2010 census Muir Beach had a population of 310. The population density was . The racial makeup of Muir Beach was 283 (91.3%) White, 5 (1.6%) African American, 1 (0.3%) Native American, 12 (3.9%) Asian, 1 (0.3%) from other races, and 8 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7 people (2.3%). The census reported that 95.8% of the population lived in households and 4.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters. There were 141 households, 27 (19.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 79 (56.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4 (2.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3 (2.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 11 (7.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 39 households (27.7%) were one person and 11 (7.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.11. There were 86 families (61.0% of households); the average family size was 2.47. The age distribution was 38 people (12.3%) under the age of 18, 10 people (3.2%) aged 18 to 24, 56 people (18.1%) aged 25 to 44, 138 people (44.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 68 people (21.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 52.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 106.1 males. There were 162 housing units at an average density of , of which 73.8% were owner-occupied and 26.2% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 2.6%. 75.2% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 20.6% lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census, the median household income was $125,402 and the median family income was $152,174. The per capita income for the CDP was $66,476. None of the families and 10.5% of the population were living 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 ...

Education

Much of Muir Beach is in the

Mill Valley School District The Mill Valley School District is located 13 miles north of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, California. The district has 5 elementary schools and 1 middle school with an enrollment of approximately 3,200 students in gr ...

, while a portion is in the Bolinas-Stinson Union Elementary School District. All of Muir Beach is in 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 ...

, and the Marin Community College District. Students attend public schools in or near

Mill Valley Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mill Valley is lo ...

at Tamalpais Valley Elementary School (kindergarten - grade 5), Mill Valley Middle School (grades 6 - 8), and

Tamalpais High School Tamalpais High School (often abbreviated as Tam) is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises almost above Mill Valley. Tamalpais High Scho ...

(grades 9 - 12).

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Muir Beach has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Like much of the California coast, summer afternoons are often cool and windy (and sometimes foggy) as winds blow in off the ocean. It receives a good amount of rain with of rain.

Local government

Muir Beach is unincorporated, receiving general government services from

, including law enforcement,

land-use planning Land use planning or ''Land-use regulation'' is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources. ...

, library, public health, and code enforcement. A special district, the Muir Beach Community Services District, provides local services, including fire protection, water, road maintenance, and recreation. The District has a board of directors, with five members elected to four-year terms. The District includes all of the Muir Beach CDP, plus

Green Gulch Farm Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, or Sōryu-ji (蒼龍寺 ''Azure Dragon, Green Dragon Temple'') is a Soto Zen practice center located near Muir Beach, California, that practices in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. In addition to its Zen training program ...

. (Se
map of MBCSD
)

Notable history

On December 11, 1965, Muir Beach was the site of the Third Acid Test.

Notes

External links

Muir Beach unofficial websiteMuir Beach Community Services District
{{authority control Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Marin County, California Populated coastal places in California West Marin Beaches of Marin County, California