The San Geronimo Valley is located in central Marin County, just 20 miles northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a small valley approximately six miles long, situated between the suburban town of Fairfax and Samuel P. Taylor State Park. The first white men came to the valley in the mid 1800’s and it was first known as Rancho Canada de San Geronimo, a grant from General Vallejo. Shortly thereafter, it was owned by the grandson of Paul Revere and later by Adolph Mailliard, great grandson of Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. The Valley also hosted such luminaries as Alexander Graham Bell, who installed the first telephone in California in the Valley, and Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. The valley is presently comprised of four villages which have grown up along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, a main East-West highway connecting Highway 101 to scenic Highway 1 on the coast. We have members from the nearby community of Nicasio, situated 4 miles to the North, and from as far away as Chico. Ours is a lovely valley surrounded by tree clad hills. Some homes are built along the highway, but most are clustered on the wooded hillsides around each of the small villages of Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls and Lagunitas. Each village has a post office (no RFD) and Woodacre, Forest Knolls and Lagunitas each have a few small businesses. San Geronimo is graced by a good local restaurant. The year round creeks fed by the hillsides and small springs, flow westerly through the center of the valley, and roar through it in rainy winters. The streams become Lagunitas Creek and later Papermill Creek and flow through the Redwood forest of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. This is one of the large spawning grounds for the Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout. A favorite pastime in the winter is to watch the salmon jump the fish ladder at Roy’s Dam in San Geronimo.

      Our location is fortunate. It has the advantage of a rural setting, but is close to the cultural, financial, and educational services of the large metropolitan Bay Area. The valley is 60 minutes from downtown San Francisco for those who work in the city or want to visit a museum, hear the San Francisco Symphony, or see the ballet. Marin has its own symphony and other arts and services. These are only a 30 minutes drive from the valley. We are 10 minutes from the supermarkets, hardware stores and other necessary services in Fairfax. San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo is only a 20 minute drive, which gives us the advantage of using their facilities and availing ourselves of speakers from the faculty and student body. The valley is rural in nature with cattle grazing on open land and hillsides. A variety of wild animals can be seen, including wild turkeys, deer, raccoons, possums, squirrels, quail, skunks and an occasional coyote or mountain lion.The Dickson Ranch, in Woodacre since the late 1800’s, boards horses and trains young riders. A new horse facility, Creekside Equestrian Center, features a covered arena

There is an active horseman association, and many trails available for riding and hiking in the vary large areas of open space and watershed lands throughout the hills. There is also a well maintained golf course, privately owned, which stretches for some distance along both sides of the highway, keeping a large part of the valley floor green all year. Aside from the Dickson ranch and the golf course, businesses in the valley are small and few and cater largely to local folk, although the two restaurants and a deli attract business from the many people traveling on Sir Francis Drake to the parks, the beaches, and the Pt. Reyes National Seashore. All of these draw many visitors throughout the year although traffic is especially heavy in the summer. The 3,000 plus residents of the valley represent no homogeneous group. They range from the very wealthy to the very poor, from doctors and lawyers to the out of work and homeless. There are a large number of artists, along with writers and musicians living here. There are middle class family homes and groups who share homes, while a few folks live in their cars and some live in the woods. Some commute to San Francisco, some to county cities, some work at home, some do not work. Most seem to agree on one thing; no urbanization or suburbanization of the valley.                                                

     In the 60’s, a huge population growth was predicted for this area. However, many residents have banded together through the years, and by various means have kept low density population and very slow population and commercial growth in the valley. There is an elementary school with two campuses here serving K-8 in three different programs.. In spite of decreasing revenues, the schools have been able to keep class sizes small and programs innovative, attracting both financial and volunteer support from the community. The old school building which was condemned has been taken over by members of the community. Once run as the “Art Center”, it now serves as a community center, offering an after school care program, instruction in various disciplines i.e. pottery, dance, exercise, etc. It sponsors poetry readings, music performances, yard sales and art shows. In addition, the center, now called the Cultural Center, houses the Healthy Community Collaborative and a food bank available to local people. Another local institution is the Woodacre Improvement Club. It offers to members and local residents a place to swim, play tennis or baseball. The club also acts as a senior center. It is a place for parties, dances, plays and musicals. We also have an active Lions Club. Our church is one of two in the Valley. The other, St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, is one of the oldest local institutions. There is a small Jewish congregation located in the valley along with Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a retreat based in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism.

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