Novato

Thousands of acres of open space and rolling hills surround friendly single-family neighborhoods in this charming community just 25 minutes north of San Francisco. While it is the fastest growing city in Marin County, Novato has retained its small town charm and embraced all the conveniences of suburban life with several newly refurbished shopping plazas like Pacheco Plaza, Hamilton Marketplace and Vintage Oaks.

When looking for homes for sale in Novato you'll find that housing prices can be among the least expensive in the county yet there is a variety of price ranges for single family homes (between $400,000 to 3 million). Some of the most popular neighborhoods include Rush Creek, Pointe Marin, San Marin and Country Club. There are also many nice horse properties and homes with very large land parcels, particularly in Indian Valley and along Atherton Avenue.

Novato was originally named for a Mexican land grant, the 8,876 acre Rancho Novato granted to Fernando Feliz in 1839. The Rancho was named after a local Miwok leader who had been given the name of Saint Novatus at his baptism. Novato's has deep Coast Miwok roots and was the location of several key Miwok villages, one is now the Olompali State Historical Park.

In its early days, Novato prospered as a rural ranching and farming area with miles of gorgeous orchard and pasture land. Today Novato is home to Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and several biotech firms such as the Buck Institute for Age Research and BioMarin. Novato also has a branch of the company Autodesk which was recently awarded one of the top 100 places to work by Fortune magazine.

The city encompasses 28 square miles containing more than 51,000 residents, second in population only to San Rafael. Novato's excellent location provides proximity to world-class wineries in Napa and Sonoma and is next door to some of California's premier state parks and national recreation areas. Novato contains seven county-maintained open space preserves with more than 2,600 acres of open space, including 1,600 acres surrounding Mt. Burdell in Northern Novato. Olompali State Park, comprises 900 acres, bringing the total to nearly 3,500 acres. The City itself is home to a total of 27 parks, including three major city parks.

Novato is great for families and has many family oriented events throughout the year. The newly renovated Pacheco Plaza provides live outdoor music and dining on Friday nights in the summer. Novato's friendly downtown hosts many community events including the popular Novato Festival of Art, Wine and Music, Nostalgia Days, The Salsa Festival and the annual 4th of July Parade, the Classic Car Show, Movies in the Park and the Downtown Farmers Market held throughout the summer.