Marin Communities:
Greenbrae, CA
Greenbrae is a small community in Marin County, California located 11.2 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge and adjacent to Highway 101 at the opening of the Ross Valley. Part of Greenbrae is an unincorporated area of the county while the remaining area is inside the city limits of Larkspur.
Most Greenbrae homes are located on the sun drenched south facing hills and many properties have spectacular views of the Corte Madera Creek, Mount Tamalpais or the expansive San Francisco Bay. Turning off Sir Francis Drake into the neighborhoods you’ll notice the lush tree lined streets, large access boulevards and the private feeling avenues spreading into the hillsides.
In the flats of Greenbrae you'll find the modern Bon Air Shopping Center, the waterfront community of Cape Marin and the pedestrian pathways connecting to the Town of Larkspur and Kentfield. The community is proud of its award winning school districts, the Larkspur ferry terminal, gourmet grocery stores, exclusive shopping, Marin General Hospital and the many water side benches along the scenic Corte Madera Creek.
Greenbrae has some of the easiest access for kayakers, rowers and windsurfers. Plus bird watchers and nature lovers of all types find Greenbrae a perfect place to get out and enjoy the Marin sunshine.
Just as a bit of history… Sir Francis Drake Blvd runs through Greenbrae to the Ross Valley area. It is said that this is the location where Sir Francis Drake landed and claimed the land for the English Crown. He proclaimed it Nova Albion, Latin for “New Britain.” Due to lost records and maps in a fire at Whitehall Palace in 1698, this is still considered a myth to some historians.
Greenbrae has been a land of many uses from the Coastal Miwok Indians to a Catholic Church run dairy farm. More recently, Greenbrae was developed by Niels Schultz Jr. After serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in WWII, Mr. Schultz went to work with his brother, Alvin, for their father's development company. In 1946, Schultz Building Co. bought 635 acres from the Archdiocese of San Francisco and broke ground on what was known as "Marin's new city."
Mr. Schultz helped build more than 1,000 homes, 1,500 apartments and dozens of businesses between Highway 101 and Manor Road in Kentfield. Greenbrae was designed as a neighborhood of custom homes and oak trees, set into the hills on winding streets with Spanish names. For the era, there was an unusual emphasis on saving trees, design, setbacks, landscaped median and open areas. To read more about Mr. Schultz please follow the link to the Marin IJ at http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci/_8187491.
Greenbrae was home to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer for over 30 years. Football coach Pete Carroll was raised in Greenbrae. Writer Jack Finney lived in Greenbrae completing his last novel, as did Les Crane.
Director Don Siegal filmed the final scenes from the 1971 movie Dirty Harry on Greenbrae's East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The final shoot out scene was located on the old gravel mill (Hutchinson's Rock Quarry) that became what is now Larkspur Landing.
Greenbrae links of Interest: (click on picture to explore):
