Fairfax

FAIRFAX REAL ESTATE

Located about 30 minutes from San Francisco the atmosphere of Fairfax is one of an old-fashioned small town, rural feel where the orientation toward family is apparent. There is the festival every June called the Fairfax Festival where people come from all over to enjoy a parade, blue-grass music, gourmet foods and kid friendly activities. Fairfax is also known for its proximity to hiking trails and off-road bike paths (heck, Fairfax is the birthplace of the mountain bike). And then there is the food. Every Wednesday from June through September a Farmers market is held where seasonal organic produce from local farms such as nearby in Bolinas are represented. Grocery stores include the organic Good Earth Natural Foods store on the main street Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

A local movie theater. A multitude of restaurants and shops are all within an easy stroll of one another. Real Estate prices vary from fixer properties to a few special properties in the multi-million dollar range. In between are more modestly priced homes. The topography of Fairfax like a lot of other Marin locations which means hillside locations where a homes only level out outdoor space might mean a deck and/or a small level yard area. Lot sizes can be small to standard but it is not uncommon to find a home on acreage. Do not expect to find manicured lawns are not the norm here but rather a more rustic, country setting seems to be the standard. Architecturally, the houses are older ranch styles, cottages and bungalows from the early 1900Ós and more modern style homes.

Fairfax was originally part of a Spanish land grant conferred to Domingo Sais in 1839. Sais gave the area now known as the Marin Town & Country Club to Marin County’s first physician, Alfred Taliaferro of Virginia, who subsequently passed the property along to fellow Virginian Charles Snowden Fairfax. Lord Fairfax, tenth Baron of Cameron, Scotland, moved here with his wife Ada in 1855, lured west by gold fever.

After the death of Charles Fairfax, the property changed hands, eventually becoming the site of the renowned Pastori’s Restaurant in the 1890′s. Madame Pastori, once a singer at La Scala in Milan, Italy, was visited in Fairfax by many great figures in the opera world. The restaurant, which was rebuilt on a grander scale after a fire in 1911, still stands.

Convenient railroad service early in this century made Fairfax a favorite weekend and summer retreat for city dwellers. Fairfax Park hosted thousands on weekends. Fairfax was the setting for dozens of early Western movies from 1910 to the early 1920′s. Construction of Alpine Dam in 1917 brought a large Italian population to the area, adding to Fairfax’s colorful history.

Fairfax came of age in February of 1931 when the town was incorporated as a city with a five-member council government. Fairfax today, with a diverse population of 7,000, is a community of fine neighborhoods nestled in the hills and small valleys of the Upper Ross Valley. Located 16 miles north of San Francisco, within easy reach of numerous State and National Recreation Areas, Fairfax offers the best of both work and play while retaining its small-town atmosphere and charm. Two of our Cal Land Title employees live in Fairfax and they absolutely love it!

Single Family home prices range from $350K to $2 million +
Condominium prices range from $400K to $650K

FAIRFAX SCHOOLS