$4,718,810Average Value$1,399Average Price per Sq Ft2Homes For Sale
Marin County’s estate-filled enclave set in forested hills
Ross is one of the most secluded neighborhoods in Marin County, surrounded by open hillsides and situated within the densely forested Ross Valley. It’s been illegal to cut down trees here without town council approval since 1908, making Ross the leafiest town in the county — with some of the largest homes and estates. “Besides having a lot of expensive real estate, Ross is a very beautiful area and has a real small-town community vibe,” says Katie Negrin, a resident and office manager at the city’s favorite Marin Art and Garden Center. Ross is so small, in fact, that the homes here don’t have mail service. “Everyone knows everyone here,” says Whitney Potter, founder of Own Marin Real Estate. “And since nobody here has a mailbox at their house, everyone has to go to the big Spanish Colonial-style downtown post office to get their mail. You’ll see all of your neighbors there, just about every day. Longtime residents love to be social, while newcomers love to be seen.” Eleven miles north of San Francisco, Ross’s two-mile enclave is embellished with quaint, garden-style eateries, highly rated schools and nature-filled parks. The area attracts a wide range of residents, from Silicon Valley workers to young families and retirees — and is a hotspot for Bay Area visitors. “What’s really appealing to people is our weather. We have foggy mornings, but then it burns off, and the weather is so nice,” Negrin says. “It’s definitely a place where people from San Francisco will visit on foggy days to warm up and hang out.”
Quaint charm and historic vibes await in the captivating neighborhood of Ross
In Ross, elegance meets community, creating a perfect balance.
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Grand hilltop estates and cottages with whimsical gardens
Towering live oak and elm trees shade Ross’s smoothly paved residential streets, where sidewalks are rare and neighborhood roads guide into six historic concrete bridges spanning along the area’s Corte Madera Creek. Stately Italianate mansions with vast landscaped grounds sit atop the hills blanketed with redwoods and furs, while smaller, cottage-style properties with whimsical gardens populate the lower slopes. There are also Victorians, Tudors, modern farmhouses and mid-century modern properties among the winding streets, all highlighted by naturally lush and well-shaded surroundings. Home prices start around $2 million for two-bedroom cottages and bungalows but can go as high as $18 million for grand, hilltop estates with expansive lots, luxury amenities and panoramic views of the horizon.
All kinds of architecture can be found around Ross.
Ross is a quaint little town in Marin County.
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Top-rated Marin County public schools
Ross’s exceptional public school district is one of the many draws to the neighborhood. Students can attend Ross Elementary, which serves kindergarten through eighth grade and gets an A-plus rating from Niche. The neighborhood is also zoned for the A-rated Wade Thomas Elementary School and the A-plus-rated Redwood High School. Offering advanced tech and arts programs, Redwood High is considered the No. 1 best public high school in Marin County by Niche. For residents seeking a private school alternative, Ross students can attend the A-rated Marin Catholic High School in nearby Kentfield.
Redwood high school is a California distinguished school.
Wade Thomas Elementary School serves students in San Anselmo, CA.
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Garden-style restaurants and gourmet markets
Most of the area’s main dining and shopping is located right outside of Ross, but residents can still enjoy a few quaint neighborhood offerings, including Crowne and Crumpet. This English tea café feels like stepping into a secret garden, with its small patio and menu of scones, crumpets, tea sandwiches and traditional tea varieties. Tony Tutto Pizza is another Ross favorite, with its cozy interior and roomy patio featuring rows of picnic tables for community-style dining. The restaurant bakes thin-crust specialty pizzas made from all organic ingredients. The newest addition to the Ross restaurant scene is Marche, a French bistro featuring a garden-style patio and serving dishes made from local farmer’s market finds. Favorites here include steak frites and duck confit, paired with wine from their boutique wine collection. Downtown Ross has a few shopping options, including antique spots, children’s clothing shops and furniture stores. The closest grocery store is Woodlands Market in nearby downtown Kentfield, offering gourmet food items along with regular everyday staples. There’s also Andronico’s Community Markets in San Anselmo, an upscale, specialty grocery store with a full range of locally sourced products and organic foods.
The back patio is filled with people having tea at high noon at Crown and Crumpet in Ross.
Tony Tutto Pizza has some of the best pizza in Ross.
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Co-op playgrounds and the Marin Art and Garden Center
When looking for outdoor recreation, Ross residents have many opportunities. The 25-acre Natalie Coffin Greene Park offers an abundance of walking trails that wind through grassy, oak- and rock-studded hillsides and is a favorite local spot for mountain biking. It features Phoenix Lake, where locals can enjoy scenic waterside views or walk their dogs along the lake’s paved walking loop. Allen Park serves as community green space for Ross’s two-block downtown, a triangular array of small storefronts with jaunty awnings. One of the most beloved Ross sites is the Marin Art and Garden Center, a local environmental organization devoted since 1945 to preserving Marin County land and preventing suburbanization. Encompassed by gorgeous redwood trees, the center features 11 acres of beautiful garden areas with shaded trellises. Within the center is Pixie Co-Op, a longtime community playground built specifically for younger children. Kids can run around the park’s modern playscape or families can sit out on the shaded picnic tables to enjoy an outdoor lunch while taking in the site’s forested, flora-rich setting. Nearby, the favorite Lagunitas Country Club is a private country club where residents can practice their serve at one of the many tennis or paddle courts or swim laps at the club’s expansive pool.
Ladies at Pixie Park Co-op enjoy a conversation next to the fountain.
Each day brings new delights in the heart of Ross.
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Neighborhood dinner parties and annual parades
Because of its small-town nature, the Ross community enjoys numerous neighborly get-togethers throughout the year. In the summer, locals can head to the Ross Annual 4th of July Parade, featuring marching bands, parade floats, costumed dogs and photo-ops with “Uncle Sam.” The warmer months also bring locals together for the Marin Art and Garden Center’s summer concert series, with free local live performances from classical to jazz on the center’s beautiful redwood-shaded grounds. One of the most beloved events of the year is the Ross Town Dinner, taking place each September. Residents come together for a large community-style dinner, with local food, live music, crafts and activities on the Ross Field and a game-packed Kids Zone for the children. Neighbors also enjoy taking part in the event’s tablescapes competition, offering fun prizes for the winners. Halloween time is a big celebration for Ross, when a portion of the area’s wide, Victorian-lined Shady Lane gets closed off from car traffic and kids and adults don their best costumes for some epic trick-or-treating, paired with live music and dancing.
A couple of ladies and their young children leave Crown and Crumpet after their morning brunch.
A group gets together at some picnic tables across from Tony Tutto's in Ross, CA.
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Airport shuttle services and access roads
While residents mostly depend on a car to get around, there is one Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Lagunitas Road bus stop that takes busgoers to other nearby popular destinations. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is the main access road that runs through Ross, leading all the way down to the larger Highway 101 and to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal for traveling further out of Marin County. Grabbing a flight out of town isn’t the easiest convenience in Ross, as the San Francisco International Airport is 40 miles away. However, there are a few shuttle services nearby, including the North Bay Shuttle, which takes residents to and from the airport.
A view looking down Sir Francis Drake nearby Ross, CA.
Transit in Ross makes it easy to get around when your Rolls Royce is in the shop.
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Photography Contributed By
William Rittenhouse
Video By
Taylor Noll
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
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an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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On average, homes in Ross, CA sell after 28 days on the market compared to the national average of 56 days. The median sale price for homes in Ross, CA over the last 12 months is $3,497,500, up 3% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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