Where Inverness is
Inverness stretches for about two miles along the west shore of Tomales Bay and up the valleys behind it, on the Point Reyes Peninsula. The bay follows the line of the San Andreas Fault. Point Reyes Station is 3.5 miles to the southeast, and Drakes Bay on the Pacific is about 5 miles to the southwest.
A Scottish landowner named the place after Inverness in Scotland.
A summer town
Inverness began as a summer resort. People from San Francisco and Oakland came to camp, hike and swim in Tomales Bay, and small steamboats took day trippers to secluded beaches. They left from Brock Schreiber's boathouse, which still stands with its Launch for Hire sign and is a prominent local landmark. The first post office opened in 1897.
Today Inverness is mostly residential, and tourism is the main business. The small downtown has a general store, a post office, a library, a couple of restaurants and a coffee shop. There is a small public marina, a few private piers and the Inverness Yacht Club. The town serves visitors to Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park.
The Mount Vision Fire
In 1995 the Mount Vision Fire burned a large part of the national seashore and a number of homes on Inverness Ridge. Helicopters dipping water from Tomales Bay kept it out of the town itself.
Schools
Inverness is in the Shoreline Unified School District.
Government and services
Inverness is unincorporated, so there is no city hall. The County of Marin provides general government services, including law enforcement, land use planning, the library, public health and code enforcement. County offices are at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, and departments are listed on the County of Marin website. For emergencies call 911. Contacts for every town are on the Marin County government and services page.
Local businesses in Inverness
The Marin County business directory sorts local businesses by trade. Inverness listings will appear there as each category is researched and checked.