Where the villages are
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard runs west from Fairfax into the San Geronimo Valley and on to Olema, where it meets Highway 1. From there Highway 1 runs north along the east shore of Tomales Bay through Point Reyes Station, Marshall and Tomales. Nicasio sits on its own in a ranching valley about 8 miles west-southwest of Novato.
The San Geronimo Valley
Four villages share the valley: Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls and Lagunitas. Woodacre is the largest on its own, with 1,410 people in the 2020 census. San Geronimo had 510. The census counts Lagunitas and Forest Knolls together at 1,924, though locals treat them as separate towns, and each has its own small commercial center.
Promoters subdivided Woodacre in 1912. Today it is home to Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the headquarters of the Marin County Fire Department. The former San Geronimo Golf Course was bought by The Trust for Public Land in 2018 and is open to the public as a park. San Geronimo Creek runs through the valley and is one of the few remaining spawning grounds for coho salmon. Samuel P. Taylor State Park is just west of Lagunitas.
Olema
Olema is at the junction of Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, 2.25 miles from Point Reyes Station. Its name comes from a Coast Miwok place name meaning "coyote valley." The San Andreas Fault runs right past the village, and for years Olema was thought to be the epicenter of the 1906 earthquake. The Bear Valley Visitor Center, the usual starting point for Point Reyes National Seashore, is a quarter mile away.
Nicasio
The Nicasio census area had 81 residents in 2020. Estimates for the surrounding valley run from about 600 to 900 people. Much of the land is still grazed by beef and dairy cattle. The village is built around a town square with a baseball field. Around it are a post office, a general store, St. Mary's Catholic Church from 1867, the volunteer fire department and the Rancho Nicasio restaurant. A one-room schoolhouse from 1871, now a historical landmark, stands just north of town. Skywalker Ranch, part of Lucasfilm, is nearby.
Marshall, Tomales and Dillon Beach
Marshall is on the northeast shore of Tomales Bay. It is named for four brothers who started a dairy business there in the 1850s. Straus Family Creamery is still based in Marshall, but the village is best known now for oysters and clams.
Tomales, 6 miles farther north on Highway 1, had 187 residents in 2020. Its post office opened in 1854. From the 1870s both Tomales and Marshall were stops on the North Pacific Coast Railroad, which ran from Cazadero to the Sausalito ferry.
Dillon Beach, 3.25 miles west of Tomales, had 246 residents in 2020. George Dillon built a hotel, restaurant and general store there in 1888, and the Dillon Beach Resort still operates.
Schools
The San Geronimo Valley is served by the Lagunitas School District. Nicasio has its own small district, the Nicasio School District. Tomales High School, in Tomales, is the high school of the Shoreline Unified School District, which covers the Tomales Bay communities.
Government and services
These villages are 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 the West Marin villages
The Marin County business directory sorts local businesses by trade. Businesses in these villages are listed there under West Marin villages.