Nicasio, California | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary's Church in Nicasio | |
| Nickname: "The Town that Time Forgot"[1] | |
  Nicasio  Nicasio | |
| Coordinates:38°03′42″N122°41′55″W / 38.06167°N 122.69861°W /38.06167; -122.69861 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Marin County |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.305 sq mi (3.38 km2) |
| • Land | 1.305 sq mi (3.38 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 194 ft (59 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 81 |
| • Density | 62/sq mi (24/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 94946 |
| Area codes | 415/628 |
| FIPS code | 06-51280 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1659226 and 2628764[5][6] |
| Website | nicasio |
Nicasio (/nɪˈkɑːsi.oʊ/nih-KAH-see-oh;Spanish for "Nicasius") is anunincorporated community andcensus-designated place[7] inMarin County,California, United States.[3] It is located 8 miles (13 km) west-southwest ofNovato,[8] at an elevation of 194 feet (59 m).[3] As of the2020 census the CDP population was 81,[4] while population estimates for the surrounding area range from about 600 to about 900 people.[citation needed]
Within Nicasio and the surrounding area are about 250 homes located on approximately 350 parcels. Much of the land is still used for agricultural purposes including beef and dairy cattle grazing, small-scale truck farming (including organic farming), and the raising of forage. Several small vineyards have also been recently established. Next to Rancho Nicasio within the town of Nicasio is an organic farm, AllStar Organics, owned and operated by Janet Brown and Marty Jacobson; Janet is the vice-president of Marin Organic, Marin County's non-profit organic association. Just north of Nicasio Reservoir is Fairlea Ranch,[9] where pedigree longhorn cattle are raised. The most significant non-agricultural business within Nicasio isGeorge Lucas'Skywalker Ranch, a part ofLucasfilm Ltd. According to a 2004Forbes magazine real estate survey, Nicasio is the 23rd most expensive ZIP code in the US. Nicasio has the highest per capita income ($211,993) of any census-designated place in California.[10]
Centrally located in this area is the small village of Nicasio itself. The village is in area codes415/628. The town center has a post office (ZIP code 94946), a general store, a tiny real estate office, St. Mary'sCatholic Church (established in 1867), NicasioVolunteer Fire Department, a baseball field located in the town square, the Rancho Nicasio Bar & Restaurant, aDruid's Hall, as well as a number of private homes. The town was founded in the early 19th century to support local agricultural, timber, and fishing activities. The town once contained the twenty-two-room Hotel Nicasio, which opened in 1867 but burned down in December 1940. Just north of town on Nicasio Valley Road next to the modern-day school building forNicasio School District is a one-room schoolhouse that opened in 1871. The building is currently a listed historical landmark. The Nicasio post office opened in 1871, closed in 1899, and reopened in 1900.[8]
In 2008, Dewey Livingston wrote a detailed history of the region titledNicasio: The Historic Valley at the Center of Marin.
The Nicasio region is a hydrologic zone containing the four main drainages of Nicasio Creek up to the ridgelines defining their basin. It includes the south fork ofNicasio Creek extending from Moon Hill, along the ridge separating Nicasio fromSan Geronimo andSamuel P. Taylor State Park, and extending northwest towards the northern end of Platform Bridge Road; the east fork (Lucas Valley fork) of Nicasio Creek extending from Loma Alta and the ridge on the north side ofSir Francis Drake Boulevard, extending up through Big Rock and up towardsBig Rock Ridge; the Halleck Creek drainage, up to the ridges separating Nicasio fromNovato; the northern drainages extending along the ridgelines of Rocky Ridge, Hicks Mountain and Black Mountain.
A major landmark in the area is the man-madeNicasio Reservoir. Nicasio is surrounded by forested and open ridge lines surrounding a wide rolling valley. The area along Lucas Valley Road follows a narrow valley with mostly forested hillsides above it. Oak, bay, and fir trees are common in the area, and along some of the creeks stands of redwoods are still found. Wildlife is abundant; the Nicasio chickadee, a subspecies of thechestnut-backed chickadee, was named by Robert Ridgway.[11] Three main roads cross the area: Lucas Valley Road, Nicasio Valley Road, and the Point Reyes-Petaluma Road. Important pieces of public land in the surrounding area includePoint Reyes National Seashore, portions of theGolden Gate National Recreation Area, andSamuel P. Taylor State Park.
The2010 United States Census[12] reported that Nicasio village had a population of 96. The population density was 73.6 inhabitants per square mile (28.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.9%White and 2.1%African American. 7.3% of the population wasHispanic American orLatino of any race.
There were 35 households, out of which 15 (42.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 19 (54.3%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 6 (17.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3 (8.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2 (5.7%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6 households (17.1%) were made up of individuals, and 4 (11.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 28families (80.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.07.[13]
The population was spread out, with 28 people (29.2%) under the age of 18, 5 people (5.2%) aged 18 to 24, 21 people (21.9%) aged 25 to 44, 29 people (30.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 13 people (13.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.[13]
There were 41 housing units at an average density of 31.4 units per square mile (12.1 units/km2), of which 80.0% were owner-occupied, and 20.0% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%. 81.3% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 18.8% lived in rental housing units.[13]
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The 1993 song "Daughter" byPearl Jam was recorded in Nicasio.
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Nicasio is inthe 2nd Senate District, represented byDemocrat Mike McGuire, and inthe 10th Assembly District, represented byDemocrat Stephanie Nguyen.[14]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Nicasio is inCalifornia's 2nd congressional district, represented byDemocrat Jared Huffman.[15]
Nicasio is served by theNicasio Elementary School District and theTamalpais Union High School District.[16]
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{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Municipalities and communities ofMarin County, California,United States | ||
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