Following the AmericanConquest of California and theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Novato, along with the rest of California, became part of the United States on February 2, 1848. Early pioneers included Joseph Sweetser and Francis De Long who bought 15,000 acres (61 km2) in the mid-1850s and planted orchards and vineyards.[12]
The first post office at Novato opened in 1856; it closed in 1860, and a new post office opened in 1891.[13]
The first school was built in 1859, at the corner of Grant Avenue and what is today Redwood Boulevard.
The original town was located aroundNovato Creek at what is now South Novato Boulevard. A railroad was built in 1879, connecting Novato toSonoma County andSan Rafael. The area around the train depot became known asNew Town, and forms the edge of what today is Old Town Novato. TheNovato Flatiron Building was built in 1908.
TheGreat Depression of the 1930s had a marked effect on the area, as many farmers lost their land. AfterWorld War II, Novato grew quickly with the construction of tract homes and a freeway. As the area was unincorporated, much of the growth was unplanned and uncontrolled.
Novato was finallyincorporated as a city in 1960.[14] One of the most important events of the time (1960 to 1965) was "Western Weekend". Beard-growing contests, sponsored by Bob's Barber Shop, and many other odd activities helped to bring this community together.
Novato was the home of the members of the Grateful Dead for a period of time, largely centered around Rancho Olompali and the ranch of Mickey Hart[15]. Novato also housed the commercial headquarters of the band's merchandise production[16].
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Novato has a total area of 28.0 square miles (73 km2) and is the largest city in area in Marin County. A total of 27.5 square miles (71 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (1.82%) is water.
The southwestern part of Novato is significantly more mountainous, whereas eastern Novato is characterized by marshland and diked fields and pastures. Novato Creek flows into the San Pablo Bay just north of Bel Marin Keys.
Major geographical features nearby include Mount Burdell andMount Burdell Open Space Preserve to the north andBig Rock Ridge to the southwest. Stafford Lake to the west is a secondary water supply for Novato, with theRussian River in Sonoma County to the north supplying 80% of the city's water.[18]
Big Rock Ridge, the highest point in Novato
Novato includes ten Marin County Open Space District preserves: Mount Burdell,Rush Creek, Little Mountain, Verissimo Hills, Indian Tree,Deer Island, Indian Valley, Ignacio Valley, Loma Verde, and Pacheco Valle. Although Novato is located on the San Pablo Bay, access to the water is largely blocked by expansive farmland and wetlands.
Official weather observations were taken atHamilton Air Force Base through 1964. Average January temperatures were a maximum of 53.6 °F (12.0 °C) and a minimum of 38.7 °F (3.7 °C). Average July temperatures were a maximum of 79.9 °F (26.6 °C) and a minimum of 52.0 °F (11.1 °C). There were an average of 12.4 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 12.5 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature was 111 °F (44 °C) on September 5, 2022.[19] The record low temperature was 16 °F (−9 °C) in December 2013. Average annual precipitation was 25.49 inches (64.7 cm). The wettest year was 1940 with 46.63 inches (118.4 cm) and the driest year was 2015 with 6.35 inches (16.1 cm). The most rainfall in one month was 18.87 inches (47.9 cm) in December 1955. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 10.55 inches (26.8 cm) between December 10, 2014 – December 11, 2014.[20] Today, the nearestNational Weather Service cooperative weather station is inSan Rafael, where records date back to 1894. Compared to records from Hamilton Air Force Base, San Rafael is generally several degrees warmer than Novato and has an average of about 10 inches (25 cm) more rainfall. The record high temperature in San Rafael was 110 °F (43 °C) on September 7, 1904, and June 14, 1961. The record low temperature was 20 °F (−7 °C) on December 26, 1967.[21]
Flooding in Northeastern Novato
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Novato has a warm-summer mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. This means that Summers are Hot, but Winters are rainy and can be mild to chilly. Precipitation occurs in the colder seasons, but there are a number of clear sunny days even during the wetter seasons, except during spells of seasonaltule fog, when it can be quite chilly for many days. Itshardiness zone is 9b (25 to 30 °F; −4 to −1 °C.[22]
Novato has a history of flooding due to its low-lying position, as well as the fact that much of the city used to be marshland. Due to the system of levees in Eastern Novato, flooding is quite common in that area, both from excessive rain and levee breaches.[23][24]
Novato is governed by a city council of five members. All five councilmembers are elected by city council districts to staggered four-year terms. The city council elects a mayor and mayor pro tem each year from its membership. The current councilmembers are:[26]
District 1 Councilmember: Kevin Jacobs (Mayor Pro Tem)
The census reported that 98.8% of the population lived in households, 0.9% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[30]
There were 20,564 households, out of which 30.1% included children under the age of 18, 51.4% were married-couple households, 5.9% werecohabiting couple households, 28.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 25.6% of households were one person, and 15.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56.[30] There were 13,872families (67.5% of all households).[31]
The age distribution was 20.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% aged 18 to 24, 22.2% aged 25 to 44, 28.2% aged 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 45.3years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males.[30]
There were 21,271 housing units at an average density of 774.2 units per square mile (298.9 units/km2), of which 20,564 (96.7%) were occupied. Of these, 66.1% were owner-occupied, and 33.9% were occupied by renters.[30]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $112,193, and theper capita income was $64,439. About 5.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line.[32]
At the2010 census Novato had a population of 51,904. The population density was 1,856.6 inhabitants per square mile (716.8/km2). The racial makeup of Novato was 39,443 (76.0%) White, 1,419 (2.7%) African American, 286 (0.6%) Native American, 3,428 (6.6%) Asian, 117 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 4,693 (9.0%) from other races, and 2,518 (4.9%) from two or more races. There were 11,046 Hispanic or Latino residents (21.3%) of any race.[33]
The census reported that 51,278 people (98.8% of the population) lived in households, 449 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 177 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 21,279 households, 6,679 (32.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,393 (51.3%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 2,237 (11.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 854 (4.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,010 (5.0%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 195 (1.0%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,358 households (26.4%) were one person and 2,415 (11.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.53. There were 13,484 families (66.5% of households); the average family size was 3.04.
The age distribution was 11,769 people (22.7%) under the age of 18, 3,355 people (6.5%) aged 18 to 24, 12,743 people (24.6%) aged 25 to 44, 15,914 people (30.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,123 people (15.7%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
There were 21,158 housing units at an average density of 756.8 per square mile, of the occupied units 13,591 (67.0%) were owner-occupied and 6,688 (33.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. 33,252 people (64.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 18,026 people (34.7%) lived in rental housing units.
The formerHamilton Air Force Base is also located in Novato, but was decommissioned in 1974 and designated a Historic District in 1998. After lying stagnant for many years, major renovations were pushed through by then-mayor Michael DiGiorgio. As of 2008 the base has largely been redeveloped into single-family homes. The former hangar buildings were gutted and redeveloped into two-story office buildings; tenants include2K Sports,Sony Imageworks,Visual Concepts,The Republic of Tea,Toys For Bob, andBirkenstock Distribution USA.
From 1983 to 1998, the iconic[36] developer of video games,Brøderbund Software, was headquartered in Novato, known through gamesChoplifter,Lode Runner,Karateka, andPrince of Persia, and others.[37] From the 1982 until 2015, Novato was headquarters forFireman's Fund Insurance Company, which was Marin County's largest employer at one time, with 2,400 employees as of 2000. By 2015, the company had laid off or transferred most its employees and relocated its remaining employees to a smaller headquarters in nearbyPetaluma.[38]
In Eastern Novato, north of Hamilton, there are several hayfields contributing to the local economy, but they are diminishing as more and more of them are restored to wetlands.
Novato's history of mines and quarries goes back to 1863, when all of a sudden, multiple mining claims popped up in the area. At this time, most of the mines were either gold, silver, or copper mines. Initial results seemed promising, but eventually, prospects shifted elsewhere. Instead of mining for silver or gold, Novato's quarries and mines turned toMount Burdell. Mount Burdell ended up being the source of hundreds of thousands of hand-cutandesite paving blocks, that were used as ballast in ships and street construction as far away as in Europe. Many of San Francisco's foundations and retaining walls from before the1906 earthquake also came from Mount Burdell. Novato's largest quarry, the Burdell quarry, produced upwards of 2000–4000 tons of stone daily. Even with such high production, the quarrying activity in Novato slowly waned until the last quarry, located on the west side of Mount Burdell, shut down in the 1990s.[39]
Novato is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, with its many parks and open space preserves providing ample hiking trails, biking trails, picnic spots, and playgrounds. Parks and open space preserves featuring hiking trails include:
Buck Gulch Falls (also known as the Fairway Waterfall)[41] is located in the Ignacio Valley Preserve, and can be accessed from the trailhead at the end of Fairway Drive. There is also a waterfall in the Indian Valley Open Space Preserve, along the Ken Harth Waterfall Trail, and another in the Pacheco Valle Preserve, at the end of Pacheco Creek Drive. These waterfalls are seasonal, flowing in winter and spring, but slowing to a trickle or drying up completely in the summer and fall.
Popular parks featuring playgrounds in Novato include Miwok Park, Josef Hoog Park, South Hamilton Park, and Pioneer Park. The playground at Pioneer Park was rebuilt in 2023 and is the first fully accessible and inclusive playground in Marin County.[42]
Scottsdale Pond is a small pond suitable for fishing. The pathway around the pond displays signs created by artist Emma Oyle that highlight the wildlife seen in the area.[43]
Novato operates the Hamilton Community Pool, open seasonally.[44]
The Stafford Lake Bike Park atStafford Lake County Park offers 17 acres of terrain for bikers of all skill levels.[45]
Little Mountain is 214 acres of open space located in Western Novato.
In the summer, Novato's Parks and Recreation Department hosts a summer concert series, featuring eight free concerts at the Hamilton Amphitheater and the Novato Civic Green.[46] Each June, Novato produces the Novato Art Wine & Music Festival,[47] featuring two music stages, 200 arts and crafts booths, wine and beer booths, and a kids section with games. Other popular Novato events include Rock the Block, a series of concerts on Grant Avenue in the summer, Safe Trick or Treat[48] each Halloween, the annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Sherman Avenue,[49] and the annual Bouncy Ball New Year on Machin Avenue,[50] where 24,000 bouncy balls are dropped from a fire engine ladder for children to catch.
Novato is served by theNovato Unified School District. The public high schools areNovato High School andSan Marin High School. These schools offer two specialized programs. Students from Marin County and surrounding counties may apply for acceptance to the Marin School of the Arts,[54] on the Novato High School campus, or STEM Marin,[55] on the San Marin High School campus.Novato Charter School is a charter school in Novato. Novato is also home to the Indian Valley Campus ofCollege of Marin.
Major highways in Novato includeU.S. Route 101 andCalifornia State Route 37, and major roads in Novato include Atherton Avenue, Novato Boulevard, San Marin Drive, and Ignacio Boulevard.
The Fireman's Fund office complex in Novato was used as a shooting location inHoward the Duck (1986) andStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). The site features in exterior shots for the Khitomer Conference between humans and Klingons.[60]
Hamilton AFB (closed) was used as the location for filming the lab fire inEmergency! TV movieThe Convention.[61]
^Durham, David L. (1998).California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 673.ISBN1-884995-14-4.
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