 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Larkspur | |
| Namesake | Francis Drake |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | Marin County, California and other local jurisdictions |
| West end | Near thePoint Reyes Lighthouse on thePoint Reyes Peninsula |
| Major junctions | |
| East end |  I-580 inSan Rafael |
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an approximately 43.8-mile east–westarterial road (70.5 km) inMarin County, California, running from the trailhead forPoint Reyes Lighthouse at the end of thePoint Reyes Peninsula toInterstate 580 just west of theRichmond-San Rafael Bridge. It is a main thoroughfare through (from west to east) the communities ofInverness,Point Reyes Station,Olema,Lagunitas-Forest Knolls,San Geronimo,Woodacre,Fairfax,San Anselmo,Ross,Kentfield,Greenbrae, andLarkspur. The road overlapsState Route 1 between Point Reyes Station and Olema.
It is named for the Englishprivateer, explorer and world circumnavigator[1]Francis Drake, whose shipThe Golden Hind landed somewhere along the Pacific coast of North America in 1579, claiming the area forEngland as "Nova Albion." Drake's landing place has often been theorized to be at what is now calledDrakes Bay, northeast of the western terminus for the boulevard on Point Reyes.
In the 1960s, the majority of the route of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard was to be expanded intoState Route 251; however this plan was not implemented due to strong opposition by environmental groups. Facing public concern for Drake's reputed history in the slave trade, the Fairfax town council voted unanimously in early 2021 to change the road's name within the town's jurisdiction.[2] The jurisdiction left the name intact however when they failed to reach a consensus.[3]
