Mill Valley Real Estate & Neighborhood Guide

Welcome to Mill Valley

Mill Valley sits at the foot of Mount Tam, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I was born and raised here, I've sold homes here since 1978, and I still can't find anyplace nicer. It's a small town with redwoods, a real downtown, and trails that start at the end of the street.

Around town

Every part of Mill Valley has its own feel. Downtown and Old Mill put you within walking distance of the plaza and the redwoods in Old Mill Park. Blithedale Canyon and Cascade Canyon climb toward Mount Tam along shaded roads. Sycamore Park and Miller Avenue are flatter and closer to the bay. Tam Valley and Almonte sit near Shoreline Highway and the trail to Tennessee Cove. Strawberry, east of 101, sits along Richardson Bay. My Where to Live in Mill Valley guide walks through the neighborhoods with a map.

Local lore

• The town's name: John Reed built Marin County's first sawmill here in about 1833-34, a California Historical Landmark you can still see in Old Mill Park.
• The Depot: the old train station on the plaza is now the Depot Cafe and Bookstore.
• The Dipsea: first run in 1905 from downtown Mill Valley to Stinson Beach, it's the oldest cross-country trail race in the United States, per the National Park Service.
• The Mountain Play: performed on Mount Tam since 1913 at the stone amphitheater in Mount Tamalpais State Park.

For the whole story, from Reed's sawmill to the Crookedest Railroad, read my Mill Valley history.

Local favorites

Coffee and market

• The Depot Cafe and Bookstore: coffee and books in the old train station on the plaza.
• Equator Coffees on Miller: the Marin roaster's Mill Valley cafe.
• Mill Valley Market: the town's family-run grocery.

Eat and drink

• Buckeye Roadhouse: a roadhouse classic on Shoreline Highway.
• Piazza D'Angelo: Italian on Miller Avenue.
• Playa: Mexican, listed in the Michelin Guide.
• Sol Food: Puerto Rican, the Mill Valley outpost of the San Rafael favorite.

Shop and shows

• Mill Valley Lumber Yard: shops and cafes in the old lumber yard.
• Throckmorton Theatre and Sweetwater Music Hall: comedy, music and theater downtown.

Get outside

• Old Mill Park: redwoods, the old sawmill, and the start of the Dipsea Stairs.
• Cascade Falls: a short walk up Cascade Drive from Cascade Park.
• Blithedale Summit Preserve: the Old Railroad Grade toward Mount Tam.
• Mount Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods up Panoramic Highway.
• Tennessee Valley: a 1.8-mile trail to the beach at Tennessee Cove.
• Bayfront Park and the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway along the bay.

A year in Mill Valley

• The Dipsea Race, downtown to Stinson Beach.
• The Mountain Play on Mount Tam.
• Shows at the Throckmorton Theatre and Sweetwater.

Why I love it

Redwoods, live music, big hikes and a plaza where you run into people you know. After all these years, it still feels magical.