arkiehl

Hello,

I may be moving to Marin County, California. My new job would be in Point Reyes Station. I am 25 and single, and I understand that this is a very small town, so I would like to live in a bigger city no more than about 30 minutes away.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a town with other single people and somewhat of a social scene? I know that there are several possibilities in the area like Petaluma, Fairfax, Inverness, etc... I just don't know anything about these places.

Thanks for the help.

dovima

Dear arkiehl,

Inverness is a very short distance from Point Reyes Station - it is on the road going to the National Seashore. Cross it off your list if you want "bigger", because I would describe it as a "hamlet".

Fairfax is a small town right next to San Anselmo, which is a larger ville. I personally like the Fairfax/San Anselmo area very much because it has amenities like shopping and a movie house combined with the more laid-back aspects of Marin. From Fairfax you would be taking the Sir Francis Drake westward to your job, with a right turn and short drive on Highway One.

Petaluma is in Sonoma, not Marin. It's a pretty large town - sprawling, with some country-fied outskirts. It's nice enough, and in terms of location, you can do a lot of exploring if based in Petaluma. There is a major road going from Petaluma to Point Reyes Station, along with several smaller country road that end up in Petaluma.

30 travel time is optimistic at best. Keep in mind that anytime you go out to the coast in Marin, you will be on a road with lots of twists and turns. As bucolic as Marin might appear, the population does commute in one way or another. There are morning and evening rush hours just like any other place, and on narrow 2-lane roads, you better leave plenty of time.

San Rafael and Novato might be worth investigating too. Novato is the last major town in Marin before crossing into Sonoma.

dovima

Please pardon my typos - it's Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and 30 minutes.

It does occur to me that your commute would be in the opposite direction to the main flow of traffic during the morning and evening rush hours, so it would not be so bad.

arkiehl

Thanks for the info. dovima.

So you think Fairfax would probably be my best bet?

dovima

Fairfax would be great, whether it would be the "best" is up to you. Any way you could come out to take a look around beforehand?

toedtoes

I don't know if Novato would hold your interest as a 25 year old single person. Not a lot there (I was born and raised there) for the younger set - you'll likely spend most of your free time going elsewhere (Petaluma, San Rafael or the city).

Fairfax/San Anselmo is a good choice if this is a permanent move. It's close enough to San Rafael for some action while you're young and single, but is still a relaxed town where you could start a family later on.

San Rafael is a quirky town, interesting shops and fairly active, and you should be able to find an apartment easily if you're not in the market for a house.

Petaluma is also nice and a pretty interesting town. Rentals should be easy to find.

Both San Rafael and Petaluma would be good choices if you don't expect to stay here permanently - you'll have enough to hold your interest as a young single person, you can easily get to everywhere else, and rentals are pretty common and competitive (i.e., you'll find more for your money than in the more family/retirement areas like Novato, etc.)