Welcome to Mill Valley
A redwood sanctuary outfitted with some of Marin’s best shopping and dining.
Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay and on the eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais, just minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge and the famous Muir Woods National Monument. Its proximity to San Francisco and its idyllic foresty setting make it an ideal location for people looking to escape San Francisco living without losing access to great food and shopping. The distinctive residential neighborhoods represent the many eras of the town’s growth from a small mill town to the modern city it is today. And its homes are architecturally distinct, as many are built into hillsides or around natural creeks and century-old redwood trees. Mill Valley is an ideal destination for outdoor recreation, including some of the best hiking and biking trails in Marin.
What to Love
- Younger atmosphere
- Mountain charm in close proximity to bustling San Francisco
- Incredible schools
- Beach access
Local Lifestyle
Mill Valley provides an incredible mix of downtown charm and natural beauty. Two streams flow from the slopes of Mount Tamalpais through Mill Valley to the bay, and hundreds of acres of park lands surround the city, offering maintained open-space reserves, parks and coastal habitats for residents and visitors. Its mild Mediterranean climate makes it ideal for indoor-outdoor living, golfing, tennis, and hiking.
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
Mill Valley is best known for its trendy downtown built into an idyllic woodsy setting beneath Mount Tamalpais. Over the last 30 years, as San Francisco residents left the city for a more peaceful setting in Marin, Mill Valley’s commercial activity exploded and it became a food and arts destination ranking among the 100 best places to live in the United States by CNN/Money. Amid the flood of San Francisco escapees, Mill Valley has done a tremendous job retaining its early artistic culture with abundant galleries, festivals and performances, and numerous recreational and state and national parks.
Downtown Mill Valley is home to one of the larger Equator Coffees, offering a larger food menu than many of its other Bay Area locations, including blueberry waffles and strawberry doughnuts from Johnny Doughnuts. The Mill Valley Lumberyard, a retail village at the entrance to downtown Mill Valley with stunning views of Mount Tamalpais and a creek running throughout, provides a truly unique shopping experience with intimate seating areas, corn hole, and historical points of interest scattered throughout. You can also rent e-bikes from Mad Dogs & Englishmen and take a spin through some of the most tranquil settings the Bay Area offers. And if you’re looking for pizza, Tamalpie is a Mill Valley staple with some of the best casual Italian food in Marin, including meatballs, chicken parm, and numerous pizza options.
Downtown also is home to a number of boutique design shops, including Prevalent Projects, a trendy, Nordic-inspired home furnishings store and design studio, and Summer House, offering country farmhouse décor at two locations in the city.
Things to Do
In addition to the incredible shopping and dining options, Mill Valley also hosts a number of incredible festivals and provides some of the best hiking trails in the Bay Area. For over 60 years, the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival has been the soul of Mill Valley. When it started in 1957, a small group of artists exhibited their works in downtown store windows, and it has since moved into a stunning redwood grove in Old Mill Park. Local food and beverage providers also support the festival, and there are live performances at multiple stages throughout the festival.
You can also hike Mill Valley’s 175 heritage steps, lanes and paths that are marked all over town, or go for something more rigorous like hiking Mount Tamalpais or the Marin Headlands. Mount Tamalpais State Park offers hiking and biking through redwood forests and hillsides with a spectacular view from the 2,571 foot peak. On a clear day, you can see the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea, the Marin County hills, and San Francisco. Muir Woods National Monument is another staple that attracts visitors from around the world. The tallest redwood in the park stands 258 feet tall, and the average age of trees there is between 500 to 800 years old, with the oldest being 1,200 years old. If you’re looking to go to Muir Woods, just make sure to get a parking pass to reserve your spot.
Schools
