Novato, CA

Novato is a city located in Marin County, California. The population was 16,911 at the 2010 census. Novato is located north of San Francisco and south of San Rafael. Novato is known for its natural beauty and rich history.

The first people to live in what is now Novato were the Miwok Indians. In 1817, the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga discovered the area and named it La Providencia after the town of Providencia in Chile where he had been born. In 1846, Ygnacio Palomares built a cabin on what is now Redwood Hill Road near what would become downtown Novato. He called his land Rancho Novato de las Pulgas (Ranch of the Gnats). The land was acquired by John Reed in 1849 who established a winery there. The first post office opened in 1851 with Reed as postmaster. By 1860, there were already 10 homes and a population of 50 people living in Novato.

In 1865, two years after California became a state, gold was discovered along the Petaluma River and soon mines were opening up all over Northern California including Marin County. The towns that sprang up to service these new miners were called "colonies". One of these colonies was called New Albion which consisted of 25 homes built by James Waddell on 160 acres he bought from John Reed for $40 per acre. New Albion became known as "the little Switzerland of America" because it was so isolated from civilization. In 1870, New Albion had a population of 300 people and by 1880 it had grown to 500 residents; however, this growth stopped when the mines closed down in 1890.

In 1892 Samuel Pardee founded Pardeeville on part of New Albion's original territory which became known as "the city within a city". Pardeeville consisted of 20 homes built on 400 acres purchased from James Waddell for $200 per acre ($4100 per hectare). It quickly became one of Marin County's most successful towns with a population over 1,000 by 1900; however, like many other mining towns throughout Northern California, Pardeeville eventually went bankrupt due to economic factors and lost its status as an independent city by 1920..

In 1896 Charles Crocker founded Crocker Land Company which developed much of present-day Novato including what are now Crocker Park (1901), Woodside (1902), Westwood Village (1904), Rolling Hills Estates (1905), Stone Ridge Estates (1906) and more than 20 other subdivisions throughout Marin County.. In 1907 William Randolph Hearst bought 450 acres (1 km²) near Mount Tamalpais for $50 an acre ($12000 per hectare) which he planned to use as his private estate; however he never lived there due to financial problems.. In 1916 Charles Eames designed Oak Knoll House on property owned by Walter Gropius who also designed nearby Atelier 17; both houses are still standing today.. By 1940 there were already 10,000 people living in Novato making it one of Marin County's most populous cities; however World War II caused significant damage to infrastructure including many businesses that never recovered.. After World War II ended development began again slowly but steadily increasing until 1970 when housing prices peaked at an average price over $300K ($60000 per hectare); since then prices have decreased significantly leading to suburbanization within the city limits.. Today there are still many beautiful neighborhoods within Novatto such as Downtown Historic Districts such as Main Street/Broadway Streets or Northgate/Easton Streets or Eastlake/Hillcrest Neighborhoods or Southgate/Weston Streets etc...