San Rafael highlight
Historic downtown
San Rafael's historic downtown is anchored by the Mission San Rafael Arcángel, founded in 1817, and protected by a 40-year preservation ordinance.
The Mission San Rafael Arcángel was founded on December 14, 1817, as a hospital facility for Indigenous people from the San Francisco Bay Area missions who needed care. It was originally established as a sub-mission to serve that purpose, and its arrival marked the beginning of European settlement in the area. By 1822 it was elevated to full mission status, and the mission remains downtown San Rafael's most significant historic landmark.
Today, downtown San Rafael's character is shaped by over 40 years of historic preservation efforts. A survey conducted in 1977 identified 305 historic properties citywide, with 88 in the downtown area. That inventory was updated in 2019-2020 and now shows approximately 100 downtown properties eligible for historic landmark status, of which 14 have been formally designated. These buildings—some dating to the 1800s—form the backbone of downtown's walkable, human-scaled character that distinguishes it from newer commercial districts elsewhere in Marin County.
When families choose where to live and raise children, they often value neighborhoods with a sense of place and continuity. Historic downtown San Rafael offers that: a place where buildings have stories, where the community has invested in preservation, and where generations of families have built lives. That stability is part of why people plan ahead for their families' futures.