Novato, California

Novato is a city located in northern Marin County, California. As of a 2000 census, the city population was 47,630.

History

Novato was fist established in 1839 when the Mexican government granted Rancho de Novato, consisting of some 8,876 acres, to Fernando Feliz. Subsequently four additional land grants were made in the area; Rancho San Jose to Ignacio Pacheco in 1840, Corte Madera de Novato to John Martin, a Scotsman, in 1840, Rancho Olompali awarded in 1843 to Camilo Ynita, son of a Miwok chief, and Rancho Nicasio, by far the largest at 56,621 acres, awarded to Don Pablo de la Guerra and John Cooper in 1844. Novato, along with the rest of California, became part of the United States on February 2, 1848. Early pioneers included Joseph Sweetser and Francis De Long who bought 15,000 acres in the mid-1850's and planted orchards and vineyards.

The first school was built in 1859 at the corner of Grant Avenue at what is today Redwood Boulevard.

The original town was located around Novato Creek at what is now South Novato Boulevard. A railroad was built in 1879, connecting Novato to Sonoma County and San Rafael. The area around the train depot became known as New Town, and forms the edge of what today is Old Town Novato. The current depot was built in 1917, but closed in 1959 and is largely derelict.

A Presbyterian church, still a landmark in Novato today, was built in 1896.

The Great Depression of the 1930s had a marked effect on the area as many farmers lost their land. After World War II Novato grew quickly with the construction of tract homes and a freeway. As the area was unincorporated much of the growth was unplanned and uncontrolled. Novato was finally incorporated as a city in 1960.

Geography

Novato is located at (38.093370, -122.565215).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.2 km² (28.3 mi²). 71.7 km² (27.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.95%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,630 people, 18,524 households, and 12,411 families residing in the city. The population density was 663.9/km² (1,719.2/mi²). There were 18,994 housing units at an average density of 264.8/km² (685.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.75% White, 1.99% African American, 0.52% Native American, 5.20% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 5.43% from other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.08% of the population.

There were 18,524 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $63,453, and the median income for a family was $74,434. Males had a median income of $55,822 versus $40,287 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,402. About 3.1% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The city is home to the Buck Institute for Age Research, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, and the United States headquarters of Birkenstock. Novato is also home to The Republic of Tea, one of the largest tea distributors in the United States. Several technology companies are based in Novato, including DriveSavers data recovery, and Sonic Solutions. Broderbund software was based in Novato for a time, but both the education and entertainment divisions moved to separate locations in San Francisco and were subsequently sold. Novato is the birthplace of Battlebots. Hamilton Air Force Base was once located here, but was decommissioned in 1974 and was designated a Historic District in 1998.

Telephony

Western California Telephone Company provided telephone service to Novato, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill and Kenwood. In the 1970s, the utility was acquired by General Telephone, (later GTE and then Verizon). These four service areas are now served by Verizon.

External links

Cities in California | Marin County, California