Even many of us who have lived in Strawberry a long time don’t know some basic things about Strawberry.  Here are some facts about the community we call home:

– Even though our mailing address is Mill Valley, we are not part of incorporated Mill Valley; we are under the jurisdiction of the county.  Mill Valley City Council, MV mayor, MV DPW or police, etc. – none of that applies to us.  We use county services.

– Strawberry government services include the Tam Valley School District, the Southern Marin Fire District, the Richardson Bay Sanitary District, and the Marin County Sheriff’s department.

– Marin County has a Countywide Plan that is updated periodically that governs things like traffic, land use, zoning, etc.  Strawberry is specifically governed by the Strawberry Community Plan, last updated in 1982, which is legally incorporated into the Countywide Plan.  Smaller neighborhoods are then governed by “master plans” or “precise plans,” which often contain specific requirements or prohibitions.

– Specific Strawberry government groups include the Strawberry Design Review Board (appointed by our county Supervisor, website here) which reviews building proposals, and the Strawberry Recreation District Board (elected by residents, website here) which manages the Strawberry Recreation District, including the Rec Center on E. Strawberry Dr.

– There are more than one “Strawberry,” depending on what you look at; the area for the Rec District is different than that governed by the Design Review Board, which is different than the borders counted for Strawberry’s population as a “Census Designated Place.”

– Our elected officials include Kate Sears (Marin County District 3 Supervisor), Mike McGuire (our new state senator), Marc Levine (state assemblyman), and Jared Huffman (US Representative).

– We’re in District 3 of Marin County, which includes the towns of Sausalito, Mill Valley, Tiburon and Belvedere, and the unincorporated areas of Strawberry, Tam Valley and Marin City.

– Strawberry’s population of about 5,400 people makes it almost as big as Sausalito (about 7,100), but smaller than Tiburon (about 9,200) and Mill Valley (almost 14,000).

– Marin county is older (on average) than the rest of the Bay Area, and Strawberry is older (on average) than the rest of Marin county.

– According to the MV School District, Strawberry Point Elementary School capacity is 360 students; current enrollment is over 400, according to a recent Mill Valley traffic study.

– There are more students attending Strawberry Point from outside Strawberry than local Strawberry children, according to that same traffic study.

– Strawberry is over 60% rentals, less than 40% single-family homes.