Sausalito is the kind of place that many come to visit and decide to never leave. It may be located just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, but Sausalito is in many ways as far away from the big city as you can get.
Climate and Views
Like all of the Bay Area, Sausalito enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate year round. Unlike its neighbor just two miles across the water, Sausalito has significantly less fog and enjoys more sunshine.
Residents of Sausalito enjoy gorgeous year round views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco skyline, the magnificent Angel Island, and the stunning San Francisco Bay.
Sausalito has one of the few marinas that is not gated on the Bay. Visitors, and even residents, often come down to the waterfront just to see the variety of boats sailing in the water.
History
Sausalito was once an isolated boating community made up of fisherman and wealthy sailors who lived on their yachts. While at its closest point it is only two miles across the strait from San Francisco, with no bridge it took more than two hours to sail across to the big city. Most people coming to Sausalito had to come by wagon road and endure a 100-mile journey around the Bay from San Francisco.
Because the town was so isolated smugglers and rum-runners used the town as a key part of the black market supply chain.
During World War II brought the presence of troops station at Fort Barry and Fort Baker and a busy shipyard.
Sausalito Today
The Golden Gate Bridge ended Sausalito’s isolation, but it did not change the town’s independent attitude. The residents consider it their duty to protect the town’s open spaces and legacy as a small community that welcomes artists of all kinds.
Visors and residents enjoy many art galleries, museums, a scientific marine mammal institute, as well as trendy shops and boutiques selling everything from antiques to high fashion clothing.
The town may only have 7,000 residents, but it hosts a regular flow of tourists from around the world. Artists, and those who love to be surrounded by artists, continue to flock here and help give Sausalito its unique vibe. People such as Robin Williams, Otis Redding, and Jerry Garcia have all felt the pull of Sausalito at one time or another.
Sausalito is home to three different houseboat communities as well as well-heeled mansions on the hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The average home price is $1.6 million and the median income is over $100,000. Home values have continued to steadily rise over the past decade, and buying a home in Sausalito is an excellent investment.
A version of this article was published on Inman.Com: The community was once far from the San Francisco lifestyle.
Behzad Zandinejad
Broker Associate
Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty
A Top Producing Agent for 2015
BRE#01175448
Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty
100 Tiburon Blvd, Mill Valley, CA.94941
Tel:415-793-0015
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