The Marin Town That is Less Than One Mile Square in Size

If you were a contestant on Jeopardy, how would you answer this?  For those who know Marin down pat, you know the answer is:

“What is Belvedere?”

Yep folks, Belvedere, the scenic and idyllic neighbor of Tiburon is a city in itself.  As a Marinite, I am embarrassed to say that I only recently came upon this fact.  Before, I always thought of Belvedere as the most exclusive neighborhood of Tiburon.  However, it is indeed it’s own separate community.  And it’s been that way since 1896 – well over a century.  Compare this to the fact that some other Marin towns, such as Larkspur, Ross and San Anselmo have or are just celebrating their century mark. 

Since Belvedere is less than a square mile in size, you can be sure it is pretty exclusive.  There are just over 2,000 residents who live in 3 general vicinities:  Belvedere Island, Belvedere Lagoon, and Corinthian Island.  With the spectacular views of the bay – and depending exactly which way your house faces, you may be staring at postcard picture views of San Francisco, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito or Mt. Tamalpais.  What more could you ask for, right? To keep the masses away, there are are no public beach or boat launching area. 

So what is the price tag that you will pay for this beauty and small community feel?  Homes pretty much start in the low to mid $2 million and can go up to 8 figures.  (Andre Agassi use to own a house here and within the last year, an estate sold for $65 million).  With these price tags, you can be sure your house is also pretty spectacular.

The City of Belvedere website is a pretty informative portal, describing the host of services residents have access to.  My favorite line on the home page states,”…this small, vibrant community is one of the most desirable places in the world to live and raise a family.”  I agree with the first, but who has the funds to live in Belvedere and raise a young family?  At least not me.

So, if you’ve always dreamed about the quintessental bay area home, Belvedere just might have it.  Whip out your wallet and take a look at a sampling of what’s available:

331 San Rafael Ave – 3 beds, 2.5 baths – $2,795,000

254 Bayview Ave - 6 beds, 6 baths – $3,180,000

303 Belvedere Ave - 5 beds, 4.5 baths – $4,188,000

209 Golden Gate Ave – 4 beds, 3.5 baths – $5,750,000