About Greenbrae CA
Most of Greenbrae was developed by Niels Schultz Jr who teamed with his father to develop Greenbrae – initially dubbed Kentmore – from 635 acres of farmland. Mr. Schultz helped build more than 1,000 homes, 1,500 apartments and dozens of businesses between Highway 101 and Manor Road in Kentfield. Much of the remainder of Greenbrae was built by a competitor, Eugene Berger.
Upon his return from the war, Mr. Schultz went to work with his brother, Alvin, for their father’s development company. In 1946, Schultz Building Co. bought 635 acres from the Archdiocese of San Francisco and broke ground on what was known as “Marin’s new city.” Greenbrae CA was designed as a neighborhood of custom homes and oak trees, set into the hills on winding streets with Spanish names. For the era, there was an unusual emphasis on saving trees, design, setbacks, landscaped medians and open areas. The Schultzes also left a tract to be developed for Marin General Hospital and developed Bon Air Shopping Center.
From the early days of the Miwok Indians to the present, Greenbrae has always been regarded as a highly desirable place to call home. Its hilly terrain not only provides shelter from ocean breezes and fog, it offers magnificent vistas of the San Francisco Bay and Mt. Tamalpais. In Scotland “brae” means hillside, an apt description of the rolling terrain of this countryside area. Temperatures are generally moderate and except during the rainy winter months, sunshine is present most of the year. Established as a suburban housing community by builder Niels Schultz Sr., in the 1940’s, Greenbrae was planned as a model community that would provide its citizens with every element necessary for quality living: a well-balanced district of single family and apartment residences, supported by shopping facilities, schools and churches. Today there are about 6,000 housing units with half being single family homes and half being apartments, townhomes and condominiums. Greenbrae is known for its tastefully landscaped custom homes, many of which have views of the bay, Corte Madera Creek and lowlands, and Mt. Tamalpais. Schultz envisioned a carefully planned and self-contained community, not a subdivision, and unlike other developments, Greenbrae homes grew in groups of 30 to 50.
The single-family homes were built on the hills north of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and the Bon Air Shopping Center, garden apartment complexes, and other commercial and professional use buildings were built to the south. A special effort was made during the development of this area to preserve the hundreds of majestic oak trees that grace the hills. Cul de sacs often were punctuated with a great oak tree. Many planted park and road divider strips were created, which gave the emerging community a lush and natural look. Landscape maintenance and horticulture are vital issues to this community, and there are several resident and county groups that oversee local projects. Greenbrae also has an active Property Owners Association.
Greenbrae has no industry, just an occasional office building or neighborhood shopping center. Greenbrae is an unincorporated area governed by the County Board of Supervisors and located next to Larkspur and Kentfield. Greenbrae and Kentfield share utilities and many public services with Larkspur. The excellent school district, ranked in the 98th percentile, is shared with Kentfield. Greenbrae CA is also the location for Marin General Hospital. The hospital opened in May 1952 and has become a major medical facility, with state of the art equipment and a totally germ-free unit for highly sensitive patients. Thousands of Marin County residents have been born at Marin General. Greenbrae is situated at the intersection of Marin’s main freeway, Highway 101 and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. This is also an ideal location from which to commute, with San Francisco only 16 miles away and the Larkspur Ferry a few minutes drive. It’s easy to see why Greenbrae has become such a desirable place to live. Compared to other areas, the turnover of homes is considerably smaller; many residents have enjoyed their homes for 20 years and more.
Weather
- Winter temperatures range from 45 to 66
- Spring temperatures range from 66 to 86
- Summer temperatures range from 76 to 98
- Fall temperatures range from 74 to 88
- Rainfall 55-65 days per year
- Precipitation 46 inches per year