Larkspur is a city in Marin County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 Census, the city's population was 13,064. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that of the neighboring Corte Madera and town of San Anselmo as the Central Marin Police Authority. Intersecting Larkspur's downtown is Madrone Canyon, a residential area amidst a redwood grove.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (6.66%) is water.

History

Charles W. Wright laid out the town in 1887. The first post office opened in 1891. Larkspur incorporated in 1908. Larkspur's Downtown Historic District, known also as Old Downtown Larkspur, is a historic district that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1982. The restored

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

Lark Theater is part of this downtown district.

Communities

Murray Park is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Larkspur. Escalle is named after a 19th century French immigrant.

In popular culture

Scenes in the 1949 film noir '' Impact'' featured several areas around Larkspur, including the home and gas station of the Probert family, in the location now occupied by Perry's Larkspur restaurant. The final scenes of Clint Eastwood's 1971 movie ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...

'' were filmed in Larkspur at the old Hutchison Gravel Quarry (now Larkspur Landing).

Notable people

* Jake Curhan (born 1998),

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) * Matt Doyle, Broadway actor. * Leonard Gardner, author of the novel '' Fat City'', lives in Larkspur. *

Erin Gray Erin Gray (born January 7, 1950) is an American model, casting agent, and actress whose roles include Colonel Wilma Deering in the science fiction television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and Kate Summers-Stratton in the situat ...

, television actress. * Janis Joplin's last known residence was located in Larkspur at 380 West Baltimore Avenue. * Charles S. Kilburn, U.S. Army brigadier general *

Ki Longfellow Ki Longfellow (born Baby Kelly, formerly Pamela Kelly; December 9, 1944 - June 12, 2022) was an American novelist, playwright, theatrical producer, theater director and entrepreneur with dual citizenship in Britain. She is best known in the Un ...

grew up in Larkspur's Madrone Canyon: 201 Madrone Avenue, (''The Illustrated Vivian Stanshall, a Fairytale of Grimm Art'',

Eio Books Eio Books was an American-based small press publishing house founded in 2004 in the city of Brattleboro, Vermont. In 2011, it opened a second office in Ross, California. Begun by Sydney Longfellow and Ki Longfellow, it is primarily known for t ...

, 2018) *

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...

, California Governor, lived in Larkspur in his youth. *

Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the rock band Journey during their most commercially successful periods from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co ...

, former lead singer of rock band Journey. *

Michael Savage Michael Alan Weiner (born March 31, 1942), known by his professional name Michael Savage, is a far-right author, conspiracy theorist, political commentator, activist, and former radio host. Savage is best known as the host of '' The Savage Na ...

, conservative broadcaster. *

Leon Uris Leon Marcus Uris (August 3, 1924 – June 21, 2003) was an American author of historical fiction who wrote many bestselling books including ''Exodus'' (published in 1958) and ''Trinity'' (published in 1976). Life and career Uris was born in Bal ...

wrote his acclaimed first novel, '' Battle Cry'' (1953), in Larkspur. *

Corinne West Corinne West (born 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist. She was born and raised in California. Biography At 15, while in school at Claremont High, West left home with guitar in hand to travel across America in a conv ...

, singer/songwriter.

Government

Federal and state

In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Larkspur is in . From 2008 to 2012, Huffman represented Marin County in the California State Assembly. In the California State Legislature, Larkspur is in: * * . According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Larkspur has 8,871 registered voters. Of those, 4,944 (55.7%) are registered Democrats, 1,250 (14.1%) are registered Republicans, and 2,324 (26.2%) have

declined to state Decline to State (DTS) was an affiliation designation on the California voter registration form that allows voters to register to vote without choosing a party affiliation. It is similar to what in other states would be called declaring oneself as ...

a political party.

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Larkspur had a population of 11,926. The population density was . The racial makeup of Larkspur was 10,311 (86.5%) White, 186 (1.6%) African American, 26 (0.2%) Native American, 563 (4.7%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 343 (2.9%) from other races, and 484 (4.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 918 people (7.7%). The census reported that 11,803 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 42 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 81 (0.7%) were institutionalized. There were 5,908 households, 1,314 (22.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,266 (38.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 433 (7.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 197 (3.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 329 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 74 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,502 households (42.3%) were one person and 1,009 (17.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.00. There were 2,896 families (49.0% of households); the average family size was 2.77. The age distribution was 2,176 people (18.2%) under the age of 18, 466 people (3.9%) aged 18 to 24, 2,620 people (22.0%) aged 25 to 44, 4,103 people (34.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,561 people (21.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 48.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males. There were 6,376 housing units at an average density of 1,966.1 per square mile, of the occupied units 2,898 (49.1%) were owner-occupied and 3,010 (50.9%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%. 6,494 people (54.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,309 people (44.5%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 12,014 people in 6,142 households, including 2,899 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 6,413 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city in 2010 was 82.1% non-Hispanic White, 1.5% non-Hispanic African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.7%. Of the 6,142 households 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.8% were non-families. 43.1% of households were one person and 14.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.93 and the average family size was 2.69. The age distribution was 16.4% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% 65 or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males. The median household income was $66,710 and the median family income was $104,028. Males had a median income of $83,252 versus $49,421 for females. The per capita income for the city was $56,983. About 1.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Ferry service

Larkspur is the location for one of

Golden Gate Transit Golden Gate Transit (GGT) is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It primarily serves Marin County, Sonoma County, and San Francisco, and also provides limited s ...

's Larkspur Landing, the main ferry terminal for its commuter passenger ferry service between Marin County and the

San Francisco Ferry Building The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay, a food hall and an office building. It is located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California and is served by Golden Gate Ferry and San ...

and job centers in the

Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...

. This Golden Gate Ferry portals and has a ridership of over 8,500 per day, on average. There is special direct ferry service from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal to

AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...

for

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

games. Parking at the ferry terminal regularly exceeds capacity and there are currently free parking shuttles to nearby areas to serve riders.

Rail service

The Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...

service was extended to

Larkspur station Larkspur station is a Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) station in Larkspur, California. The terminal station opened to revenue service on December 14, 2019. It is located from the Larkspur Landing ferry terminal, across Sir Francis Drak ...

in 2019. The line provides daily trips as far north as Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport and is eventually planned to extend to Cloverdale station. The

North Pacific Coast Railroad The North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) was a common carrier narrow-gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) and which rebuilt the southern section into a standa ...

(later absorbed by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad) provided

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

services to Larkspur until 1941.

Education

Larkspur-Corte Madera School District Larkspur-Corte Madera School District is a school district headquartered in Larkspur, California, Larkspur, California. Its schools include Neil Cummins Elementary School, Henry Hall Middle School, and the Cove School. Its boundary includes muc ...

serves Larkspur for elementary and middle school. Neil Cummins Elementary School and Hall Middle School serve both Corte Madera and Larkspur. Neil Cummins serves grades K to 5, while Hall serves grades 6 to 8. The former San Clemente Elementary School has been reopened as The Cove School. In lieu of extensive retrofit to the existing structures, new buildings have been built on the same site. This school will serve neighborhoods currently served by Neil Cummins Elementary, mostly to the west of Highway 101, and new developments in the area. The Tamalpais Union High School District comprises five high schools that serve the region.

Town twinning

Corte Madera, California Corte Madera (; Spanish for "Chop Wood") is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. Corte Madera is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 39 feet (12 m). The population was 10,222 at the 2020 census. The town was named afte ...

("twin city") *

Shangyu Shangyu District () is a district of the prefecture-level city of Shaoxing in the northeast of Zhejiang province, China. At the 2010 census, its population in the built-up (''or metro'') area was 779,412, up from 722,523 in the 2000 census. Shan ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

, China (

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

)

Gallery

File:Alexander-Acacia Bridge Alexander Ave & Acacia Ave Larkspur CA 3-21-2010 1-20-18 PM.JPG, Alexander-Acacia Bridge, Larkspur File:Larkspur Fire Department May 2013.jpg, Fire Department, Larkspur File:Downtown Larkspur, California 2011 B - Stierch.jpg, Downtown Larkspur File:Larkspur Library entrance, Larkspur, CA.jpg, entrance to Larkspur Library in city hall, Larkspur File:St. Patrick's Church, Larkspur, CA.jpg , St. Patrick's Church, across from Larkspur City Hall File:Dolliver House 58 Madrone Ave Larkspur CA 3-21-2010 2-06-23 PM.JPG, Dolliver House in Madrone Canyon, Larkspur File:Lark Theater, Larkspur, California.jpg, Lark Theater on Magnolia St., Larkspur File:Larkspur 100 years banner.jpg, street banner celebrating the 100th anniversary of Larkspur File:Larkspur post office, Larkspur, California.jpg, U.S. post office in Larkspur File:Blue Rock Inn, Larkspur, CA.jpg, the Blue Rock Inn (formerly the Blue Rock Hotel) on Magnolia St., Larkspur File:Green Brae Brick Yard 125 E Sir Francis Drake Blvd Larkspur CA 3-21-2010 2-30-23 PM.JPG, Greenbrae Brick Yard, Larkspur File:Larkspur Landing 3020 03.JPG, Larkspur Landing

References

External links

Larkspur, California home page
{{authority control Cities in Marin County, California Populated places established in 1887 1887 establishments in California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California