Kentfield

Kentfield (formerly Ross Landing, Tamalpais, and Kent) is a unincorporated community in Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. Kentfield is located southwest of downtown San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet (35 m). For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Kentfield as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 6,808 at the 2020 census. The ZIP codes are 94904 for street addresses, and 94914 for PO boxes, and are shared with the neighboring community of Greenbrae.

History

In 1857, James Ross (1812–1862) bought Rancho Punta de Quentin. Ross, a Scot who had arrived in San Francisco from Australia in 1848 and made his fortune in the wholesale liquor business, set up a trading post called "Ross Landing". Steamers would come up Corte Madera Creek to the landing there. Albert Emmett Kent bought the land from the Ross estate in 1871. Kent built an estate called Tamalpais, later applied to the nearby railroad station. His son, William Kent, was a US Congressman, philanthropist and founder of Muir Woods.

The name of the railroad station was changed to Kent in the 1890s, and finally to Kentfield with the opening of the first post office in 1905.

Geography

Kentfield is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Tamalpais. It is at It is bordered to the north by Ross, to the northeast by San Rafael, and to the south by Larkspur.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.62%, are water.

Climate

The National Weather Service reports that Kentfield's warmest month is July, with an average high of and an average low of . December is the coolest month, with an average high of and an average low of . The highest temperature on record was on July 11, 1913. The lowest temperature recorded was on December 31, 1915. Annually, there are an average of 19.6 days with highs of or higher and 1.3 days with highs of or more. Freezing temperatures ( or below) occur an average of 3.8 days each year.

Kentfield has one of the highest average rainfall totals of any community in the San Francisco Bay Area; normally of rain falls each year on an average of 68.9 days. The most rainfall in a month was in February 1986 and the most in 24 hours was on January 21, 1967. Although heavy snow sometimes falls on nearby Mount Tamalpais, snow is rare in Kentfield; however, trace amounts were reported on January 28 and December 13, 1972.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Kentfield had a population of 6,808. The population density was . The racial makeup of Kentfield was 82.7% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 9.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population.

The census reported that 99.7% of the population lived in households, 18 people (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2 people (0.0%) were institutionalized.

There were 2,540 households, out of which 36.5% included children under the age of 18, 62.4% were married-couple households, 4.1% were cohabiting couple households, 21.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 11.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.2% of households were one person, and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67. There were 1,872 families (73.7% of all households).

The age distribution was 25.6% under the age of 18, 6.6% aged 18 to 24, 15.5% aged 25 to 44, 30.7% aged 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 46.5years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males.

There were 2,674 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,540 (95.0%) were occupied. Of these, 75.6% were owner-occupied, and 24.4% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 13.1% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 85.6% spoke only English at home, 5.6% spoke Spanish, 5.1% spoke other Indo-European languages, 3.0% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.7% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 99.0% were high school graduates and 77.2% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income in 2023 was $231,875, and the per capita income was $136,840. About 1.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Kentfield had a population of 6,485. The population density was . The racial makeup of Kentfield was 5,908 (91.1%) White, 35 (0.5%) African American, 10 (0.2%) Native American, 224 (3.5%) Asian, 7 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 95 (1.5%) from other races, and 206 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 299 persons (4.6%).

The Census reported that 6,463 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 13 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 9 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 2,572 households, out of which 893 (34.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,562 (60.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 200 (7.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 78 (3.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 83 (3.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 25 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 600 households (23.3%) were made up of individuals, and 285 (11.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51. There were 1,840 families (71.5% of all households); the average family size was 2.97.

The population was spread out, with 1,660 people (25.6%) under the age of 18, 265 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 1,092 people (16.8%) aged 25 to 44, 2,206 people (34.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,262 people (19.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

There were 2,758 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,948 (75.7%) were owner-occupied, and 624 (24.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%. 5,202 people (80.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,261 people (19.4%) lived in rental housing units.

Educational institutions

Most of Kentfield is in the Kentfield Elementary School District, while portions are in the Larkspur Elementary School District and the Ross Elementary School District. All of Kentfield is in the Tamalpais Union High School District.

Anthony G. Bacich Elementary School

A.G. Bacich Elementary School is a California Distinguished School that hosts grades K-4. During the 2009–2010 school year, Bacich Elementary School served approximately 600 children. The school is racially homogeneous, with 91% white. The next largest ethnicity is Asian, at 5%. As of 2010, there were 41 teachers. As of 2009, Bacich has an Academic Performance Index of 946 out of 1000, putting it in the top ranking in the state of California.

Adeline E. Kent Middle School

Adeline E. Kent Middle School is a co-ed California Distinguished School and a California Gold Ribbon School that hosts grades 5–8. As of 2014 it enrolled 522 students.
The school is racially homogeneous, with over 90% white. The next largest ethnicity is Asian, at 3%. The school consists of 38 classrooms, as well as a multipurpose room, a gym, and a library. As of 2003, there were 32 teachers. As of 2009, Kent has an Academic Performance Index of 944 out of 1000, putting it in the top ranking in the state of California.

Marin Catholic High School

Marin Catholic High School, a Roman Catholic college preparatory, serves young boys and girls in the Catholic tradition. The student population currently numbers around 725. The school is owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

College of Marin

The main campus for the College of Marin is in Kentfield, and is across the street from Kent Middle School. College of Marin is well known for its theatre department, with the highest transfer acceptance to Juilliard of any junior college in the state.

Notable people

* Frederic Lister Burk, educator and university president, lived many years in Kentfield.
* Jared Goff, NFL quarterback for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams, attended Marin Catholic High School.
* Charles S. Kilburn, U.S. Army brigadier general
* Brian McCall, outfielder for Chicago White Sox
* Gavin Newsom, 42nd mayor of San Francisco and 40th governor of California

References

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Census-designated places in Marin County, California
Mount Tamalpais
Census-designated places in California