SperlingViews - Fairfax, California

I've been a resident of Fairfax for 20 years, but I've had a foothold here since 1962 because of family ties. It offers unbelievable variety, lying less than an hour from San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area to the south and east, and the Pacific Coast (Pt. Reyes National Seashore, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area) to the west. We nestle in the northern foothills of Mt Tamalpais, and just west of us lies the beautiful unincorporated area of Marin County, with open space, rolling hills and valleys, redwood groves, a state park, and dairy farms. It's what a city child like me always thought the country should be. The people are friendly, and Fairfax is sometimes known as a remnant of the hippie culture. What I find is a mix of some of the original Italian dairy farmong families and people from other areas drawn here by the natural beauty -- earnest, intelligent people concerned with issues beyond their daily lives. We may want to change the world, but we begin with our own community. And the sense of community is strong. I've lived in a number of other areas, and I miss some of them, but Fairfax is a fine place to finally call home. [read more...]

living in Fairfax is like moving back to the 1960s. The town is full of unconventional folks, the type we used to call "hipies". While there are advantages t this, there are also disadvantages. People have a very unrealistic view of life. Dogs are allowed to roam free, unleashed, and people do not pick up the waste their animals produce. There used to be a saying "watch where you step...in Fairfax!" My family has lived here for over 65 years, and watched it change from a San Francisco summer home community to an Italian truck farm town to a basic suburbia. Traffic is bad and getting worse. I love lots of things about Fairfax, but I find the people a disappoinment. They appear "free spirited" but tend to be "small minded"[read more...]