Crowds, corruption & chaos in a pretty place
-
6/17/2019
I grew up in Fairfax and environs in the '60s & '70s, lived here off & on for another few decades and have now lived here 10 years solid. It is still stunningly beautiful. However, like all the rest of Marin County, it has become almost unliveable. Housing is beyond expensive - it is a complete rip-off. Streets are clogged with cars. The town government is totally corrupt, and I'm surprised that some of them have not (yet?) been indicted. Town government and the Ross Valley School District work closely with the real estate industry to lure young families to Fairfax and San Anselmo. Why? Old folks are exempt from the tax that pays off the $41 million school-remodel boon-doggle a few years back. Young families can pay it off, even though the remodel is already falling apart. The school inflates grades. There are far too many policemen per capita. And how many bars? Five? Six? In a town of 7500? Absurd.
Hordes of midnight mountain bikers, each with three or four halogen spotlights, appear before you as your car rounds a narrow curve, temporarily blinding you.
People driving electric cars panic and freeze when they encounter you driving your car in the back streets - even when there is plenty of room to pass.
Your commute to San Francisco will take a minimum of 90 minutes each way, whether you drive, take the bus or ride the Larkspur ferry. Often a lot longer.
Deer stroll around every neighborhood all day and night. They eat the roses of people's gardens when they accidentally leave the gate open.
It's a beautiful place, one of the prettiest in Marin, but it's hard to live here these days.
Flor | Fairfax, CA