Government and Utilities
Novato is the northernmost city in Marin County, California, and is located approximately 29 miles north of San Francisco and 37 miles northwest of Oakland. Marin County’s population as of January 2009 is 258,618. Novato, which covers 28 square miles, has a population of 52,921 and 20,905 households. Novato’s population is 73.5% White, 15.4% Hispanic, 5.6% Asian, 2% Black and 3.5% all other; the median age is 40.3 years.
The City of Novato was incorporated on January 20, 1960 as a general law city. The City Council is made up of five members, elected at large, serving four-year terms. The Mayor is selected for a one-year term from among the members of the City Council. The City operates under a council-manager form of government. The City Council appoints the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk.
The City of Novato has 214 authorized full-time equivalent employees and delivers municipal services through six departments: Central Administration (City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, Redevelopment, Housing Services), Administrative Services (Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Reprographics, Citywide Programs), Police, Community Development (Planning and Building), Public Works (Engineering and Maintenance), and Parks, Recreation and Community Services. Fire services are provided in Novato by the Novato Fire Protection District; refuse, recycling services and sewage systems are provided by the Novato Sanitary District; water services by the North Marin Water District; public transit services by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District; animal control services by the Marin Humane Society; and library services by the Marin County Free Library.
Pacific Gas and Electric provides gas and electric services in Novato. Telephone service in Novato is provided by Verizon in the northern and central sections of Novato and by AT&T in the southern section. Cable television service is provided by Comcast Cable Corporation throughout most of Novato and by Horizon Cable TV Inc. in certain areas of Hamilton.
Education and Research
The Novato Unified School District serves over 8,000 students in kindergarten through high school in eight elementary, three middle, two high, and three alternative schools.
The College of Marin serves more than 13,000 students each year at its two campuses in Kentfield and Indian Valley in Novato. The college offers more than 60 academic programs leading to an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree, as well as a wide range of community education classes.
The Buck Institute is one of the foremost non-profit, biomedical research institutes in the world and the first independent research facility in the United States to focus solely on aging and age-related conditions. The Institute offers a postdoctoral research training program, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley. The Institute began its biomedical research program in 1999.
Business and Industry
The City of Novato successfully mixes corporate headquarters, state-of-the-art technology companies and a variety of retail centers in its business community.
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company is the City’s largest employer (and Marin County’s 4th largest) with 968 employees at its Novato campus. Founded in 1863, Fireman’s Fund has been providing business and personal insurance for over 145 years. Novato is also home to a number of high-tech companies, including Sonic Solutions, Visual Concepts, and Cytograph. Disney’s ImageMovers Digital moved into Novato in November 2008.
Retail business in Novato takes many forms. Vintage Oaks Shopping Center is a regional mall that serves as home to Costco, Target, Macy’s Furniture Center, Pier 1, and Novato Toyota. There is an active retail area in downtown Novato with shops and restaurants as well as other shopping areas located throughout the City. Novato is also home to TravelSmith, a successful company that sells travel clothing and accessories throughout the world through its catalog business and on the Internet. A Safeway store opened as the anchor tenant at the new Hamilton Marketplace in 2008 and Whole Foods will open in spring 2010 at The Millworks, a new downtown mixed-use development, which is currently nearing completion.
In 2009 over 4,600 businesses were registered for business licenses with the City of Novato. The larger businesses within Novato and Marin County are listed here and have more than 200 employees.
Recreation and Leisure
Novato has a rural atmosphere largely because of its low population density and the high amount of open space and parks in and near the City. Novato’s population density is about one-half that of San Rafael, and is nearly one-third that of Petaluma or Vallejo.
Novato’s sphere of influence contains seven county-maintained open space preserves with more than 2,600 acres of open space, including 1,600 acres surrounding Mt. Burdell in Northern Novato. Olompali State Park, just north of Novato, comprises 900 acres, bringing the total to nearly 3,500 acres. The City itself is home to a total of 27 parks, including three major city parks. The North Marin Water District also maintains an open space preserve near Loma Verde.
Major community events include the Novato Festival of Art, Wine and Music each June, Nostalgia Days, the Salsa Festival, the annual 4th of July Parade, the Classic Car Show in downtown Novato, Friday Night Movies on Sherman Avenue, Movies in the Park, and the Downtown Farmers’ Market held throughout the summer.