# Greenbrae, California

Greenbrae is a small unincorporated community in Marin County, California. It is located 1.5 miles (2 km) south-southeast of downtown San Rafael, at an elevation of 33 feet (10 m), and adjacent to U.S. Route 101 at the opening of the Ross Valley. Part of Greenbrae is an unincorporated community of the county while the remaining area is inside the city limits of Larkspur. The ZIP code is 94904, and is shared with the neighboring Census-designated place (CDP) of Kentfield. The community is in area codes 415 and 628.

## About

Predominantly composed of hillside and waterfront terrain, its homes and offices are known for their views of the San Francisco Bay, Corte Madera Creek, and Mount Tamalpais. "Brae" means a steep bank or hillside in dialects of Scotland and Northern Ireland; Greenbrae translates to "green hillside."
Greenbrae's neighborhoods are bordered by downtown Larkspur to the south, Larkspur Landing to the east, the unincorporated area of Kentfield to the west, and the city of San Rafael to the north. Straddling Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, its most frequented points of interest include Marin General Hospital and Bon Air Shopping Center.
It is in the Tamalpais Union High School District.

## History

The developer of Greenbrae was Schultz Building Company, which included Niels Schultz and his son Niels Schultz Jr. In 1946, the land was originally 635 acres (257 ha) of farmland and was purchased for development by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Schultz built more than 1,000 homes, 1,500 apartments and dozens of businesses. When designing the neighborhood they focused on saving the local oak trees, design, housing setbacks, landscaped medians, and open areas.
Many years ago, Larkspur annexed Greenbrae; as a result, Greenbrae is sometimes referred to as a neighborhood within Larkspur.

## Politics

In the state legislature, Greenbrae is in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mike McGuire, and in the 10th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Stephanie Nguyen.
Federally, Greenbrae is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.

## Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Greenbrae has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated Csb on climate maps.

## Notable residents
### Artists

* Larry Sultan (1946–2009), photographer.

### Entertainment

* Les Crane (1933–2008), radio announcer and television talk show host.
* Michael Krasny (born 1944), radio host.

### Politicians and civil service

* Barbara Boxer (born 1940), member of the United States Senate, lived in Greenbrae until 2006.
* S. I. Hayakawa (1906–1992), member of the United States Senate and president of San Francisco State University.
* Gavin Newsom (born 1967), 40th Governor of California.

### Sports

* Buddy Biancalana (born 1960), baseball player, was born in Greenbrae.
* Pete Carroll (born 1951), football coach raised in Greenbrae.
* Wilt Chamberlain (1936–1999), basketball and volleyball player.
* Chad Kreuter (born 1964), baseball player, born in Greenbrae.
* Will Venable (born 1982), baseball player, born in Greenbrae.

### Writers

* Jack Finney (1911–1995), writer who died in Greenbrae shortly after completing his last novel.

### Others

* Col. Boris Pash (1900–1995), United States Army intelligence officer
* William Silverman (1917–2004), pediatrician who influenced the development of the neonatal intensive care unit.

## In popular culture

Director Don Siegel filmed the final scenes from the 1971 movie Dirty Harry on East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. After hijacking a school bus, "Scorpio" (Andy Robinson) drives into East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at the Greenbrae interchange.