Corte Madera

Corte Madera is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. In Spanish, Corte Madera means the imperative command “Chop wood”, as in “To chop the wood”. The area was famous for producing lumber out of redwood trees, which went into the construction of the city of San Francisco.

 

Corte Madera is tucked away in the green Marin countryside and is known as “The hidden jewel of Marin”. Corte Madera occupies an area of four square miles of land, plus surrounding water tidelands. This small, vital town of nearly 9,425 residents, located 12 miles north of San Francisco, is generally alight with sunshine that peeks through fog-shrouded Mt. Tamalpais. It is within hiking, biking, and driving distance of some of the most beautiful vistas in the western United States.

 

Menke Park is a beautifully landscaped area with rose bushes and hydrangea, and the bright romanticism of Piccolo Pavilion’s gazebo, bordered by a walkway and antique lampposts with hanging baskets bursting with bouquets of red, purple, yellow, and pink flowers. Several homes constructed during that time pay tribute to the New England-influenced architecture of the late 1880s, and can still be seen in the Old Square’s surrounding neighborhoods. The Fourth of July celebration—joining Corte Madera and its “twin city”, Larkspur—draws thousands of spectators and residents from all over the Bay Area. The event includes a rollicking parade through Old Town, as well as festivities and a picnic in the nearby Town Park. Today, the hill at the base of Corte Madera is called Christmas tree hill, because the lighted homes on the hill leading up to Mt. Tamalpais create the shape of a lighted Christmas tree.

 

The Larkspur-Corte Madera School District serves Corte Madera for elementary and middle school. Neil Cummins Elementary School and Hall Middle School serve both Corte Madera and Larkspur. Tamalpais Union High School District serves residents for high school. Redwood High School in Larkspur serves Corte Madera.