Historical Markers
Family standing in a lush green field with tractor - historic farms and ranches

By car · city, California

Historic Farms and Ranches in San Rafael, CA

Farmsteads and ranches on the register near you, many still worked by the families who listed them.

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Photo: Land O'Lakes, Inc. on Unsplash

Architecture is history you can still walk into. San Rafael has a population of about 58,994. The trick is knowing which doors have a story behind them.

A couple of people riding on the backs of horses - historic farms and ranches
Photo: Bailey Alexander on Unsplash
Boy hugging a calf in a grassy field - historic farms and ranches
Photo: Christopher Stites on Unsplash
2 men riding horses on grass field during daytime - historic farms and ranches
Photo: Taylor Brandon on Unsplash

On the record near San Rafael, CA

The 10 nearest

10 listed sites on the record match historic farms and ranches within 60 miles of San Rafael, CA, out of 384 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

  1. Rodgers, Patrick, Farm24 miles from the center of San Rafael · Building · Pleasant Hill · listed 1991National Register of Historic Places
  2. Kreuzer Ranch27 miles from the center of San Rafael · Building · Napa · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
  3. Shadelands Ranch House28 miles from the center of San Rafael · Building · Walnut Creek · listed 1985National Register of Historic Places
  4. Gold Ridge Farm34 miles from the center of San Rafael · Site · Sebastopol · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  5. Helios Ranch35 miles from the center of San Rafael · Building · St. Helena · listed 1985National Register of Historic Places
  6. Palo Alto Stock Farm Horse Barn42 miles from the center of San Rafael · Building · Stanford · listed 1985National Register of Historic Places
  7. Pleasants Ranch43 miles from the center of San Rafael · District · Vacaville · listed 2006National Register of Historic Places
  8. Hagemann Ranch Historic District45 miles from the center of San Rafael · District · Livermore · listed 2008National Register of Historic Places
  9. Miller--Melone Ranch55 miles from the center of San Rafael · District · Saratoga · listed 1993National Register of Historic Places
  10. Messina Orchard56 miles from the center of San Rafael · District · San Jose · listed 2018National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of San Rafael, CA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Historic Farms in San Rafael, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in San Rafael, CA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in San Rafael, CA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in San Rafael

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In San Rafael, CA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in San Rafael, CA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around San Rafael, CA

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