Just north of San Rafael and set against 700 acres of perfectly beautiful, tree-studded, rolling hills Lucas Valley-Marinwood provides a classic Northern California setting. In the 1960s, the visionary builder Joseph Eichler built 435 of his iconic homes in the Upper Lucas Valley. He planned this community along gently curving streets, with unimpeded views of the hills to the north, without street lights so that residents can enjoy the stars. His highly recognizable and stylish homes can be found throughout Lucas Valley and Eastern Marinwood. The homes, built from 1963-1967, were all single-level, designed for the outdoor, California lifestyle. They feature indoor courtyards, walls of glass opening to private gardens, radiant heating, and open floor plans. These homes have become very desirable and are often restored and renovated. County zoning ordinances and the Lucas Valley Homeowners Association assure that these homes must retain their original design and colors as seen from the street.
The original subdivision of Marinwood consisted of streets to the North of Miller Creek Road and featured a blend of suburban single-story ranch-style homes and two-story Cape Cod-inspired homes. The streets are named so that all the names end in 'stone' (Adobestone, Blackstone, Cobblestone, Deepstone, etc.)
The second subdivision is smaller, built to the south of Miller Creek Road, featuring the same mix of Ranch and Cape Cod-style homes. The streets were named with 'wood' as their suffix. They are Pinewood and Quietwood.
A later development is an area that has become known as Lower Lucas Valley. This development features Eichler-style homes, as opposed to the Marinwood mix. The streets of lower Lucas Valley are named so their names all end in berry (Appleberry, Blackberry, Cedarberry, Danberry, etc.)
In 1977, George Lucas purchased 1,267 acres west of Marinwood, which he subsequently refashioned into Skywalker Ranch. Skywalker Ranch is located on the western side of the Big Rock Ridge and is not part of the Lucas Valley-Marinwood CDP.
Lucas Valley-Marinwood is home to the Miller-Creek School District with 3 elementary schools serving transitional Kindergarten through 5th grade and Miller Creek Middle School serving 6th grade through 8th. Most Middle School graduates attend Terra Linda High School.
