A secluded and rather rural community that sits right along Highway 1, it seems like quint little towns like Tomales, CA can sometimes be hard to come by these days, especially in the rapidly growing and evolving northern California region. Offering potential home buyers a simple, laid-back lifestyle that can seemingly only be captured by living in a place as peaceful as Tomales, it’s easy to see the appeal and desirability behind living here, as long as you’re somebody who embraces small town living and everything that goes along with it.
So just how small is the tiny town of Tomales, California? Well, according to the 2010 census, only about 200 people call this Marin County community home, making it one of the smallest towns you’ll find in the entire region. Regardless of its small population, though, there’s actually more to Tomales than you might initially think if you’ve never been here. While downtown Tomales still resembles something out of an old Clint Eastwood Western, with the exception of paved roads of course, it still consists of a General Store that sells just about about everything, a Post Office, a few restaurants and cafes, The Continental Inn (which was originally established all the way back in 1866), and even an old church that was built back in the late 1860s. There’s also the Tomales Town Hall building on the north side of town, which also doubles as a community center that holds a number of social functions and events all throughout the year. Not bad for a town of just 200 people, right?
The main Frontier-period drag in Tomales isn’t the only charming aspect about this unique community, however. Homes for sale in Tomales are equally as inviting, ranging from historic single-family homes that are close to downtown to sprawling farms set in the rolling hills that define the area’s beautiful surrounding landscape. As a small rural town that’s far from most larger cities and towns in Marin County, the upside to considering a move to Tomales is that homes here are much more affordable than in other locations further south and closer to San Francisco. In addition, living in Tomales, CA also puts you much close to the oceanfront as well, with Dillon Beach and a number of other coastal communities only a short drive away from most homes in the Tomales area.