Vallejo Ave, Central

This is the other side of Novato - the more crowded, blue-collar, immigrant-heavy side. There is nothing unsafe about this quiet, suburban town, but certain parts are rough around the edges, particularly around the downtown area. Nearby Marion Avenue is the gateway to the Hollywood Hills of the town, but this area of older apartments looks more like Marin City than the rest of Marin County.

There is some shopping downtown, but it is not the hot, happening area like some other towns, particularly given the wealthy middle-aged population of Marin County. By the time you get this far up in Marin, traffic has thinned out so parking and crowding are not really huge issues.

Overall, this is a way to live in Marin for those with less money, but you are still stuck with outrageous real estate prices without the outrageous real estate square footage.