Woodacre, California

Woodacre
Census-designated place
Woodacre from the east
Location in Marin County and the state of California
Woodacre Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°00′46″N122°38′43″W / 38.01278°N 122.64528°W / 38.01278; -122.64528
Country	United States
State	California
County	Marin
Government
•  County Board	District 4 Dennis Rodoni [1]
•  State Senate	Mike McGuire (D) [2]
•  Assembly	Damon Connolly (D) [2]
•  U.S. Congress	Jared Huffman (D) [3]
Area [4]
• Total	1.797 sq mi (4.653 km2)
• Land	1.797 sq mi (4.653 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation [5]	364 ft (111 m)
Population  (2020) [6]
• Total	1,410
• Density	785/sq mi (303/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	94973
Area codes	415/628
FIPS code	06-86216
GNIS feature ID	1652657

Woodacre is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 1,410 at the 2020 census. ^[6]

Geography

The community is located at 38°00′46″N122°38′43″W / 38.01278°N 122.64528°W / 38.01278; -122.64528 ^[5] in the eastern half of the San Geronimo Valley of central Marin County. San Geronimo and Lagunitas-Forest Knolls are to its west. Woodacre is located 8 miles (13 km) south-southwest of Novato, ^[7] and 8 miles northwest of San Rafael; the nearest incorporated town is Fairfax, 4 miles (6 km) east-southeast. At 364 feet (111 m), Woodacre has the highest base elevation in Marin County. ^[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land. ^[4]

History

The community began when promoters subdivided the place in 1912. ^[7] In 1923, wildfires burned 35 of the 40 homes in Woodacre. ^[8] The first post office opened in 1925. ^[7]

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Woodacre had a population of 1,410. The population density was 784.6 inhabitants per square mile (302.9/km²). The racial makeup of Woodacre was 86.2% White, 0.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population. ^[9]

The whole population lived in households. There were 612 households, out of which 20.9% included children under the age of 18, 48.0% were married-couple households, 6.9% were cohabiting couple households, 23.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 21.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 28.8% of households were one person, and 17.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.3. ^[9] There were 386 families (63.1% of all households). ^[10]

The age distribution was 16.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% aged 18 to 24, 14.9% aged 25 to 44, 32.1% aged 45 to 64, and 31.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. ^[9]

There were 650 housing units at an average density of 361.7 units per square mile (139.7 units/km²), of which 612 (94.2%) were occupied. Of these, 75.8% were owner-occupied, and 24.2% were occupied by renters. ^[9]

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $225,521, and the per capita income was $87,336. About 4.5% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line. ^[11]

Education

Almost all of the community is in the Lagunitas Elementary School District while a small portion is in the Ross Valley Elementary School District. All of it is in the Tamalpais Union High School District. ^[12]

Notable people

• Harold Jones (born 1940), drummer with Tony Bennett and Count Basie Orchestra ^[13]
• Jack Kornfield (born 1945), founded Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre in 1987
• Victor Moscoso (born 1936), known primarily for psychedelic posters and Zap Comix
• Gage Taylor (1942–2000), artist known for his psychedelic-inspired landscapes
• Robin Williams (1951–2014), actor; lived in Woodacre as a teenager
• William Windom (1923–2012), actor; retired to Woodacre and died there in 2012 ^[14]
• Clifford Geertz (1926-2006), cultural anthropologist; lived in Woodacre as a child and a teenager

References

1. "County of Marin District 4 webpage". County of Marin . Retrieved October 20, 2025.
2. "Final Maps | California Citizens Redistricting Commission" . Retrieved October 20, 2025.
3. "California's 2nd Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
4. "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: California". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Woodacre, California
6. "P1. Race – Woodacre CDP, California: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
7. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 723. ISBN   1-884995-14-4.
8. "Forest Knolls VFD".
9. "Woodacre CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
10. "Woodacre CDP, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
11. "Woodacre CDP, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
12. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Marin County, CA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved April 28, 2023. - Text list
13. Hamlin, Jesse (September 7, 2004). "Basie disciple pays tribute to 'swingingest of the swingers' only way he knows how: let his sticks fly to that original jazz beat". SFGate. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
14. Eric Grode, "William Windom, Emmy Winner and TV Everyman, Dies at 88", The New York Times , August 19, 2012. (Accessed October 29, 2013)