Over two years ago we did a blog post with the clickbait title, Dystopian Marin. For a generation or two, Marin has been the gilded promised land of California suburbia. We shrugged our shoulders and pretended it didn't really matter when San Francisco got "tawdry." After all, we lived in Marin. We like to pretend bad trends don't cross the bridge. (FYI: Bad trends do cross the bridge. Overdoses are the leading cause of death for Marin-ites under the age of 55.)
(The four pictures above were all taken in San Rafael in April of 2023.)
The new norm now looks a lot more like dystopia and a lot less like a glossy magazine.
We're not going to waste your time with words. We'll show you the pictures. Nothing has been photoshopped. All of these pictures were taken in Marin County between April of 2023 and December 20th of 2023.
(The 4 pictures above were all taken in May of 2023 in San Rafael, California.)
(The picture above was taken in June of 2023 in San Rafael, California.)
(The 3 pictures above were taken in San Rafael, California on July 8th, 2023.)
(The 2 pictures above were taken in San Rafael, California in August of 2023.)
(The 4 pictures above were taken in San Rafael, California in September of 2023.)
(The 4 pictures above were taken in San Rafael, California, in September of 2023.)
(The picture above was taken in October of 2023.)
(The picture above was taken in November of 2023.)
(The 3 pictures above were all taken in December of 2023 in San Rafael, California.)
This is the reality too many of us, in love with ever rising property values --which, thanks to inflation aren't actually "rising" in a real sense-- or worse, in love with the past, refuse to acknowledge.
What will Marin look like in 2024?