Kentfield, CA

Corte Madera Creek is both a historic route and a present-day public corridor in Kentfield. In the mid-19th century, Ross Landing near today's Kentfield Corners shipped Marin timber on small vessels; Albert Emmett Kent later bought 850 acres in Ross Valley in 1871 and established the country estate that gave the community its name. Set on the northeast side of Mount Tamalpais near San Rafael, Kentfield covered 3.03 square miles and had 6,808 residents at the 2020 census. The Corte Madera Pathway now follows the creek for 3.5 flat miles from Larkspur to Ross, carrying people on foot, bicycles, mobility devices, and with dogs past the College of Marin campus. A county plan published in June 2025 scheduled flood-control and habitat work through the end of 2026: portions of the 1960s- and 1970s-era concrete channel behind the college are to be removed, wetlands and fish habitat restored, and creekside seating improved.

ATTRPlasticboob / CC BY-SA 4.0

College of Marin is the other major public presence. Established in 1926, its 77-acre Kentfield campus is part of a college serving about 9,000 students each term, including roughly 1,900 community-education students. The Dr. David Wain Coon Center for Student Success opened there in February 2026 with a library, cafe, tutoring, wellness programs, and shared study space. Across the campus, the Fine Arts Gallery keeps weekday hours during exhibitions and the Performing Arts Center hosts theater, dance, and music programs; the gallery's 2026 calendar included an exhibition of work by College of Marin art students.