Though once a landscape dotted with summer cottages, bungalows and ranch-style houses, now the North Bay offers just about any style of home. While California Craftsman, Mediterranean and Modern designs are extremely popular, many other styles make up our neighborhoods as well. A visit to Petaluma yields beautiful old Victorians, while a stop in Sausalito offers one of our most unique architectural styles: floating homes. 

Rocking back and forth on the gentle Sausalito waters, moored to wooden docks, you’ll find everything from a converted tugboat to an 1889 North Pacific Railway Pullman car to a pirate ship to luxury abodes to artists’ hideaways, whose inhabitants – writers, painters, retirees, families and singles – enjoy a laid back lifestyle, close-knit community and breathtaking views of Mt. Tam, Belvedere, Tiburon, the San Francisco skyline and the ever-changing Bay.

Floating homes are an option for more affordable housing in Marin, but it’s the lifestyle and community spirit that attracts most dwellers. Neighbors know one another well, help out when needed and celebrate life on the dock with Friday night gatherings, impromptu “dock-alert” cocktail parties and other social events, including a Floating Homes Tour. Held once a year in September, the tour is a unique opportunity to see first-hand these most unusual homes, with residents opening their doors for a visit and insight into what it’s like to live on the Bay.

Sprawling residences, dramatic lofts, cozy cottages just for two, and hundreds of possibilities that afford a water view – the North Bay provides an eclectic array of places to call home.

Follow along as the full list unfolds – 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live

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Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors