According to Marin—A History (Barry Spitz, Potrero Meadow Publishing), “the biggest subdivision in Marin history—the county planning commission approved 5,700 homes—was that of Manuel T. Freitas’ home ranch.” Freitas’ daughter named the subdivision Terra Linda (Portuguese for “beautiful land”), then in the summer of 1954 the first home was occupied.
A year later, Bernard Hoffman Elementary, the community’s first school was opened and, in 1960, Terra Linda High School welcomed its first students.
The above aerial photo, circa 1964, shows Northgate just prior to its opening. In the fall of 1972, Terra Linda residents approved being annexed into the City of San Rafael by a vote of 1,210 to 375.
