| San Rafael, California |
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The mission and city are named for the Archangel Raphael , the Angel of Healing. The mission was originally planned as a hospital site for Central Valley American Indians who had become ill at the cold San Francisco Mission Dolores . Father Luis Gil, who spoke several native American languages, was put in charge of the facility. In part because of its ideal weather San Rafael was later upgraded to full mission status in 1822 . The mission had 300 converts within its first year, and 1,140 converts by 1828 . The Mexican government took over the California missions in 1834 , and Mission San Rafael was abandoned in 1844 , eventually falling into ruin. The current mission was built in the style of the original in 1949 , but faces at right angles to the alignment of the original. Notable landmarks include: the Mission San Rafael Arcángel , around which the city developed; the Marin Civic Center building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright ; George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch ; and the Rafael Film Center . San Rafael is served by the privately-operated San Rafael Airport . GEOGRAPHY San Rafael is located at 37°58'60" North, 122°31'25" West (37.983256, -122.523694). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 58.1 Km&2 (22.4 Mi&2 ). 43.0 km&2 (16.6 mi&2) of it is land and 15.1 km&2 (5.8 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 26.04% water. ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES The San Rafael shoreline has been historically filled to a considerable extent to accommodate land development, with underlying bay mud (saturated clayed silt) of up to 90 feet in thickness. At certain locations such as Murphys Point, the sandstone or shale rock outcrops through the mud. San Rafael has a wide diversity of natural habitats from forests at the higher elevations to marshland and estuarine settings. Its marshes are home to the Endangered Species Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse . There are also riparian areas including the San Rafael Creek and Miller Creek corridors. Using one of the city's guidelines for Enviromental Noise of 55 CNEL, there are approximately 3500 residents exposed to sound levels greater than desirable. San Rafael has a mediterranean climate, with mild winter lows rarely reaching the freezing mark. Average highs are between 11-15 C° (mid 50s F°) and low's between 5-10 C° (mid 40s F°). In the summer highs are between 25-34 C° (low 80s F°). Summer Low's are around 13 C° (mid 50s F°). This makes it possible to live in this area without airconditioning. The rainy season is from November to March. Rain is rare outside of this period and it is normal to receive no rain in June, July, Aug, and September. The hottest month of the year is September, when temperatures regularly reach the low 30s C° (low 90s F°). DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 56,063 people, 22,371 households, and 12,773 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 1,304.8/km&2 (3,378.9/mi&2). There were 22,948 housing units at an average density of 534.1/km&2 (1,383.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.76% White , 2.24% African American , 0.56% Native American , 5.59% Asian , 0.17% Pacific Islander , 11.16% from Other Races , and 4.53% from two or more races. 27.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino . There were 22,371 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18, 44.3% were Married Couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% have someone living alone who is 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99. The age distribution is as follows: 19.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $60,994, and the median income for a family was $74,398. Males had a median income of $50,650 versus $39,912 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $35,762. 10.2% of the population and 5.6% of families were below the Poverty Line . 11.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Since the arrival of George Lucas in San Rafael in 1970 to film the movie THX1138 the city has become a center for the entertainment industry, particularly the high-tech elements of the business. Lucasfilm was founded by George Lucas in 1971 , and is best known for the global hit movie series '' Star Wars '' and also for '' Indiana Jones ''. Some of the company's operations were moved to San Francisco in 2005 . Portions of the Universal movie production '' American Graffiti '' were filmed in downtown San Rafael under George Lucas's direction, and portions of '' THX 1138 '' were shot at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael. Much of the movie Gattaca , starring Ethan Hawke , was also shot in the Marin County Civic Center. Industrial Light & Magic was founded in 1975 by Lucas to do Special Effect s for his films and those of other filmmakers. In part because of the presence of LucasFilm, San Rafael has also become a center of Video Game development, with several major studios located in the city:
PARKS San Rafael contains a number of well conceived parks:
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS San Rafael has one university, the Dominican University (California) , three high schools and two academies.
NOTABLE CITIZENS
NEIGHBORHOODS Although not every location in San Rafael is part of a neighborhood that has a widely-accepted and widely-recognized name, there are some neighborhoods that have names that are accepted and recognized by most locals. From South to North these are
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