4Nestled in the rolling hills of West Marin lies the beautiful San Geronimo Valley, with its historic state park and four quaint villages of Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls, and Lagunitas. After its early history as ranching country, it became a popular vacation destination for residents of San Francisco and the East Bay. Forced out of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, some vacationers converted their summer cabins to year-round residences, the early stages of further development that lasted into the 1970s. While the area has changed little in the past four decades, it was at the center of contentious battles over urban development, public education, and a counterculture takeover during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has been the home of legendary music icons like Kate Wolf, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jerry Garcia and played host to American heroes such as Alexander Graham Bell and Julia Ward Howe. A refuge for artists, craftspeople, and commuters, the area today retains all the elements of its past and remains one of the most unique and intriguing regions of the San Francisco Bay Area.