Vicki Larson shares about her experience living in Mill Valley.
I didn’t know anything about Mill Valley for the first three decades of my life. I never heard the song written by teacher Rita Abrams about her hometown and sung with her young students, with its infectious refrain “talkin’ ‘bout Mill Valley, that’s my home,” even though it hit Billboard ‘s Hot 100 in 1970.
I didn’t know that Bonnie Raitt, one of my favorite singer-songwriters; Vince Guaraldi, the composer of my go-to holiday movie, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”; and Baba Ram Dass, author of “Be Here Now,” which I read in my hippish youth, all called Mill Valley home at some point. I was oblivious to its hot tub stereotype, that BMW stood for “Basic Marin Wheels,” or that it was sometimes known as “Me Valley” for its wealthy residents’ sense of entitlement.
Oh, I recall that B.J. Hunnicutt on “M*A*S*H,” which I watched religiously as a teen, came from Mill Valley. Then I fell in love with a man who had a house in Mill Valley. I moved cross-country to be close to him. I’ve lived here for some 39 years.
You can no longer buy a house here on a photojournalist’s salary, as he did; the BMWs have largely been replaced by Teslas and Rivians; beloved shops like Village Music, Too Neat and The Pleasure Principle are gone; it’s among the least diverse cities in the Bay Area, and the “Me Valley” vibe might have gotten worse.
When I tell people where I live, I sometimes joke, “Don’t judge me!” But gosh is it beautiful, an embarrassment of nature’s riches, from Mount Tam to redwoods everywhere; beaches; endless trails to hike and bike; a gorgeous library, a vibrant downtown square. When I’m talkin’ ‘bout Mill Valley, well, that’s my home. With a Perspective, I’m Vicki Larson.
Vicki Larson is a longtime journalist, author, mom and outdoor enthusiast who has called the North Bay home for nearly four decades.