Ross grew around a creek, old land grants, and a protected tree canopy

Ross can look quiet at first glance: leafy streets, a small center, and Marin hills close by. The story gets more interesting when you slow down and look at why the town feels that way.

Long before Ross had its current name, Coast Miwok people lived in Ross Valley and were sustained by the land, plants, animals, and streams there. The later land story includes Rancho Punta de Quentin Canada de San Anselmo, an 8,877-acre Mexican land grant made to Juan B.R. Cooper in 1840.

The town name comes from James Ross. He bought the land in 1857 and built his home on Redwood Drive with his wife and children. After his death, Annie Ross sold parts of the family holdings, while 297 acres she kept became part of the town people know today.

One small detail explains a lot about modern Ross. After incorporation, one of the new town council’s early actions required town approval before trees were cut down. The town also paved streets, added streetlights, built concrete bridges over the creek, and put up a firehouse. That early care is part of why Ross still reads as shaded and residential instead of busy and commercial.

The Moya del Pino Library and Ross Historical Society keeps the local memory close to home, with photographs, documents, talks, and research about the town’s people and places. Ross is not loud about its history. It is more of a creek-and-canopy story, with old land lines, family names, bridges, and trees all shaping the feel of the place.