Sandwiched between Corte Madera and Mill Valley to the south and Greenbrae and San Rafael to the north, Larkspur enjoys a compact spot in these north-of-Golden-Gate-Bridge communities. At Larkspur Landing, city-hungry residents and commuters catch the ferry for 30- to 50-minute crossings via San Francisco Bay to The City.

"We do have easy access to San Francisco. But to be honest, if I'm given the choice, I usually stay here," says Catlyn Fendler. A San Rafael resident, Catlyn once lived near the Larkspur Library, in a historic cottage owned by her husband's family, and she now owns property here. "My Texas brother came out to visit us once, and he walked around town, looked at the neighborhoods, and said, 'This is Mayberry.'"

Larkspur's bulletin boards read much like Mayberry's might: adult softball and cricket leagues; picnics at Piper Park; outdoor movies.

"I used to come to Larkspur with my father," says orchestra leader Earl Heckscher. His father, bandleader Ernie Heckscher, played for Larkspur's Rosebowl dances in the 1940s. "That was the Big Band era, and the small-town coziness that existed then is still alive and well," Earl says. Now living in next-door Kentfield, he hangs out in Larkspur. "It speaks of a way of life one has to search far and wide to find," he says.