My Hometown: Lucas Valley, CA

Editor’s note: this is one in a series of "My Hometown" blog posts written by Zillow employees about the homes and towns where they grew up.

My Hometown: Lucas Valley, CA
My Home’s value in 1983: Approx. $150,000
Zestimate today: $784,514

I was born and raised a fútbol-mad child in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When I turned 10, my family moved to San Francisco chasing the American dream. Our particular dream, however, did not include the City-by-the-Bay’s infamous fog and chilly summers, so we quickly escaped to the sunnier micro-climates of Marin County, just across the Golden Gate Bridge.

We ended up in the sleepy suburbs of Lucas Valley — population: 6357. During my high school years, we lived on 2258 Juniperberry Rd. It was the last house on the block on the outer edge of the suburb, so we had Marin’s golden hills as our very own backyard and playground. Deer, wild cats, and other hillside creatures would come down to feast on my mother’s beloved garden (much to her dismay). I was more concerned with my tennis game, spending countless hours practicing my forehand against our poor garage door which underwent several paint jobs during that time. Fans of modernist architecture may remember Lucas Valley as one of the first communities developed by real estate visionary Joseph Eichler. Eichler’s homes defined the “California modern” style in the 50 and 60’s. They featured atriums, open floor plans, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls intended to “bring the outside in.”

The most famous and by far most expensive property in Lucas Valley belongs to the one-and-only George Lucas. His Skywalker Ranch is a 3,000 acre home and workplace that reportedly cost $100 million. Contrary to popular belief, Lucas Valley was not named after the Hollywood mega-director.

Rumor has it that when President Ronald Reagan requested a tour of Skywalker Ranch shortly after Lucasfilm lost a court battle to have the U.S. government refrain from calling the Strategic Defense Initiative Star Wars, a visit could not be arranged. I always figured that if the President couldn’t get in, I shouldn’t even try.

** Image courtesy of IMDB