Novato is a town of 55,904 people, located in Northern Marin County. It is a typical suburban town, subject to frequent criticism due to having a lack of nightlife and limited entertainment options. Novato locals, particularly teenagers, have even taken to labeling the city “Slovato”, suggesting that the city is boring and slow-paced. 

While Novato may not be the busiest city out there, it is certainly not the slowest. Certain characteristics of Novato cannot be found anywhere else, making Novato a distinct place. Perhaps a lack of classic entertainment options urges and inspires creativity that might otherwise cease to exist.

Senior Ava Pometta explained what she thinks causes Novato to be blossoming with such creativity. 

“I think where we are geographically and the type of state that California is,” Pometta explained. “Everyone here is very open-minded and open to new ideas and are not afraid to express themselves. The environment is super beautiful which inspires a lot of people to want to come here.”

Another aspect of Novato that many appreciate is the close proximity to sights that people travel from all over the world to see. Less than a half hour south of Novato is the famous Golden Gate Bridge, the famous entrance to the busy city of San Francisco, known for having an endless list of tourist attractions and adventures to embark on. Within Marin County, there are a collection of beautiful sights such as Mount Tamalpais and Stinson Beach. North of Novato lies the Sonoma Valley wine region, which is renowned for some of the best wines and vineyard tours in the nation. Even within Novato, Stafford Lake and Mount Burdell provide great outdoor recreation areas.

While Novato tends to be quiet, many couldn’t imagine having grown up anywhere else and feel grateful to live within such proximity to so many breathtaking places. 

Senior Eric White put this perfectly.

“I think it’s not as bad as people think it is,” said White. “I like all of the people, and I like that we have people coming from Petaluma and we’ve got people coming from San Francisco and San Rafael, and they’re all meeting here because it’s kind of in the middle of everywhere. It’s nowhere special, but it’s on the way to everywhere special.” 

Some may feel that this is precisely what makes Novato special. Another meaningful part of living in Novato is the strong sense of community. 

Senior Reilly Rodriguez described his observations about the community he has grown up in.

“I feel that Novato is a very peaceful and loving town and I feel that Novato does a pretty good job of bringing people together through tragedies,” he said. 

The citizens of Novato have a remarkable knack for coming together in times of tragedy. In difficult times, the people of Novato have demonstrated a heartwarming compassion and love for one another that should not be taken for granted. Members of the community continue to support each other in numerous ways, one being successful fundraising for families in times of need. 

A recent example is when the Santa Rosa fires forced people out of their homes, many Novato residents volunteered and opened their homes to those in need. This exemplified how supportive the people of Novato can be. 

Many may believe that having a strong sense of community and support is more important than living somewhere with more excitement and the city of Novato might portray just this ideology.