Why Novato?
In Novato you’ll find well-connected business locations, an educated workforce and beautiful surroundings to inspire business success.
More than 2,500 businesses in sectors from technology and entertainment to online retail and financial services call Novato home. Their reasons for being here add up quickly.
Novato offers lower business rents than other Bay Area locations
Novato public schools are designed for student success
Turnkey opportunities and business-friendly zoning
Location
Novato offers space to grow in the beautiful North Bay and easy transit connections to San Francisco, the Peninsula and beyond.
In Novato you’ll find affordable office space and state-of-the-art technology facilities. The city is rich in recreational opportunities, close to educational institutions and well situated for commerce.
- We’re on the 101 freeway corridor, 30 miles north of San Francisco and approximately 8 miles south west of wine country.
- Novato has two station stops on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) train corridor with a third on the way. SMART is set to connect with Larkspur and ferries to San Francisco by 2019.
- We’re served by the Marin Airporter which runs daily from the Hamilton terminal to San Francisco Airport.
A Supportive Economic Development Team
Our Economic Development team is committed to providing you with meaningful support, tailored to your business goals. We have experience working with businesses of all sizes to help with issues like site selection, regulatory compliance and meeting sustainability targets. Whatever you’re hoping to achieve as a business in Novato, we encourage you to get in touch with us. We’re here to help, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Quality of Life
Good schools, affordable housing, and a wide range of recreational opportunities.
These key elements add up to a great quality of life, and you’ll find them all in Novato.
Our Schools
Novato public schools are designed for student success. Whether you’re considering options for your own family or your ability to recruit an educated workforce, our schools provide quality education with a focus on the skills students need for careers in innovative industries.
Our teachers are talented, motivated and even award-winning.
San Marin High School science teacher Nick WIlliams recently won the prestigious Milken Award, while Glen Corey of Novato High School holds the Paul G. Allen Distinguished Educator Award. You’ll find similarly dedicated teachers throughout the Novato Unified School District.
The Novato Unified School District results speak for themselves, with students scoring 30 points higher than the California average SAT scores.
The district has a 95.5% graduation rate, higher than state and county averages.
75% of 11th graders meet or exceed standards on the new state test for English language arts.
Over 91% of NUSD graduates continue their education, often at colleges like U.C .Berkeley and Cal Poly.
Affordable Housing
Novato offers the space to grow your home life. With North Bay house prices 38% less than the San Francisco Metro area you’re more likely to find the kind of home you dream about. In Novato, you’ll be close to beautiful beaches and parks, wine country, San Francisco and – only a little further afield – year-round recreation at Lake Tahoe.
Family Fun
Novato is packed with recreational activities for families and lovers of the great outdoors. In Novato you can go hiking, horseback riding, swimming and play golf. We have a home for mountain biking at Stafford Lake Bike Park. If you prefer more leisurely activities you can explore acres of beautiful parks. We’re also a dog-friendly city, with on- and off-leash opportunities to enjoy open spaces with your furry friends.
A Qualified Workforce
Employers will find an educated workforce in Novato. We’re close to top-tier institutions like U.C. Berkeley, Sonoma State University, U.C. San Francisco and Cal Poly. We’re also served by strong community college resources like the College of Marin.
Anchored by the Buck Institute, our life science business cluster attracts highly qualified employees. Our schools are committed to preparing the next generation of scientists and technologists, with an emphasis on STEM programs and pathways to higher education.
Over one-third of our residents over 25 have college degrees.
Novato residents hold bachelor's degrees or higher at a rate 12.8% above the national average.
Room to Grow
Novato offers room to grow. We have many modern facilities, office spaces, retail and restaurant options and infill opportunities, and an Economic Development team ready to help you with site selection and permitting assistance.
- The world-renowned Buck Institute, a startup incubator center of excellence for research on aging with a vision to host a growing cluster of startups.
- Bel Marin Keys Business Park hosts established biotech companies and a range of light industry, manufacturing and business services.
- The renovated aircraft hangars at Hamilton Field are home to various technology, entertainment and biotech tenants.
- Downtown Novato, where you’ll find independent boutiques and businesses alongside familiar names like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
With these and other locations, our dedicated Economic Development team is here to help you navigate issues as you find the space your business needs.
Who's Here
Novato is home to a number of industry clusters, including life sciences, video games, technology, and retail.
Our diversity strengthens our talent pool and local economy, including our restaurants, retail sector and other service providers. Growing your business in Novato, or relocating here, puts you in very good company.
Biotech and Life Sciences
Novato is at the forefront of life science research. We’re home to the world-renowned Buck Institute for Research on Aging, which anchors a life science cluster that includes BioMarin, UltraGenyx and QT Ultrasound.
You’ll find our Economic Development personnel, commercial realtors and other relevant resources are well educated on compliance, sustainability and other issues critical to conducting biotechnology business.
Whether you’re looking for startup space at the Buck Institute or a state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution site, we’re here to help.
Retail and Online Retail
Novato is home to a number of successful online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
Zenni Optical has disrupted the prescription eyeglass market with their online retail model. Meanwhile, the Republic of Tea converts tea drinkers to tea connoisseurs via premium teas and related products sold online and in retail stores internationally.
Our Downtown Business Improvement District supports innovative locally owned businesses and boutiques.
Downtown, you’ll find successful Novato businesses like award-winning bake shop Teeny Cake and elegant tasting rooms Mantra Wines and Trek Winery alongside well-established names like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
From national distribution hubs to small business storefronts, our Economic Development team can help with information on available spaces, permitting assistance and more.
Financial Services
Novato provides a desirable location for financial services firms serving the Bay Area and beyond.
Bank of Marin is headquartered here, along with a number of wealth management and investment specialists including Lamont Financial Services, SLR Financial and Ketron Financial. Hennessy Funds operates a portfolio of fourteen investment funds from their Novato location.
In Novato you’ll find office space at a fraction of the costs seen elsewhere in the Bay Area and attractive recreational opportunities on your doorstep, including wine country and two excellent golf courses in Indian Valley Golf Club and StoneTree Golf Club.
Innovation & The Arts
The renovated aircraft hangars at Novato’s Hamilton Field house around thirty businesses as well as artist spaces and cultural destinations like the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art.
Prominent among the business tenants is 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take Two Interactive. 2K Games develop and publish notable gaming titles, including BioShock, Civilization and the popular NBA 2K and WWE 2K franchises.
Hamilton Fields is also home to game developer Toys For Bob. Founded in 1989, Toys For Bob was acquired by Activision in 2005. They’ve worked on many successful products, including three titles in the Skylanders series.
The former Hamilton Army Airfield is considered one of the most successful military base conversions in the entire nation, with over 500,000 square feet of office and technology space and its own Hamilton Field History Museum.
Close to Highway 101, with amenities onsite and restaurants at nearby Hamilton Marketplace, Hamilton Fields is one of many locations our Economic Development team can help you consider.