The Inverness Ridge is at the heart of the Point Reyes National Seashore, which occupies most of the Point Reyes peninsula (about one and a half hours by car from downtown San Francisco). The area was populated exclusively by Native Americans until well into the 19th century, with occasional visits from explorers like Francis Drake (who came in the late 1500s).

Later the original Spanish land grants were broken up and sold or leased to (primarily) Irish, Italian and Portuguese ranchers, many of whose descendants remain. The spectacular scenery (and the coming of the railroad in the 1870s) also drew a largely anglo population of weekenders (many became full timers) to bayside subdivisions like Inverness Park and Inverness.

Once of the last of these subdivisions was called Paradise Ranch Estates ("PRE"), which was approved in the 1950s, just before fears of mass urbanization resulted in the creation of the Point Reyes National Seashore.

PRE was developed by David Adams, a realtor with offices in nearby San Anselmo. He advertised "cheap lots" on heavily wooded, often steep 1+ acre lots with incredible views of Tomales Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Major problems (like substandard dirt roads and no dependable water supply) did not deter people from all backgrounds from buying lots and building them out. With the establishment of the national seashore, and expansion of Tomales Bay State Park, PRE became a unique "in-holding", with about 130 homes surrounded by forty+ thousand acres of parkland.

The road and water (and other) issues were incentives to form the Inverness Ridge Association ("IRA"), and a sister group, the Paradise Ranch Estates Road Advisory Board ("PRE-RAB"). PRE-RAB (the only such entity in Marin County) was formed under state law, which allows citizen groups to tax themselves to maintain private road systems. PRE-RAB advises the County on improvements and maintenance, and, at the nuts and bolts level, carries them out.

IRA is a voluntary, non-profit corporation formed under Section 501c of the Internal Revenue Code. It elects a Board of Directors which has multiple tasks, such as the management of fire prevention efforts, and the maintenance of national seashore trails that abut PRE. It is also a key liaison to park officials and to local utilities, including the North Marin Water District, which since the 1980's has provided a dependable water supply to PRE.

The nature of our environment means that some problems will always be with us. In 1982, unprecedented rains cause massive floods in the lowlands, and up-slope landslides which cut off large parts of the Point Reyes peninsula from the outside world. In 1995, the Mount Vision fire destroyed 48 homes in PRE, and but for a freakish wind pattern might have easily taken the rest. As this is written, hundreds of century old trees are dying from an apparently incurable disease.

But through it all we have survived and thrived. The Ridge is still green, and the water below is sapphire blue. This is a perfect place.