[7] The village, founded by miners and lumberjacks, is located within the original Rancho Punta de los Reyes Sobrante land grant.

The village includes the historic Nelson Hotel, which was connected by the old North Pacific Coast Railroad to the Bolinas Station, en route to Point Reyes.

[6] That railway ran between Mendocino County and a ferry service to San Francisco at Sausalito.

The town is accessible by State Route 1, marked as "Shoreline Highway Road" locally, which runs through the community; north to Point Reyes Station and south to Stinson Beach.

Due to the town's geographic isolation, residents are, in most cases, taken to hospitals by helicopter instead of by ambulance in emergencies.