San Rafael Arcángel was upgraded to full mission status in 1822, a month before Alta California declared independence from Spain as part of Mexico.

The mission from which the downtown grew and the city being named after the Archangel Raphael, the Angel of Healing.

Father Luis Gil, who spoke several Native American languages, was put in charge of the facility.

In part because of its ideal weather, San Rafael was later upgraded to full mission status in 1822.

[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58 km2).

The San Rafael shoreline has been historically filled to a considerable extent to accommodate land development, with underlying bay mud (saturated clayed silt) of up to 90 feet (27 m) in thickness.

At certain locations such as Murphys Point, the sandstone or shale rock outcrops through the mud.

San Rafael has a wide diversity of natural habitats from forests at the higher elevations to marshland and estuarine settings.

The National Weather Service reports that August is usually the warmest month with a high of 80.1 °F (26.7 °C) and a low of 55.0 °F (12.8 °C).

This figure does not, however, include portions of the Santa Venetia and Lucas Valley-Marinwood CDPs, nor various other unincorporated areas, all of which have San Rafael postal addresses; in total, according to the 2010 Census, there were 70,197 residents of San Rafael postal addresses (ZIP codes 94901 and 94903).

BioMarin, Autodesk, In Defense of Animals, Westamerica Bank, and GIS Data Resources[35] are among the companies headquartered in San Rafael.

[36] San Rafael, a small city situated in Marin County, is known for its affluent suburban/urban environment.

According to San Rafael's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[37] the top employers in the city are: After the arrival of George Lucas in San Rafael in 1970 to film the movie THX 1138, the city became a center for the entertainment industry, particularly the high-tech elements of the business.

Lucasfilm was founded by George Lucas in 1971, and is best known for the global hit movie series Star Wars and also for Indiana Jones.

Portions of the Universal movie production American Graffiti were filmed in downtown San Rafael under George Lucas's direction, and portions of THX 1138 were shot at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael.

Much of the movie Gattaca, starring Ethan Hawke, was also shot in the Marin County Civic Center.

Industrial Light & Magic was founded in 1975 by Lucas to do special effects for his films and those of other filmmakers.

Gerstle Park is also a historic and walkable neighborhood south of First Street in close proximity to central Downtown.

[40] San Rafael is governed by a city council with five members, four of which are elected by geographic district for four-year terms.

In 2006, the San Rafael City Schools district removed The Bronze Bow from their social studies curriculum, after allegations of the book showing Jews in a bad light compared to Christians.

The line to Santa Rosa and its Airport opened in 2017 bringing passenger rail to San Rafael for the first time since 1958.

[46] Shel Silverstein's poem "The Smoke-Off" is about a girl named Pearly Sweetcakes who came from San Rafael.

[47] The TV show 13 Reasons Why is based in San Rafael, and many scenes from the first season were filmed downtown.