Bolinas is an unincorporated community in Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bolinas is located 10 miles (16 km) west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 36 feet (11 m). The population of the Bolinas CDP was 1,246 at the 2000 census. Located along the coast and accessible only via sometimes unmarked roads, Bolinas is perhaps best known for its reclusive residents; historically, any road signs pointing the way into town on Highway One have invariably been torn down by local residents Bolinas and its reclusive reputation feature in the 1981 novel Ecotopia Emerging by Ernest Callenbach.