In Spanish Corte Madera means “chop wood” and the West side of town is still surrounded by the beautiful redwoods that supplied lumber to help build the city of San Francisco.  Corte Madera shares Larkspur’s warm weather and quick commute, but trades its neighbor’s charming downtown for two high end outdoor shopping centers and relatively lower home prices.  The town also shares a police department and school district with Larkspur, though parts of East Corte Madera fall in Tiburon’s Reed Union School District.  Like most Marin towns it’s a hiker’s and biker’s paradise, and even the local mall can be a nice place to spend time outdoors, as each Wednesday afternoon the Town Center is transformed into a Farmer’s Market, complete with organic produce and fresh baked goods.  From the open space and flat lots of the East Side and Corte Madera Gardens to the tree-lined, hillside neighborhoods of Chapman Park and Christmas Tree Hill there’s a variety of flavors to explore and much to like about Corte Madera, and the town offers an appealing bang for your buck when compared with much of Southern and Central Marin.