California’s Best Kept Secret
Ross might be one of the best kept secrets in California. The tiny town has under 3,000 people who love living in their small community. (They also love the licensed and experienced technicians at Ongaro and Sons that provide their heating, cooling and plumbing services.)
Located in the County of Marin, California approximately 18 miles north of San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge, Ross comprises just 1.6 square miles. The town center includes the Ross Common, the nationally renowned Ross School and the charming Ross commercial area. The town is surrounded by emerald green hills irrigated by winding creeks that make it feel like a world all of its own. Because it really is.
How to Get a Town Named for You
In 1840, James Ross bought an 8,877-acre parcel included in a Mexican Land grant called Ranch Punta de Quentin Canada de San Anselmo for $50,000 he had earned from his wholesale liquor business. He built a home on his new land and opened Ross Landing, a general store. When he died, his wife sold some of the land, with the remaining acreage making up the 1.6 square miles the town of Ross takes up today.
Sites to See
Although the town is small, it has several noteworthy landmarks. These include:
- Town Hall. The Shotwell Estate stood at this location until 1926, when the town voted to make it into the town hall and fire station.
- Marin Arts and Garden Center. This historic site has repeatedly won Pacific Sun’s Best Place for a Wedding award. It hosts events such as family storytelling and is home to the Ross Valley Players at The Barn Theater, a highly regarded community theater group.
- Phoenix Lake offers a range of biking and hiking trails. And, of course, there’s the lake.
- Natalie Coffin Greene Park. Several hiking trails start here and go to the Mount Tam Watershed, Mount Baldy or Phoenix Lake. Natalie Coffin Greene donated 25 acres of land around the lake to Ross in her memory.
- Ross Bear. Sculptor Beniamino Bufano created the bear sculpture out of compressed marble and donated it in 1971. It stands in front of Town Hall and is the symbol of Ross, now incorporated in the town logo.
- Ross Bridges. These five concrete bridges were designed by John Buck Leonard and are included in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Ross is home to the Oceanic Society, which sponsors a number of educational programs, including whale watching.
Highly Livable
Ross earned an exceptional 85 Livability Rating by Area Vibes. Still, Ross and surrounding Marin County are subject at times to the air pollution and wildfires that are an unfortunate aspect of California living even though the state has enacted some of the strictest environmental regulations. But there are certainly some things you and your experienced plumbing, heating and cooling technicians can do to improve your indoor air quality and ventilation.
Smokeout—And We Don’t Mean BBQ
California has experienced a tremendous increase in wildfires, the smoke from which contributes to air pollution. Besides irritating the eyes and lungs, high levels of smoke particulates can cause serious problems for those with poor health conditions. When outside air is potentially dangerous, Ongaro and Sons has the products you need to breathe easier indoors.
Speaking of smoke, if any of your family is a tobacco smoker, an efficient heating and cooling system goes a long way to ensuring other people in the home aren’t exposed to second-hand smoke. Ongaro and Sons installs forced air and air conditioning systems that move air efficiently through your living spaces with filtration systems that trap tobacco smoke, as well as pet odors and other annoying smells.
Seasonal Changes Mean New Allergies
You can’t escape seasonal allergies. There’s nothing more annoying than having to endure a runny nose or headache caused by allergies, especially when the weather is getting better. Ongaro and Sons offers a set of tips to help relieve your allergy suffering. Regular maintenance of your heating and cooling system, including changing air filters, is particularly important to making it easier for you to breathe at home.
Pleasant Weather
Ross is located in Marin County, which is noted for its pleasant climate with damp winters and arid summers. July, September and August are the most pleasant months in Marin County, while January and December are the least comfortable months. While it’s pleasant more often than not, residents still need reliable heating and cooling systems, even during the best weather conditions.
Can’t Live With Indoor Plumbing
Of course, plumbing maintenance is always essential, regardless of what’s going on outside. And while Ross is located in what some might call “old hippie land,” Ross residents don’t take getting back to nature so seriously that they would dispense with indoor plumbing.
And it’s not just indoor plumbing. Energy savings and water conservation services as well as preventative maintenance check ups can help avoid unexpected plumbing breakdowns that could cause damage or leave you without hot water or a functioning toilet, among other disasters. Ongaro and Sons works on any make or model of fixtures, faucets and equipment and our trucks are fully stocked with repair parts.
Ongaro & Sons Services Ross
Ongaro and Sons provides a full range of plumbing and heating and cooling services to Ross. When Ross residents call us, they know they’ll receive quality workmanship and incomparable service.
Plumbing
For any and all plumbing jobs related to your home, Ongaro and Sons provides a variety of residential services including inspection, installation and repair. Our technicians are experienced with drain cleaning and maintenance and repair, including installation and repair of garbage disposals. Experienced certified plumbers carefully and thoroughly explore your plumbing, using drain line cameras when necessary, so that we can identify the problems and fix exactly what is wrong.
HVAC
Ongaro and Sons designs a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) system using a diagnostics approach to provide the highest levels of efficiency and comfort. Ongaro and Sons technicians are trained for all residential makes and models of forced air and air conditioning repair. Our fully stocked trucks have replacement parts on hand for most required repairs, and if we don’t have the part on hand we can get the part quickly so that you’ll be up and running in a very short time.
Boiler Repair
Ongaro and Sons technicians make use of the latest diagnostic equipment and years of experience to determine a problem quickly and get you back up and running as soon as possible. They are highly trained in boiler repair and regularly attend boiler manufacturers training courses. We work on most all major manufacturer models. Regular boiler system maintenance and annual tune-up ensure longer lasting equipment and lower utility bills. Should your boiler need replacement, we carry most major brands.
Duct Cleaning, Repair and Replacement
Central air conditioning and heating are the top energy consumers in most California homes, so ensuring the efficiency of your entire HVAC system can yield big improvements in energy efficiency. When we think about saving energy, we usually focus on the furnace and air conditioner units, but a leaky duct system can reduce your climate control system’s efficiency 20 to 30 percent. These leaks also bring unwanted dust, unconditioned outdoor air and humidity into your living space and take money straight out of your wallet.
If your home is over seven years old, have your ducts professionally tested by one of our certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) technicians via an energy audit. If needed, we can do a thorough and effective cleaning, repair or even replace leaky ductwork.
Indoor Air Quality
Ongaro and Sons puts the “V” back into the HVAC. Ventilation is the process of bringing fresh air into your home to replace stale air filled with indoor pollutants such as cooking smells, pet odors and/or tobacco. Proper ventilation is not only key to the efficiency of your home heating and cooling system, but to your indoor air quality and you and your family’s health. While air filters and air fresheners remove particles from circulating, they don’t bring in fresh air. One simple way to correct this is to open doors and windows, but this is not always practical. It also allows outside allergens and pollutants into the house.
Ongaro and Sons offers a number of solutions to increase the quality of your indoor air, including everything from a filtration system to a complete home purification system fresh air exchanger system. We’re a family-owned business. No one knows better than us the importance of protecting the health of you and your family.
Small Town Strength and Family Values
What makes Ross such a vibrant community is the honesty and integrity of the citizens who live there. At Ongaro and Sons, we believe we’ve been in business for four generations because we prioritize those same values. Each of our employees is dedicated to making your experience with our company the best it can be. Contact us for all your Ross heating and cooling and plumbing needs.