Marin County, which brought a unique and at times confounding vision to the residential landscape, will shut down on Tuesday. Facing increasingly tough choices on public school funding and new housing construction, the county opted to simply dissolve. “These are incredibly important issues that we prefer not to deal with,” said a rep.

Analysts said the area would continue to be a place to live, but would undergo a de-Marinification process under new management. "We'd like to see this become a more standard region," said a consulting firm involved in the receivership. "Man-caves, drive-thrus, competitive pumpkinscaping in the fall – that kind of thing." After the handover, any quirky residents remaining will be automatically checked out of their properties and relocated. "We're thinking we shift them up to Willits," they added, “where they can be zany – wear ponchos, save newts, etc. – at a much lower price point.”

This may be the end of Marin, though some things won’t change. “It’s still going to be affluent, still going to be homogenous, but now unapologetically so,” said North Bay Living Solutions, one of the leading bidders for Marin’s assets. “That should resolve some of these longstanding contradictions. No need to fight about paying teachers when everyone’s in a charter academy.”