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We are moving to the Sonoma County region this winter and I would like some guidance. Our family has been stricken with vector borne illness/lyme disease and we are moving for a variety of reasons, one being the med care in this area/bay area etc. Lyme disease is rampant in that area hence the doctors who treat it are also there. Would perfer to move to the arctic to avoid the lyme carrying bugs but the weather is just too harsh.
We are quite holistic in our leanings and appreciate good clean food, country atmosphere, laid back people but with a cultured, educated edge. We are college educated and appreciate the proximity to the bay area and all of the influence from the many insitutions of higher learning etc.
We are mediterranean plant-obsessed and love the idea of moving to a place where all of those beautiful lemon, olive, fig, basil, tomato, etc. trees and plants thrive. We dream of having our own olive grove.
Having driven through the Sonoma Valley twenty years ago I do remember the terrain and loved it then. Now, I am very concerned about the exponential growth of the commercial vineyards since that time and the liberal and unrestricted use of pesticides which then drift into neighborhoods, school yards, etc.
It was suggested to us to pursue Sebastopol as an option. A little research revealed that this seems to be an organic farmer's paradise and there seem to be few commercial wineries spraying pesticides. Is this accurate.
I was not able to find many photographs of Sebastopol. Just images of the farmer's market and the various farmers.
Runningwild and Gypsy67 recently posted about Sebastopol but I did not see any follow up. The real estate prices are ghastly and one doesn't get too much for even a million. eek!
Our dream is to have a small farm and grow all of these wonderful trees and plants. We long to live somewhere where the climate supports a large variety of crops year round where we can feed ourselves from our own property. Sonoma area or Sebastopol (west county) seem to fit the bill but I am very concerned about Sonoma pesticides. Napa is too far, too expensive. One poster described Sonoma Valley as more "chill" more laid back. That's us.
Sebastopol does not seem as pretty but perhaps I am missing the good photos. We homeschool so are not too concerned about schools right now. Eventually perhaps and I read that the schools are quite good.
Weather: we are VERY concerned about mold and the closer to the coast one is, the worse the mold problem can be. Indoor mold, outdoor mold. We are lovers of SUN and too much cloud and rain brings on mold and SAD. Please advise here regarding both areas. We are warm warm weather people. Not into freezing cold winters, too much rain, etc.
Not tied to either location and would love input on what area is best for organic gardening, mediterranean plants and trees, eco minded culture/community, safe in terms of pesticide spraying, permaculture minded people, educated, friendly, welcoming, diverse, etc. We love the rolling hills and oaks and will have horses again once settled. We work at home and there would be no need for commuting.
Need access to a good hospital. If we lived in Sebastopol where would we go? Santa Rosa? Cannot be more than 15 min from hospital.
Also: what is the latest on the fukushima radiation reaching the coast areas? California food, etc. Did not find too much on this online.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice!
I was born & raised in Santa Rosa (30+ yrs), went thru Sebastopol every time we went to the ocean. Yes Sebastopol has a more organic atmosphere, but Sebastopol isn't all inclusive - meaning, you will find yourself having to travel to other towns to get what you need. They do have a hospital there but the staff tends to be on strike more than off & for several years it has been on the verge of shutdown only to be saved in the nick of time. The roads to/from Santa Rosa aren't plentiful & so the ones that do exist are pretty busy most days. Depending on what your ultimate destination is in Santa Rosa, that commute time could be an easy 15 minutes or it could be close to an hour.
Because Sebastopol is closer to the ocean, the temperature will be colder than SR. Majority of the year, around 3pm the fog rolls into SR. Some days, it never leaves Even tho you do have the fog & dampness of being close to the ocean, we NEVER had issues with mold.
I love the sun & one of the reasons I left the state was the amount of rain we got each year. Average is 35 inches a year in SR. Sometimes it felt like the rain started in November & didn't stop until May.
You really need to spend some time in each area to get a feel for it.
Thank you for your response. Rain. Can we talk about that rain? Sperling's and others say: 40" of rain annually. 262 days of sun. Plants need rain to grow. Granted. But as long as there are many sunny days interspersed with that rain, I'm okay. If it's more portland/seattle I'm in trouble. Sonoma also seems to have the same amount of rain. 37" but seems drier from the photos. The more I read about Sonoma the town the less impressed I am. The main complaint, not much to do, not much diversity. Sebastopol has more to do? More diversity? People seem to love Sebastopol and speak about the culture and diversity. Really? It's not even 8,000 people. That's great though.
Cre8lite, I am concerned about what you said about the hospital. No can do one hour to SR in the middle of an emergency.
I am def concerned about the rain. Is it similar to a PNW climate in Sebastopol? Is there more fog in Seb than SR? Plants love fog/rain/sun. Is Seb less of a mediterranean climate than SR or Sonoma?
I like the idea of ocean breeze keeping the air clean then I think of Fukushima. But in terms of ocean breeze you can't have it both ways. No fog and lots of sun with ocean breeze in the north bay. Is that correct. Last year I looked into Mill Valley and San Raphael and they were far too gray and rainy/drizzle for me. I am very predisposed to SAD and need lots of sun.
We will not be able to make a dry run before moving and will rent before buying so trying to decide where to rent first while we scout out for about 6 mo.
I would like to know more about Seb rain from a Sebastopoler.
Hi,
Not living there, but had family in Petaluma for a long time.. Quite familiar with the climate... The rain... No big deal, it is heavy when it rains, that is how the inches add up.. Learn the micro climates... Might I suggest the region south of Sebastopol, and north of Petaluma.. For sure west of 101. If I were to live there, that would be it..
This area is not as big on growing grapes, you get a wind in the afternoon .. Look at sonoma county precipitation maps... Stay out of deep redwood valleys, stay up on ridges in areas with trees.
I personally would stay out of the valley that 101 is in.. Sebastopol, stay west or south of town.. Just my personal opinion, being one that pays close attention to micro climates.. Also can find fixer upper places on 3 acres with usable ground for under $600K if you are patient..
We love the area, but do not feel like competing with bay area money.... An organic farmer, and a spouse who cares for elderly does not make enough to justify the prices, besides we do not need to be close to big cities..
Wish you the best of luck... Pretty much do a course of antibiotic at least once a year, from the lyme bullseye where I am at in N WI.. Those darn deer ticks can be so small and hard to see even with daily searches....
We will likely settle on the Mendocino coast, or Arroyo Grande area..
Truetimbers thank you! Very interesting about the microclimates. I had read there is a wetland east of Sebastopol and the east side including east side of town is subject to flooding. How are the mosquitoes in Sebastopol? I have been looking at property in the 3 acre range as you mentioned. We have ten here and there is no possibility we will duplicate what we have here. I'm sure you are in the same boat on land in Wisconsin. Bay area prices is right. I am encouraged by what those permaculture buffs do with even one acre. I have never heard of a precipitation map. I will steer toward the south and west of town as you mentioned.
Can anyone tell me about the high school? All the photographs I've seen of the people in town are of white middle aged haggard looking folk. I haven't seen much diversity. The people look a bit tired. I suppose I do too as this point so that might be a good thing. lol. What is the average age in Sebastopol? People often complain that there is nothing to do in places like Sonoma (town). What is it that people want to do? If you lived in a place where there was quite alot to do, what would you do? I see this on so many of the forums so it interests me. I've never seen so much complaining about there being nothing to do. What do people want to do that cannot be had in Sonoma or even Sebastopol which is less than half the size of Sonoma.
I am concerned that the trip to SR varies between 15 min and 1 hour depending on traffic. Because we are looking for a farm and not solely a single fam res. is there another community that might offer more land/house for the money than Seb? Sonoma area is more $$ than Seb. Petaluma as well. Is that correct? We like the idea of being closer to the city than farther north (north of SR). There are so many vineyard packed regions north of SR that I worry about the pesticide drift issue more. SEb sounds really great in terms of air quality and potentially doable financially/farm etc. but does not seem as pretty as the rest of the county. Sonoma region specifically. The landscape seems rather homogenous. Not much punch to the topography.
Truetimbers did you live in the Seb area? I haven't seen a single photo of olive trees in teh Seb region. Do olives and other mediterranean species not do as well in the Sebastopol area as elsewhere in the county? Soil? Etc.
looks like there is only 1 other olive farm in Sebastopol (at least the only commerical grower I could find), their ranch is called "Olive Leaf Hills"
Growing up, I visited my bff in Sonoma (the town). Twas HOT during the summer & very limited things to do. Cute little town, but it didn't have much diversity. Things might have changed in the last 20 yrs, but it wouldn't be my choice of a place to live.
Check out Google's images of Sebatopol - they're pretty acurate.
Truetimbers thank you! Very interesting about the microclimates. I had read there is a wetland east of Sebastopol and the east side including east side of town is subject to flooding. How are the mosquitoes in Sebastopol? I have been looking at property in the 3 acre range as you mentioned. We have ten here and there is no possibility we will duplicate what we have here. I'm sure you are in the same boat on land in Wisconsin. Bay area prices is right. I am encouraged by what those permaculture buffs do with even one acre. I have never heard of a precipitation map. I will steer toward the south and west of town as you mentioned.
Can anyone tell me about the high school? All the photographs I've seen of the people in town are of white middle aged haggard looking folk. I haven't seen much diversity. The people look a bit tired. I suppose I do too as this point so that might be a good thing. lol. What is the average age in Sebastopol? People often complain that there is nothing to do in places like Sonoma (town). What is it that people want to do? If you lived in a place where there was quite alot to do, what would you do? I see this on so many of the forums so it interests me. I've never seen so much complaining about there being nothing to do. What do people want to do that cannot be had in Sonoma or even Sebastopol which is less than half the size of Sonoma.
I am concerned that the trip to SR varies between 15 min and 1 hour depending on traffic. Because we are looking for a farm and not solely a single fam res. is there another community that might offer more land/house for the money than Seb? Sonoma area is more $$ than Seb. Petaluma as well. Is that correct? We like the idea of being closer to the city than farther north (north of SR). There are so many vineyard packed regions north of SR that I worry about the pesticide drift issue more. SEb sounds really great in terms of air quality and potentially doable financially/farm etc. but does not seem as pretty as the rest of the county. Sonoma region specifically. The landscape seems rather homogenous. Not much punch to the topography.
Truetimbers did you live in the Seb area? I haven't seen a single photo of olive trees in teh Seb region. Do olives and other mediterranean species not do as well in the Sebastopol area as elsewhere in the county? Soil? Etc.
Thank you for all the replies.
No just family was on the west side of Petaluma.. Olives, do better in the heat, say around Healdsburg... The area I am talking about is getting influenced by the "Petaluma gap" So cooler ocean influenced climate..
Mosquitos, sure some in spring, nothing like the east of the Mississippi though..
I personally do not like the valley east of Sebastopol, along Laguna de Santa Rosa, low flat land. IMO fog hangs in it, in summer it is hotter.. Also it is a earthquake risk zone.. (Soil liquefaction)
Beauty around Sebastopol? Again get out of the valley stay west of 116, beautiful country, old apple orchards and such..
Yep, Santa Rosa can take some time in traffic... Has to be Santa Rosa hospital? The small one in Sebastopol or the one in Petaluma would not work in a bind? SF is not far away if you need a big one..
Sebastopol is cooler, than inland. Wonderful climate if you melt above 90. Redwood country.. It is a trade off with sour citrus though..
To lemontreesnolives ... I have read most of your posts and seem to think you are dealing with alot of worries and anxiety about settling down in a new area. I have been in the same boat and looking for a new place to move for the past 5 years. During my research I have looked into the Ojai, Ca. area. It is quite warm there with alot of sun, very laid-back with ALOT of culture. And, I do believe they grow olive trees! I think you should take the time to check it out. Here's a tip ... when I decide there is a place I would really like to investigate in order to move there, I call the local Chamber of Commerce of that city and order their local newspaper be delivered to me for 3 months. By reading the local paper you will get a real good feel of the city and it's residences, issues, crime rate, etc. Good luck. P.S. I have also intensively checked out Sonoma. So far it gets high rankings in my book. My only concern is the humidity level and the actual dirt content. I am also a gardener. The dirt compaction worries me for Sonoma.
We settled in Seb. area after a 10 yr. search. 1 and a third acres of perfection. 3 kids. Never ever is there any real traffic to Santa Rosa. The hosp. sucks. If you need a good specialist, go to SF. Schools only fair, but super homeschool community.
Olive trees thrive.
Too cold for most citrus. Meyer lemons do great. Citrus is moldy/ pesty; best left to large-scale. The problem here is grape monoculture taking over apple orchards. Lots of lousy pesticide/herbicide-happy 'farmers', with the county officials very conservative/republican. Lots of silly people too. Lots of cannabis. Good bookstore. Some good restaurants. 75-80% Democrat, but the rest very conservative.
Lots of good music. Lots of smart people, but relatively few 4-year college grads.
Lots of over-anxious parents; and under-anxious/slacker parents. Lots of divorce after moving here; polyamory/goddess/60's naivete. Still, all-in-all; a great place; beyond beautiful, never looked back.
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Even tho you do have the fog & dampness of being close to the ocean, we NEVER had issues with mold. 
