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I grew up in Santa Rosa in the 80s and 90s, and have some observations. I won't be totally negative or positive, but describe both here. It's a very desirable place to live in some aspects. So let's get down to brass tacks. The positives:
1. The weather: You really cannot beat it here. We have individual microclimates based on where you want to live. If you like cool, foggy weather, then live near Bodega Bay or the coast. Though even in summer you won't usually get above 75 degrees during the day. And it's foggy even inland 25-30 miles in the morning. If you like warmer weather then try Santa Rosa and northwards. Healdsburg, Sonoma, Glen Ellen, and Geyserville/cloverdale are HOT in the summer. We get a rainy season from about late October to late March every year. But...this depends on many things. If we get the RRR (ridiculously resilient ridge of high pressure) expect a warm and dry winter. If we get the opposite (as we had last winter) expect days and even weeks of rain all winter until April or March.
2. People are fairly nice: Yes, most are nicer and more laid back than the rest of the Bay Area. It really was and is a family-oriented place. Most schools are pretty good, esp. in Rincon Valley, Bennett Valley, and other areas.
3. Beer and Wine: If you love good beer and wine, you're in luck. There are many great wineries to go wine tasting in, esp. in fall during "the crush". Also there are many good microbreweries, esp. in SR. We have Russian River Brewing Company, Third Street Aleworks, etc.. You can get great food there as well.
4. Farmer's Markets: Great organic produce and food here, in downtown SR. Used to be on Thursday nights but now is earlier in the week.
5. You're close to the beaches: Yes, only about 1/2 hour away. Depends where you live.
6. Close to the River: Many of us like to hang out there in the summers, hanging with friends and drinking brews and whatever you want to do.
**If you're gay/lesbian, then Guerneville may be the place you want to go to. Lots of gay bars there and people are more earthy and open-minded. Also, during Pride there are lots of these bars open for the special season. **
7. Annadel & Other Parks: If you like the outdoors these are great parks, esp. if you like hiking and mountain biking. Great hikes also are to be had at Taylor Mtn., and Hood Mountain Regional Parks. Outside of Guerneville is Armstrong Redwoods and Austin Creek Park. Hiking to Bullfrog Pond is strenuous, but the views are great at the top.
8. Rural Living: Many areas are quite rural still, outside of the 101 corridor. There are tons of wineries and getaways such as Lake Sonoma Area.
Ok so now I am going to get into the negatives:
1. It's very expensive now: yes, you will easily pay at least $1200/month to get your own apartment. And that is just a studio. For a 1BD/1BA expect to pay at least $1,450.00/month and even up to $2k/month. Food is getting much more expensive now as is gas. Everything is more expensive here compared to even the East Bay.
2. Traffic sucks: If you're on 101 in the afternoon, or near Petaluma anytime of the day, expect alot of traffic. People often rubberneck going southbound near Petaluma as well. They put in the third lane, but that is for carpools only during high traffic hours. And it seem to not have mattered at all. Traffic is very congested going through SR from Windsor to past the 12 interchange. People also go over 75 mph when the traffic lightens up. Cannot tell you how many redneck type trucks with big tires, will pass you up like nobody's business. Hey, if you see them, just know they're going to cut in front of you!!
3. People are OH SO FAKE: yes, they are. They won't tell you when they don't like you, or don't want you around. It's like they're too polite for that, to be decent enough to tell you this.
4. There is/was alot of racism and homophobia: Cannot tell you how many times I have heard the n-word in private convos. and especially the *** bomb. People like to think (here) that those days are over. And that's slowly becoming the case, but I say SLOWLY. If you **** off the whites here, then expect to hear some really unfriendly talk. Trust me, it used to be way worse say 20 or 30 years ago.
5. The RAT RACE is on: SR has always been its own version of that. People are rushing around alot more, and in their own worlds, much like SF or SJ. You'll be in public and see lots of folks on their cell phones or laptops. People used to be alot friendlier here, but no more.
6. This is more of a "don't" but pay attention: There are now alot of gangs in Sonoma Co.. Don't wear solid blue or red in West or South SR. Esp. in South Park (near the Fairgrounds), Downtown, W. 9th Street, or North SR. Just be VERY careful about even going here or parking your car in these areas at night. Also, near Coddingtown, is Papago court, and what we used to call "Indian Village". Do not go there at any time of the day. It is a high drug, theft, gang area.
7. Pettiness: Lots of this still. People (alot of them) tend to hang on to small issues or comments you made, even way in the past, and hold it against you forever. Lots of this in small companies as well! Esp. watch out if you get a job in Petaluma. Very rude people and employers in general there.
8. It's not a liberal place: Well, it is ON THE SURFACE. But not on a deeper level. yes, it's more so that way in "West county" like RR Area and Sebastopol. But NOT in SR. You can pretend to be open-minded and "cool" but really deep down, when you get to know people here, they really are more conservative, closed-minded than they first appeared. Don't be fooled, this is not SF or even Marin.
9. Pretentiousness: Get lots of this here! The snobbiness goes along with the fakeness aspect. People can be very rude and entitled in general. NOT everyone but esp. if you're a single guy, expect to get this from women in the area. Don't go meet women at the bars I mentioned above or a wine bar. JUST DON'T in general. Hello "you're not in Marin, or SF, or Atherton, people. You really dont' need to act better than."
10. Prepare to pay high prices for that beer, or wine, or cannabis at dispensaries. No $10/gram prices at the latter. It's more like $14 or $15/gram. Also, gas is > $4.00/gallon now.
I think I've said my peace for now. There are pros and cons to everything. This is a fairly nice and safe place still, if you keep in mind my suggestions.
True.
But if you think gangs are bad you haven't seen real gang ridden areas in this country.
Not to mention the Sonoma County DA/gang unit handles cases via vertical prosecution format; successful clearance is well-documented (close to 100% for homicides and assaults in the past few years). Crime has actually shown a steady decline in recent years (not that it was ever that high to start, especially by comparison).
Part of my youth was in Sonoma County (and my 'parents' i.e. my dad and his wife currently live in a more rural area). It's anything but a hotbed for gang activity, with beautiful areas to retreat (take your pick of ocean or wineries) i.e. Sonoma, Sea Ranch, Bodega Bay, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Glen Ellen and so on. Obviously, it's going to be a bit different (depending upon where in Sonoma County) in Santa Rosa (its county seat) or Rohnert Park - though still decent.
That said, for outside of City living, I prefer (parts of) Marin (due to its proximity to SF and Sonoma, for that matter).
I grew up in Sonoma County and it’s a very different world now compared to the 60s and 70s. Back then it was overwhelmingly White, agricultural, middle and working class and very much a part of the hippies of the 60s reality. Today it is none of these things!! It’s expensive! It’s Wine over everything else! It’s more diverse! The population has doubled and it’s busy and crowded in many places. The traffic is heavy in town. The new money has also created lots of new poverty! The apples and chicken ranches are gone forever! It’s all wine grapes. It isn’t even a place for families much anymore. Try buying a house here! Santa Rosa is getting gentrified even in Roseland and South Santa Rosa where the gangs are. Yes, it is cheaper than Marin and San Francisco but they are 5x the national average in price! We aren’t far behind now and it’s going to get more expensive because Sonoma has it all, beaches, 1 hour from San Fran, wine, redwoods, great weather, etc.
This is why the population has doubled in 30 years.
I grew up in Sonoma County and it’s a very different world now compared to the 60s and 70s. Back then it was overwhelmingly White, agricultural, middle and working class and very much a part of the hippies of the 60s reality. Today it is none of these things!! It’s expensive! It’s Wine over everything else! It’s more diverse! The population has doubled and it’s busy and crowded in many places. The traffic is heavy in town. The new money has also created lots of new poverty! The apples and chicken ranches are gone forever! It’s all wine grapes. It isn’t even a place for families much anymore. Try buying a house here! Santa Rosa is getting gentrified even in Roseland and South Santa Rosa where the gangs are. Yes, it is cheaper than Marin and San Francisco but they are 5x the national average in price! We aren’t far behind now and it’s going to get more expensive because Sonoma has it all, beaches, 1 hour from San Fran, wine, redwoods, great weather, etc.
This is why the population has doubled in 30 years.
Great! What part of Sonoma County did you grow up in? I noticed OP grew up in SR. You're older than me, but many of the wineries date back a long while, prior to prohibition (and Sonoma continues to outproduce Napa County, despite the latter being far more popular). Many of the well-known family wineries are some of the oldest, and those who live in the smaller pockets or in-town work at the wineries or small (old) hotels and cafes (which remain quite reasonable by comparison to newer development). Sonoma has always been more 'rustic' (still is) than its Napa counterpart (and less affordable as well largely due to its exclusivity and small-town feel); even the more recent development i.e. squares, restaurants and so on - is in tune with this vibe. Many of the towns i.e. Healdsburg, Bodega Bay, and Sebastopol are small; other areas are off-the-beaten path and very isolated (many still with unpaved roads). That said, it is expensive but tends to be less so the further you get from SF (which is what makes it cheaper than Marin and more attractive to retired folks).
Santa Rosa, on the other hand, is definitely different in population and feel; but crime has declined (as I mentioned previously); and it's been voted #10 in Best Places to Live for Quality of Life and #8 on Safest Places to Live. I actually think Santa Rosa may be better today than it was ten or twenty years ago and definitely better than Rohnert Park. It really just depends on what area you're specifically speaking to; but as a whole, I much prefer SF and Marin to live - and enjoy parts of SC as a wine/beach escape or something different (especially now).
Sonoma County is overplanted with wine grapes. There have always been lots of wineries here but now it seems like there is a winery on every corner and it wasn’t like that before. My family had a small ranch here once and it was swallowed up by strip malls about 30 years ago. I don’t really follow magazine polls about best places to live. The best place to live is where you are personally happy. For example, North Carolina is highly rated and I’m sure it’s a place I will never see in my lifetime. Napa County is a little more expensive than Sonoma County but it’s also smaller, more slammed with a constant flood of tourists, and has this phony Disneyland feel for wines atmosphere that a lot of people don’t like. Sonoma County is more diverse, bigger and more down to earth. The exception is Healdsburg which is more like Napa- overpriced! Santa Rosa is a fairly big town at this point. In general, the West side is the slums and the East side is nicer. South Santa Rosa is mostly Mexican with all the social problems, gangs etc. this is also changing now as these less desirable areas are getting gentrified due to the high cost of living. First time homebuyers can only afford often a place in these neighborhoods and other people are fixing up slum housing because even that is worth money here now. Overall, Sonoma County is one of the best places to live in California, but here may eventually only become a place for mostly the rich and the service class that caters to the rich like in Marin County.
I'm curious - what part of SC did you grow up in, Dave? You sound biased against it (and the wine industry), when growing wine grapes has always been a part of its agriculture. It only began to decline as a result of prohibition (when very few wineries survived); but by the 70's and 80's it had recovered to (and began to surpass) where it had been (and doubled in the late 90's or so). I don't quite understand your distaste for the area (or its history) if you are a native - and there's simply no putting Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Sea Ranch or Bodega Bay, etc. and Santa Rosa/Rohnert Park in the same discussion in re: traffic or crime, lol - despite being in the same county.
That said, it's unusual to see someone who grew up in the area be so biased against the very thing for which it has received world-wide recognition.
My family had a ranch here in Santa Rosa and Petaluma. I am not biased, but it saddens me to see the greed of the wine industry plowing under all other agriculture here, which I mostly gone. Everyone is rushing in to capitalize on wine.
My family had a ranch here in Santa Rosa and Petaluma. I am not biased, but it saddens me to see the greed of the wine industry plowing under all other agriculture here, which I mostly gone. Everyone is rushing in to capitalize on wine.
At a time when water scarcity will be a regular thing, and vineyards are water-intensive.
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