Sonoma County Communities

Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa is Sonoma County’s biggest city, a community of about 150,000 people. Santa Rosa's urban nature is enlivened by prestigious golf courses, the legendary Luther Burbank's home and gardens, and a Farmer’s Market that some of the best local restaurant chefs frequent. On Wednesday nights during the summer you can stroll Fourth Street at the Santa Rosa Downtown market and enjoy live music, fresh produce, local artisans and great food. Historic areas such as Railroad Square and the McDonald neighborhood have been host to many old films throughout the last century. Santa Rosa’s Junior College is one of the nation’s top 10 schools, and Santa Rosa’s setting in the hills and across the rolling valley have made it the perfect place in Sonoma County for many to call home.

Santa Rosa has one of the largest city fleets in the state using clean burning alternative fuels. Over 50 pieces of equipment use electricity, propane or compressed natural gas. With an active community calendar, Santa Rosa hosts the annual Rose Parade through the city streets and the popular Harvest Fair at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, where revelers can join a grape stomp, sample award winning wines, and enjoy the variety of harvested delights in the warm October air.

Santa Rosa’s real estate caters to just about everyone. There are still untouched mountain valleys to build dream estates on. There are adorable 1950’s bungalows in the Montgomery Village area, and there are large beautiful neighborhoods eastward towards the Valley of the Moon and Kenwood

Sonoma

Combining old-world style with the latest trends is something the city of Sonoma does flawlessly. Sonoma is a delightful mix of historic buildings and vineyards, right along side fantastic restaurants such as the French restaurant “the girl and the fig”, Della Santina’s, Estate, Deuce, the El Dorado Café, and Saddle Steakhouse at MacArthur Place. There is a plethora of lovely shops and art galleries for the discerning visitor. The central plaza in downtown makes the ideal starting point for any excursion in Sonoma: culinary classes, wine tasting or simply relaxing back at the Bed and Breakfast.

Real estate in Sonoma ranges from plaza-side cottages to vineyard estates with global prestige. Year round weather that is harmonious to living in Sonoma is sure to keep you smiling. This is an ideal place to live if you love the wine country lifestyle of good food, great style and fabulous wine.

Kenwood

Kenwood is comprised of small hotels, big wineries and charming homes. There isn’t one single thing that defines Kenwood, and the beauty of the blend is what makes Kenwood desirable to visitors and residents. You will find Kenwood alive with vineyards and good restaurants. Kenwood’s central location between Santa Rosa and Sonoma makes the convenience of this wine country town undeniable.

Bordered by SugarLoaf Ridge State Park, Kenwood’s addresses are at the base of many of the county’s highest peaks. SugarLoaf and other parks offer wonderful hiking trails open year round.

Glen Ellen

Glen Ellen is Sonoma County’s jewel, and sparkles with an almost fairytale feeling. With only about 1,000 residents, Glen Ellen welcomes visitors with some marvelous restaurants. The Bouverie Audubon Preserve and the Wolf House, which was home to Jack London for many years now operates as a restaurant. Many fine estates are tucked into the treed hills around Glen Ellen, creating wonderful private enclaves for noteworthy inhabitants.

Healdsburg

Driving north in Sonoma County you’ll find yourself in Healdsburg. Healdsburg was founded in the 1860’s and retains much of its comfortable charm from that era. The town square is surrounded by a dazzling array of restaurants, inns and places to shop, browse, and relax.

Healdsburg is fast becoming the place to be in Sonoma County. The climate is ideal for the vineyards and residents alike, with warm summer nights and the occasional coastal breeze. Live music in the square, art walks and festivals on the weekends draws residents and visitors downtown. Surrounding the central town are the famed Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys, home to world renowned wineries and farms. Healdsburg real estate has boomed, with homes near the square populated by families, vacationers and a few Bed and Breakfast Inns tucked in between. With amenities like local farmer’s markets, the world-class Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, Bistro Ralph, Madrona Manor, Zin, Cyrus, and the Charcuterie to name only a few. There are more wineries than you could visit in a week, some people delight in making this vibrant city their hometown.

Sebastopol

Sebastopol is unlike any other town in Sonoma County. A few miles closer to the ocean, and more rural than other cities in Sonoma County, all things natural are celebrated in Sebastopol. If you’ve been searching for a community that seriously appreciates the love for organic foods, thought-provoking art and an endless array of yoga studios, this is your town. Sebastopol didn’t officially become a city until 1902, but inhabitants have been in the area for many centuries before, including the Pomo and Miwok Native Americans. For the last 50 years, the annual Apple Blossom festival is a weekend-long way to enjoy the region’s famous Gravenstein Apple. Real Estate in Sebastopol encompasses many ranches and farms, turn of the century homes on acreage, and sweet bungalows around the city streets.  Around Sebastopol are the smaller, charming towns of Graton and Occidental.

Petaluma

While a century ago boats used the Petaluma River for transporting goods, the town of Petaluma’s proximity to San Francisco can still be appreciated even if you’re traveling by car. Located at the southern end of Sonoma County, Petaluma was one of the first high-commerce regions in the area north of San Francisco. Visitors and residents might recognize the main street through town from the film American Graffiti and Petaluma’s very streets are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Live Music in downtown hot spots like McNear’s have been going strong for ages, and the authentic Victorian homes in the area have withstood the test of time with their gorgeous facades.

Children will delight in the local parks and Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory, as well as in Petaluma’s ‘Butter and Egg Days’ festival, which celebrates, you guessed it, Eggs. Petaluma was once referred to as the Egg Basket of the World, exporting chicken eggs by the thousands. Lately Petaluma has been more into the world of the internet than chicken eggs, but a healthy mix of country and city is what makes Petaluma special.