Sonoma County, California

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Sonoma County, California
Map
Location in the state of California
Statistics
Formed	1850
Seat	Santa Rosa
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	4,580 km² (1,768 mi²) 4,082 km² (1,576 mi²) 498 km² (192 mi²), 10.88%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	458,614 112/km²
Website: www.sonoma-county.org

Sonoma County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, north of Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the year 2000, Sonoma had a population of 458,614. The county seat is Santa Rosa.

Sonoma County is in the heart of California's world-famous Wine Country region. There are over 200 Sonoma County Wineries producing a wide variety of wines. Sonoma County is also home to 13 approved American Viticultural Areas. Sonoma County is the home of several public and private higher education institutions, including Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College.

Etymology

Regarding the etymology of the name Sonoma, according to the book California Place Names 'The name of the Indian tribe is mentioned in baptismal records of 1815 as ‘Chucuines o Sonomas,’ by Chamisso in 1816 as Sonomi, and repeatedly in Mission records of the following years.' (Gudde, 370)

According to the Coast Miwok tribes that lived in the region and the Pomo, Sonoma translates "valley of the moon" or "many moons", and their legends detail this as a land where the moon nestled, hence today the names Sonoma Valley and The Valley of the Moon. (May,Indian Country) The translation of Valley of the Moon was first recorded in a 1850 report by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to the California Legislature. (Hanna, p. 311). Jack London, in his 1913 novel The Valley of the Moon, popularized the romanticized lunar etymology for Sonoma, and this translation has been popular ever since.

Additional research indicates that in the native language(s) there is a constantly recurring ending tso-noma, from tso, (the earth), and noma, (village); hence tsonoma, meaning ‘earth village’ (Hanna, p. 311).

Notwithstanding the above local translations from the Miwok and their legends, other sources theorized (and this is disputed) that the word Sonoma comes from the Patwin tribes west of the Sacramento River and their Wintu word for "nose". Per California place names, "the name is doubtless derived from a Patwin word for "nose", which Padre Arroyo (Vocabularies, p. 22) gives as sonom (Suisun). Bowman(CFQ 5:300-302 [1946]) plausibly theorizes that Spaniards found an Indian chief with a prominent protuberance and applied the nickname of Chief Nose to the village and the territory (cf. Alfred L. Kroeber, AAE 29:354 [1932]). Beeler believes that the name applied originally to a nose-shaped orographic feature (WF 13:268-72 [1954])" (Gudde, 370)." See also, The Encyclopedia of California (1999), Encyclopedia Britannica (2005) and the California Gazetteer (1985).

History

Sonoma County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.

Originally the home of the Native American Coast Miwok and Pomo tribes, Sonoma County has a history of seven distinct, governmental claims from 1579 to the present. Sometimes referred to as "Seven Flags over Sonoma County", these periods are itemized as follows:

	St. George Cross of England, June 1579, voyage of the Golden Hind under Captain Francis Drake at Bodega Bay (exact location disputed)
	Spanish Empire, 1602, by sea, voyage of the San Agustin under Vizcaino. October 1775, the Sonora at Bodega Bay, under Lt. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra until 1821, when Mexico gained Independence from Spain
	Russian-American Company, by Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, the founder of Fort Ross and, from 1812 to 1821, its colonial administrator. Note: There is an overlap of rule with the Mexican Empire (next item), until the Russians sold Fort Ross in 1841 to John Sutter, and subsequent leaving the area in 1842
	Mexican Empire, 24 August 1821, Mexico under Emperor Agustin Iturbide (October 1822, probable time new flag raised in California) until 1823
	Mexican Republic, 1823 until June 1846 at Sonoma
	Bear Flag of the California Republic, June 1846, at Sonoma until 9 July 1846
	United States of America/California, 9 July 1846

Sonoma was the location of Mission San Francisco Solano, founded in 1823 as the last and northernmost of 21 California missions, built on the end of El Camino Real. The El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks (part of Spain's Fourth Military District), was established in 1836 by Comandante General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo whose duties included keeping an eye on the Russian traders at Fort Ross, secularizing the Mission, maintaining cooperation with the Native Americans of the entire region, and doling out the lands in large estates and ranches. Among the most notable events, the Bear Flag Revolt took place in this County in 1846, and it is the site of many historical monuments.

Geography and environment

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,580 km² (1,768 mi²). 4,082 km² (1,576 mi²) of it is land and 498 km² (192 mi²) of it (10.88%) is water. Principal rivers draining the southern portion of the county are Sonoma Creek and the Petaluma River.

Sonoma County has several watersheds, including those drained by the Petaluma River and Sonoma Creek. There are also several scenic mountain ranges including the Mayacmas Mountains, whose highest peak in the county is Hood Mountain, which includes uncommon occurrences of pygmy forest dominated by Mendocino Cypress. Another significant range is the Sonoma Mountains, whose highest peak is Sonoma Mountain that boasts two significant public access properties: Jack London State Historic Park and Fairfield Osborn Preserve.

There are a number of distinct habitat areas within the county such as oak woodland, Northern coastal scrub, grassland, marshland, oak savanna and riparian woodland. The California oak woodland in the upper Yulupa Creek and Spring Creek watersheds in Annadel State Park is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with considerable biodiversity. These forested areas have been characterized as some of the best examples of such woodlands.^[1] An unusual characteristic of these forests is the high content of undisturbed prehistoric bunch grass understory, testifying to the absence of historic grazing or other agriculture.

A number of endangered plants and animals are found in Sonoma County including the California clapper rail, Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, Northern Red-legged Frog, Sacramento splittail and Hickman's potentilla. In the oak woodland habitat there are found Pacific Madrone, Douglas fir, Coast live oak, Garry oak and California laurel among other tree varieties. Common understory plants are toyon, poison oak and at the fringes Coast silk-tassel.

Cities and towns

Incorporated cities

Unincorporated towns and locales

Adjacent Counties

• Marin County, California - south
• Solano County, California - southeast
• Napa County, California - east
• Lake County, California - northeast
• Mendocino County, California - north

Transportation Infrastructure

Major Highways

• U.S. Highway 101
• California State Route 1
• California State Route 12
• California State Route 37
• California State Route 116
• California State Route 128

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 458,614 people, 172,403 households, and 112,406 families residing in the county. The population density was 112/km² (291/mi²). There were 183,153 housing units at an average density of 45/km² (116/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.60% White, 1.42% Black or African American, 1.18% Native American, 3.07% Korean, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 8.44% from other races, and 4.09% from two or more races. 17.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 172,403 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.30% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,076, and the median income for a family was $61,921. Males had a median income of $42,035 versus $32,022 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,724. About 4.70% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Education

Elementary and Secondary Education

• List of school districts in Sonoma County, California

Higher Education

• Sonoma State University
• Santa Rosa Junior College
• Empire College
• New College of California (Santa Rosa Campus)
• University of Northern California
• Chapman University (Petaluma Campus)
• Golden Gate University (Rohnert Park Campus)
• University of San Francisco (Santa Rosa Campus)
• Western Institute of Science and Health

Sonoma County winemaking and wineries

Winemaking -- both the growing of the grapes and their vinting -- is an important part of the economic and cultural life of Sonoma County. In 2004, growers harvested 165,783 short tons (150,396 tonnes) of wine grapes worth $310 million. About 80% of non-pasture agricultural land in the county is for growing wine grapes—59,973 acres (242.70 km²) of vineyards, with over 1100 growers. The most common varieties planted are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir, though the area is also known for its Merlot and Zinfandel.

Sonoma County is home to 191 wineries and 11 distinct (and 2 shared) American Viticultural Areas, including the Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek Valley (the last famed for its production of high-quality Zinfandel).

A partial list of Sonoma County wineries:

Film locations

Sonoma County has served as a location for many major films, including (courtesy of oldmovies.com):

Bodega Bay

See: Bodega Bay page

Cloverdale

• Many Rivers to Cross (1955) Shot near Cloverdale.
• So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) Scenes shot at Cloverdale Airport (others at Alcatraz and S.F.).

Cotati

• The Farmer's Daughter (1947) Shot in Penngrove and Cotati.
• The Flatliners (1990) Shot in Cotati, and also Los Angeles, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

Glen Ellen

• Shoot the Moon (1982) Shot in Glen Ellen and Jack London's Wolf House, both in Sonoma County (with additional shooting in Marin Co).

Occidental

• Nowhere to Run (1993) Shot on Taylor Lane, Sonoma County, Occidental, with farmhouse and pond scenes.

Penngrove

• The Farmer's Daughter (1947) Shot in Penngrove and Cotati.

Petaluma

See: Petaluma page

Rohnert Park

• Basic Instinct (1992) 3 day shoot in Petaluma and Rohnert Park, with other scenes in Carmel and S.F.

Russian River

• Salomy Jane (1914) While there are one or two shots taken along the Russian River near Monte Rio in Sonoma, it was mostly filmed in Marin, with the background to almost every scene the unmistakable Mount Tamalpais.
• Braveheart (1925) Story about Indians, with many shots taken along the Russian River.
• Holiday Inn (1942) Exterior shots of the Village Inn Lodge in Monte Rio on the Russian River, dressed with tons of fake snow, was the "Holiday Inn" lodge setting.

Sebastopol

• Thieves' Highway (1949) Shot on Gold Ridge Road, Sebastopol.
• Smooth Talk (1985) Locations include Sebastopol, the Gravenstein Highway and Santa Rosa.
• Mumford (1999) Locations throughout Sebastopol, including scenes shot at Analy High School.

Santa Rosa

See: Santa Rosa page

Sonoma

• Magic of Lassie (1978) Shot at Hop Kiln Winery, Sonoma.
• American Graffiti (1973) Several scenes shot in Schellville area along Highway 121 between Napa and Petaluma.
• The Animal (2001) The police department in the movie is actually the Sonoma City Hall building. Several scenes were also shot on Sonoma's historic Plaza. There was quite a bit of political controversy after the movie was released as many residents felt it portrayed the town poorly.
• Scream (1996) Several scenes were filmed at the Sonoma Community Center on East Napa Street. As was the case with Rob Schnieder's The Animal, a huge amount of political controversy stemmed from the filming of this movie in Sonoma.

Sonoma County (general)

• Bronco Billy Anderson (1915) The only one of Anderson's 400 short westerns that has been identified as have been made in Sonoma County.
• The Third Day (1965)
• Images (1972-U.S-British) Filmed mostly in Ireland.
• Heroes (1977)
• Mr. Billion (1977)
• Impulse (1984) Farm sequences filmed in Petaluma.
• Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) Locations: Sonoma, Mount Tamalpais (Marin) and other Bay Area sites: Paramount Theatre, Oakland, San Bruno Malt Shop, S.F., and San Rafael.
• Nowhere to Run (1993) Shot on Coleman Valley Road, Sonoma County, Occidental, with farmhouse and pond scenes.
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
• Bandits (2001) Shot at the Flamingo Hotel and country roads around Sonoma County. One scene features a Clover milk truck featuring Clo the cow, a local icon.
• The Birds (1963) Shot in the town of Bodega including the Bodega church and schoolhouse.

  - See Santa Rosa, California for more possible listings.

Places of interest

Sonoma county has a very beautiful coastline, alternating with cliffs and beaches.

• Sonoma County Beaches
  • Goat Rock Beach The Russian River joins the Pacific Ocean at this beach.
• Sonoma County Regional Parks
  • Sonoma Lake recreational area
• Bodega Bay
• Luther Burbank Home and Gardens in Santa Rosa *
• Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experiment Farm in Sebastopol **
• Fort Ross, former Russian fur trade outpost *
• Jack London Home, Beauty Ranch, in Glen Ellen *
• Rancho Petaluma Adobe, Petaluma *
• Mission San Francisco Solano, across from Sonoma Plaza, Sonoma *

*National Historic Landmark

**National Registry of Historic Places

Line note references

Other bibliographic materials

• California gazetteer. Wilmington: American Historical Publications, 1985.
• Gille, Frank H. ed. The encyclopedia of California, 1999. St. Clair Shores: Somerset Publishers, Inc., 1999
• Gudde, Erwin Gustav. California place names: the origin and etymology of current geographical names. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
• Hanna, Phil Townsend. The dictionary of California land names. Los Angeles: The Automobile Club of Southern California, 1951.
• Taber, George M. Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine. NY: Scribner, 2005.
• May, James, [http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1053351882 'Why Graton...' (Indian Country - Legend Valley of

the Moon]], 2003.

External links

• Sonoma County official website
• Sonoma County website directory (20,000 links in all)
• Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
• Sonoma Coast State Beach official website
• Parks and Recreation in Sonoma County
• Sonoma County Local History and Genealogy Library
• Western Sonoma County Historical Society
• Sonoma County Miwok Indian Tribes
• Local discussion groups

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