Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County is on the northwest coast of, one of the northernmost parts of the greater ,  Its  population at the 2000 census was 458,614. Its largest city and is.

Sonoma is the southwestern county of California's region, which also includes, , and  counties. It has thirteen approved s, and over 250 wineries. In 2002 Sonoma County ranked as the thirty-second county in the United States in production. As early as 1920 Sonoma County was ranked as the eighth most productive U.S county, largely due to the abundance of high quality irrigation water. More than 7.4 million tourists visit each year, spending more than $1 billion in 2006. Sonoma County is the home of and.

In earlier times, Sonoma County was the home to several distinct s, who lived within the  of the land; by 1850, European  had set a new direction that would prove to radically alter the course of  and resource management of this region. As of 2007, Sonoma County has rich land, albeit now largely divided between two nearly  uses: s and pasturage. The voters have twice approved an open space initiative that has provided considerable funding for public acquisition of natural areas, which has preserved ed areas, al, and other open space.

Geography and environment
According to the, Sonoma County has a total area of 1,768 (4,580 ). 1,576 sq mi (4,082 km²) is land, and 192 sq mi (498 km²) (10.88%) is water. Adjacent counties are (to the south),  (to the north),  (northeast),  (to the east) and  (to the southeast).

The county lies in the of northwestern California. Its ranges include the and the, the southern peak of the latter being the prominent landform,. The highest peak in the Mayacamas within the county is. It has uncommon occurrences of, dominated by. The highest peak of the Sonoma Mountains is itself, which boasts two significant public access properties:  and.

Distinct habitat areas within the county include oak, redwood , , , land, oak and. The in the upper  and  watersheds in  is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with considerable. These forested areas have been characterized as some of the best examples of such woodlands. An unusual characteristic of these forests is the high content of undisturbed prehistoric, testifying to the absence of historic  or other.

Trees of the oak woodland habitat include, , , and. Common understory plants are, , and at the fringes.

Threatened/endangered species


A number of endangered plants and animals are found in Sonoma County including the, , , , , and.

Species of special local concern include the and some endangered plants, including Burke's Goldfields (Lasthenia burkei), Sebastopol Meadowfoam (), and Sonoma Sunshine or Baker's Stickyseed (Blennosperma bakeri).

Endangered species that are to Sonoma County include Sebastopol Meadowfoam, Sonoma Sunshine, and, Lilium pardalinum subsp Pitkinense.

The Sonoma County Water Agency has had a Fisheries Enhancement Program since 1996. Its website says :


 * "The primary focus of the FEP is to enhance habitat for three s:, , and . These three species are listed as threatened under the U.S. . The California Department of Fish and Game considers the Coho salmon endangered."

Ocean, bays, rivers and streams
Sonoma County is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and has 76 miles of coastline. The major coastal hydrographic features are, the mouth of the , and the mouth of the , at the border with.

Six of the county's nine cities, from Healdsburg south through to Rohnert Park and Cotati, are in the Santa Rosa Plain. The northern Plain drains to the Russian River, or a tributary; the southern Plain drains to the Russian River via the.

Russian River
Much of central and northern Sonoma County is in the watershed of the Russian River and its tributaries. The river rises in the coastal mountains of Mendocino County, north of the city of, and flows into , a major flood control reservoir. The Russian flows south from the lake through Mendocino to Sonoma County, paralleled by Highway 101. It turns west at, receiving water from via , and empties into the Pacific Ocean at.

Laguna de Santa Rosa
The is the largest tributary of the Russian River. It is 14 miles (23 km) long, running north from Cotati to the Russian River near Forestville. Its flood plain is more than 7,500 acres (30 km²). It drains a 254 square mile (658 km²) watershed, including most of the Santa Rosa Plain.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation says ,


 * "The Laguna de Santa Rosa is Sonoma County's richest area of wildlife habitat, and the most biologically diverse region of Sonoma County (itself the second-most biologically diverse county in California). ... It is a unique ecological system covering more than 30,000 acres (120 km²) and comprised of a mosaic of creeks, open water, perennial marshes, seasonal wetlands, riparian forests, oak woodlands and grasslands. ... As the receiving water of a watershed where most of the county's human population lives, it is a landscape feature of critical importance to Sonoma County's water quality, flood control, and biodiversity."

The Laguna's largest tributary is, which runs through Santa Rosa. Its major tributaries are, Mark West Creek, , and.

Other water bodies
The southwestern boundary with Marin County runs from the mouth of at Bodega Bay, to the northwestern corner of. The, , and enter the bay at the county's southernmost tip. The intertidal zone where they join the bay is the vast.

, the, , and are the principal streams draining the southern portion of the county. The Sonoma Valley is drained by Sonoma Creek, whose major tributaries are, , , Schell Creek and ; is tributary to Schell Creek.

Lakes and reservoirs in the county include, , and.

History
The, and  peoples were the earliest human settlers of Sonoma County, between 5000 to 8000 BC, effectively living within the natural  of the land. , ns, and other ans claimed and settled in the county from the late 16th to mid 19th century, seeking timber, fur, and farmland. Sonoma was one of California's original counties, created at the time of statehood in 1850. It contains many.

The, founded in 1823 as the last and northernmost of 21 , is in the present City of Sonoma, at the northern end of. , or Sonoma Barracks (part of Spain's ), was established in 1836 by Comandante General. His duties included keeping an eye on the n traders at, secularizing the Mission, maintaining cooperation with the Native Americans of the entire region, and doling out the lands for large estates and ranches. The City of Sonoma was the site of the in 1846.

Seven distinct nations have claimed Sonoma County from 1579 to the present:

Etymology


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."

According to the and the  tribes that lived in the region, Sonoma translates "valley of the moon" or  "many moons". Their legends detail this as a land where the moon nestled, hence the names and. This translation was first recorded in an 1850 report by General  to the California Legislature. .  popularized it in his 1913 novel 

In the native languages there is also a constantly recurring ending tso-noma, from tso, the earth; and noma, village; hence tsonoma, ‘earth village’. Other sources say Sonoma comes from the Patwin tribes west of the, and their 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]) 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., AAE 29:354 [1932]). Beeler believes the name applied originally to a nose-shaped geographic feature (WF 13:268-72 [1954])

Demographics
At the 2000, there were 458,614 people, 172,403 households, and 112,406 families in Sonoma County. The was 291/sq mi (112/km²). There were 183,153 housing units at an average density of 116/sq mi (45/km²).

The racial makeup was 81.60%, 1.42% or , 1.18% , 3.07% , 0.20% , 8.44% of , and 4.09% of two or more races. 17.34% of the population were or  of any race. 80.4% spoke and 13.8%  as their first language.

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

The median age was 38 years. 24.50% were under 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94 males.

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

Government
Sonoma County's governing board and legislative body is a five-member Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected by district, at the Consolidated Primary Election, and serve for four years. The Supervisors also sit as directors of several local jurisdictions, such as the Water Agency, and Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District.

Three current Supervisors were elected in 2004: Valerie Brown (1st District), Tim Smith (3rd District), and Mike Reilly (5th District); and two in 2006: Mike Kerns (2nd District) and Paul L. Kelley (4th District). Supervisor Brown is the current Chairwoman. The Supervisors appoint the members of 59 boards, commissions, and committees.

The County Administrator is the county's chief executive officer, reporting to the Board of Supervisors manage the county's departments.; the current Administrator is Bob Deis.

Cities and towns
Sonoma County has nine incorporated cities, including the Town of Windsor. In order of population, they are: (156,200),  (56,727),  (42,236),  (22,744),  (10,722),  (9,128),  (7,774),  (7,636), and  (6,471).

Places of interest



 * , including Arched Rock Beach, Gleason Beach and.
 * , former Russian fur trade outpost
 * , in
 * , in
 * Author Jack London's Beauty Ranch, in
 * , across from Sonoma Plaza,
 * Author Jack London's Beauty Ranch, in
 * , across from Sonoma Plaza,
 * , across from Sonoma Plaza,
 * , across from Sonoma Plaza,

Major highways


U.S. Route 101 is the westernmost in the U.S.A.  Running north/south through the states of California,, and Washington, it generally parallels the coastline from the  to the n border. Highway 101 links seven of the county's nine incorporated cities: Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, and Petaluma. It is a freeway for almost its entire length within the county, except for the section south of Petaluma.

The four-lane highway has been heavily congested during peak commute hours for many years. The section between Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park was recently widened to six lanes; and widening within Santa Rosa, between Highway 12 and Steele Lane, is in progress in 2007. The two new inner lanes are designated for vehicles with two or more occupants during commute hours.



Within Sonoma County, Highway 1 follows the coastline from the Mendocino County border, at the mouth of the Gualala River, to the Marin County border, at the Estero Americano, east of Bodega Bay.



Highway 12 runs eastward from its intersection with Highway 116 in Sebastopol to Santa Rosa. There it turns south through the Valley of the Moon to Sonoma, then east into Napa County. The four-lane freeway section within Santa Rosa, between Fulton Road and Farmers Lane, is called the Luther Burbank Memorial Highway. That section, especially where it crosses Highway 101, is severely congested during peak commute hours.

The two-lane Bodega Highway runs west from the intersection of Highways 12 and 116 in Sebastopol, through the coastal hills to its intersection with Highway 1, east of Bodega Bay. East of Santa Rosa, Highway 12 is also called Sonoma Highway; and east of Sonoma, Carneros Highway.



Highway 37 connects Highway 101 at Novato, in Marin County, with Interstate 80 in Vallejo, in Solano County, at the top of San Pablo Bay. Within Sonoma County, it is also called Sears Point Road.



Highway 116 is a winding, two-lane rural route that runs from Jenner, at the mouth of the Russian River on the coast, southeast to Arnold Drive near Sonoma. It is also called Guerneville Highway, between Guerneville and Forestville; Gravenstein Highway North, between Forestville and Sebastopol; and Gravenstein Highway South, between Sebastopol and Stony Point Road, west of Rohnert Park. East of Petaluma it is Lakeville Highway, then Stage Gulch Road.



The northernmost section of Highway 128 is a two-lane rural route running southeast from Highway 101 at Geyserville, north of Healdsburg, through the Alexander Valley into Napa County.

Public transportation

 * is the countywide transit operator, providing service to all cities in Sonoma County.
 * Santa Rosa Transit provides bus routes in and near the city of Santa Rosa.
 * The cities of and  also provide their own local bus service.
 * connects Santa Rosa and points south with Marin County and San Francisco.
 * runs north from Santa Rosa to Ukiah (via US 101) and to the coast (via California Routes 12 and 1).

/SMART is a proposed commuter rail system between  in  and  in Sonoma. A sales tax surcharge measure to finance it narrowly failed in the 2006 election, and the SMART directors are considering a new measure sometime in 2008.

Airports

 * The is at 2290 Airport Boulevard, west of Highway 101, between Santa Rosa and Windsor.  Its main runway is 5,115 feet (1559 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide, and can accommodate planes up to 95,000 pounds (43,000 kg) maximum gross take off weight.  It offers fuel, major maintenance,  space, and tie-downs for local and transient .  Horizon Air, of Seattle, Washington, began regular daily commercial flights from the Charles M. Schulz Airport to  and  March 21, 2007.  Horizon is flying a 74-seat, Bombardier Q400  plane.  There had been no commercial air service since  ceased flying to  and Los Angeles in 2001.  The County has agreed to use $500,000 in federal funds to subsidize Horizon's flights for the first six months.  Sponsored by the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, and Redwood Credit Union (formerly the Sonoma County Employees credit union), local businesses have spent more than $500,000 to buy tickets in advance. If revenues levels are unsatisfactory, Horizon can terminate service after 45 days.




 * Sonoma Skypark


 * Sonoma Valley Airport

Economy
Forbes Magazine ranked the Santa Rosa metropolitan area--essentially the entire county--185th out of 200, on its 2007 list of Best Places For Business And Careers. It was second on the list five years before. Sonoma County was downgraded because of an increase in the cost of doing business, and reduced job growth--both blamed on increases in the cost of housing.

Viticulture


See main article: 

—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 (150,396 s) of wine grapes worth US$310 million. In 2006 the Sonoma County grape harvest amounted to over 185,000 tons, exceeding 's harvest by over 30 percent. About 80 percent of non-pasture agricultural land in the county is for growing wine grapes&mdash;59,973 acres (242.70 km²) of s, with over 1100 growers. The most common varieties planted are, , and , though the area is also known for its and.

Sonoma County is home to more than 250 wineries with eleven distinct and two shared s, including the, , , and , the last of which is known for the production of high-quality s.

Tourism
See main article: 

In addition, the county's tolerant political environment have made the area along the  the home of a number of gay and lesbian resorts, which have catered to the San Francisco  weekend-getaway community since the 1970s.

Politics
Sonoma is a strongly Democratic county in and  elections. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was in.

Sonoma is part of California's and  congressional districts, which are held by Democrats  and, respectively. In the, Sonoma is in the 1st 6th, and 7th districts, which are held by Democrats , , and , respectively. In the, Sonoma is part of the 2nd and 3rd districts, which is held by Democrats and , respectively.

Higher education

 * Chapman University (Petaluma Campus)
 * , Santa Rosa
 * Golden Gate University (Rohnert Park Campus)
 * New College of California (Santa Rosa Campus)
 * , Rohnert Park
 * University of San Francisco (Santa Rosa Campus)
 * Western Institute of Science and Health (Rohnert Park campus)
 * University of San Francisco (Santa Rosa Campus)
 * Western Institute of Science and Health (Rohnert Park campus)

The educational system of Sonoma County is similar to other counties in California.

Library system
The Sonoma County Library System offers a Central Library in downtown Santa Rosa, as well as ten branch libraries, two rural stations and bookmobile service. The Library is also a member of the North Bay Cooperative Library System. More than half of Sonoma County's residents have library cards. They borrow over 2.5 million items a year. Expert reference librarians answer nearly half a million reference questions annually for individuals, businesses and government agencies. They offer instruction in the use of Library resources in such fields as genealogy, grant writing, and use of the Internet. During a typical school year over 750 classes, more than half the county total, either visit a library or are visited by a children's librarian. The Library operates an adult literacy program, training volunteers to tutor individuals who lack basic reading ability. Computer terminals are made available for free Internet access.

Law enforcement and crime
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department is the law enforcement agency for the unincorporated area of the county. It also contracts to provide the police forces of the City of Sonoma, and the Town of Windsor. The department has more than 1,000 employees, including more than 275 Deputy Sheriffs, in four Bureaus. More than 300 Correctional Officers and staff work in two jail facilities, with a total daily population of nearly 1,200 inmates. . Police shootings in 2007 have led to calls for an independent civilian police review board. .

Film locations
''see main article , 

Due to the varied scenery in Sonoma County and proximity to the city of San Francisco, a large number of s have been filmed using venues within the county. Some of the earliest U.S. filmaking occurred in Sonoma County such as the 1914 production 1914 Salomy Jane and  produced in 1915. Many of these films are classics in American such as the 1947 film ', starring  and  and 's ' produced in 1963, which film was also partially filmed in adjacent. Many other more modern classics have used Sonoma County as a filming venue, including the 1990 production of the ' and the 1992 film '. A few of the other representative films produced partially in Sonoma County are:

The town of Sonoma in southeast Sonoma County hosts the annual, a nationally recognized event.