Santa Rosa - the commercial hub, county seat, administrative center for regional state and federal offices is the personality. Craggy mountains and rolling hills embrace warm valleys. Ribbons of rivers and tumbling creeks run through the landscape so that wisps of fog might have a road to follow on their way to keep summer mornings cool. There are grand vaults of redwoods and stands of friendly oaks. The westerly edge has a spectacular coastline of rocky coves and crashing sea. In the 1870s, Sonoma was second only to Yosemite as a favored subject for canvas. There is picturesque hillsides and valleys.

The public schools consistently test better than the state average. Many of the schools offer outstanding pilot programs; some offer open enrollment State-designated "Distinguished Schools" are sprinkled throughout the county. Another option for families are a variety of private schools. Sonoma State University is involved with the business community. The university also offers an alternative degree completion program for a Bachelor of Arts for working adults. Instruction is organized around one full Saturday per month on campus combined with weekly computer seminars and ongoing reading and writing assignments. Santa Rosa Junior College is an esteemed two-year institution founded in 1918.

New companies and businesses can expect to slide gently into the landscape and lifestyle of the area. There is an in-place infrastructure that includes zoned and entitled land as well as existing complexes and individual buildings ready for occupancy. There are nine industrial areas offering a wide variety of sites. Sufficient land growth has been set aside for thoughtful industrial/commercial use.

The county is highly suitable for agriculture. Towns grew up contained in surroundings of vineyards, profitable dairy land, orchards and produce patches. For decades the region was known as San Francisco's market basket. Today with a population base sufficient to support small farming enterprises, much of the county's bounty remains at home. Regularly scheduled Thursday night open-air farmers' markets are weekly from June through September in the downtown area. They are shopped by restaurateurs and residents, prompting food aficionados across the nation to refer to Sonoma as "the Province of California."

A profitable tourism industry has evolved, adding an important sector to the county's economic base and a layer of sophistication that manages to enhance and not overwhelm the county's rural tradition. The famed horticulturist Luther Burbank for nearly fifty years worked in his experimental gardens on Santa Rosa Avenue. Today the gates to Luther Burbank's home and gardens are open for visitors. Festivals and fairs in and around Santa Rosa include the Rose Festival and Parade in May. The Sonoma County Fair is in July and August.

Housing

Estimated median house value in 2011: $334,000.



Demographics

Population in July 2009: 157,468. Santa Rosa covers 40.1 square miles. It sits at an elevation of 160 feet above sea leve. Area code 707.

Weather

Santa Rosa, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's.

The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 82.30 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 38.80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 29 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 19 degrees Fahrenheit.

The annual average precipitation at Santa Rosa is 31.01 Inches. Winter months tend to be wetter than summer months. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 6.25 Inches.

Information provided by idcide.com and city data.com