Considering Rohnert Park

44,421

Population

Sunny Days: 260

90100 Affordability

89100 Schools

70100 Diversity

90100 Safety

See all the facts!

LookyLOO Review of Rohnert Park

Location

Rohnert Park is one of the country’s first planned communities. There’s lots to love and lots to question about planned communities but no matter where you sit on that topic it is hard to take away the amazing location of the city. You’re 50 miles from San Francisco, 20 miles to the ocean, you’re in Sonoma County (one of the great wine counties in the world), and minutes from Napa (another of the great wine counties). You’re also sitting in the center of a magnificent outdoor culture with amazing hiking, biking and camping throughout Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Lifestyle

As was noted, Rohnert Park is a planned community and so its lifestyle is built around suburban family activities. There are plenty of parks including the massive Crane Creek Park which has 128 acres of trails, disc golf, meadows and even cows grazing. There is a big sports culture here (for kids and adults) and facilities like the Rohnert Park Community Center offer sporting fields, fitness classes, and community rec programs.

SOMO Village is a fun community space where the city gathers for farmers’ markets, festivals, concerts, and family events. Finally, the Spreckels Performing Arts Center and Green Music Center, on the campus of Sonoma State, host year-round concerts, plays, musicals, and live dance events. Even though the city doesn’t yet have a downtown a lot is happening to keep locals busy.

To see what locals get up to for fun in Rohnert Park check out the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Rohnert Park and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Worklife

The biggest employer in Rohnert Park is Sonoma State University. Add jobs at the school with the manufacturing, tech and healthcare sector and Rohnert Park has a solid economy for those looking to live and work in the same neighborhoods. Additionally, right next door is Gratan Resort and Casino, a massive employer in the hospitality and entertainment sectors. While much of wine country is quiet on the professional front, Rohnert Park boasts a strong local economy.

Why You Should Move Here Now?

Prior To Blast Off

All of the bay area is expensive but Rohnert Park offers homes a bit less than other cities because of the lack of a walkable downtown. If you want to move to city BEFORE it becomes the next hotspot consider Rohnert Park while the big downtown development project is in the planning stage and prior to the city taking off.

Reviews of Rohnert Park from Locals

Anonymous
2yr ago
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My husband and I grew up here in Rohnert park, as did a large portion of our friends, but I’ve never experienced anyone being against transplants moving here from other places. Rohnert park didn’t even exist before the 1950s, so literally all of our parents who moved here were transplants from elsewhere. The one thing I do notice people complaining about, is that all of the new houses they’re building seem overpriced and have hardly any back yard.

As far as walkability, it’s actually not too bad, as long as you don’t live on the very edge of town (for example, in the new W section). I can walk to the grocery store in about 20 min, but it’s my preference to bike there since it’s so much faster. If you’re into biking, bike lane quality varies throughout town, and definitely avoid biking on Golf Course Drive, as biking accidents are common there.

The schools are fairly good, and for Elementary school, you can choose which one to send your kids to. You aren’t required to send them to the school in your neighborhood if you like another one better. The different schools have different focuses and teaching styles, and there’s even a year-round elementary school option.

My in-laws moved to Petaluma, and every time we visit them, I feel like Petaluma is just kind of a bummer compared to RP, in terms of ambiance. RP has lots of redwoods, parks, and multiple creek trails… Petaluma just feels a little bland in comparison, so I sort of know what you mean!