Santa Rosa is not only a wonderful place for growing grapes but also growing families looking to get some distance from San Francisco. 12 months of mild weather provides the perfect climate for enjoying the amazing parks and trails and excellent public schools make the area popular with families. 

Summary of the Santa Rosa benefits from a local: 
*-temperate climate (a few nights of freezes in the winter) not often too hot, very clean air. An hour from San Francisco with world class theatre, ballet, opera, a number of museums, amazing restaurants. Santa Rosa in Sonoma County has 425 wineries, has just been named a prime area for craft beers (Russian River Brewing Company - home of Pliny the Younger), amazing cheeses. Twenty minutes from the gorgeous Pacific Coast with migrating whales heading south to Mexico in the winter and heading back to Alaska with the babies in the spring, visible from a number of places on the coast. Old Growth Redwoods. Russian River - great kayaking. Farm to Table restaurants. Bike trails everywhere and the new train has places for bikes on every car. Iron Man in the summer and lots of other bike races. Farm Trails, Cheese Trails, Art Trails*

For more reviews of what living in Santa Rosa is like from locals check out: [**The Buzz**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/santa-rosa?page=buzz)

In Vino Veritas

The Best Thing About Santa Rosa?

Wine country doesn’t come without some drawbacks. Anything within a ninety minute drive of San Francisco is going to cost a pretty penny for housing. Being surrounded by beautiful vineyards and state parks makes this issue even worse. Wine country has also been hit hard by recent wildfires, which makes it a beacon for climate risk, but that hasn't suppressed pricing any. 

Here's a summary of the cost issues from a local: 
*Is Santa Rosa a good place to raise a family?*
*No, not really, not unless you are very rich, and your kids will inherit.
AS things stand now, unless your kid grows up to be a CEO or Doctor, they won’t be able to have what one would call a “normal life” in Santa Rosa, as they won’t be able to buy a house, have normal stuff, etc.
This is a big big issue, not just for SR, but for many “blue” left leaning “cool places”, as the folks who live there support good economics and sharing, but don’t want more building (to lower housing costs), and in fact just voted down some bonds to MAKE more affordable housing*

Grapes of Wrath

The Worst Thing About Santa Rosa?

Located in the heart of wine country USA, Santa Rosa locals enjoy a life centered around that classy commodity and the weather that goes along with them. Nights out for the upper crust are usually spent enjoying a nice glass of wine and a locally-sourced gourmet meal. Santa Rosa is also only an hour or so from San Francisco and Oakland for those looking for some bigger city vibes, and only 45 minutes from the beaches if you favor a more traditional Cali experience. Raising kids here, while expensive, is pretty heavenly. Lots of sports they can play year round, great public schools, and big cities not too far if you want them to get some culture. 

If you're interested in seeing all that happens here check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitsantarosa.com/special-and-signature-events


Lifestyle of Santa Rosa

If you're looking to break into the wine industry Santa Rosa should be at the top of your list, tech and healthcare are also high volume options. Commuting to San Francisco happens but that drive is rough. We'd highly recommend you only consider that if you're working from home most/all days.

Worklife of Santa Rosa

If you’re looking to retire or are a Bay Area family looking for better schools and an escape from the challenges or raising kiddos in SF or Oakland, Santa Rosa is an excellent option. At least for those who've done the math. 


Escape From Alcatraz

Why You Should Move Here Now?

If you work in Sonoma, Napa or very far north in Marin county but you want a bit of a lifestyle then look at Downtown Santa Rosa. It’s on the smaller side but it has a pretty dense collection of bars, restaurants, cafes, bookstores, gyms and boutique shopping to keep you busy on weekends (or weeknights). The streets are beautiful and everything is walkable so check out the loft apartment buildings or townhomes and prepare for a chill but fun lifestyle. 
- Downtown


Young Professionals/DINKs/SINKs

Downtown

The Fountaingrove neighborhood was burned to the ground in the fire of 2017. Since then if has recovered quite a bit and not only is one of the best neighborhoods for the LGBTQ+ community but it even has an LGBTQ+ retirement community!  
- Fountaingrove


LGBTQ+

Fountaingrove

Most of Santa Rosa is family-friendly but one of the particularly perfect areas is the Memorial Hospital neighborhood. Not shockingly, given the name, it is near the hospital. It’s a bigger neighborhood with a mix of families and retirees who enjoy both the excellent housing options and a downtown area make it a perfect mix of suburban and commercial. Local schools are excellent and crime rates are extremely low. 
- Memorial Hospital
- Roseland


Families

Memorial Hospital

The premier neighborhood for retirees is Oakmont Village. It’s a 55+ un-gated community with all its own amenities including; ganks, salons, cleaners, a deli-market, fire station, medical offices and plenty of restaurants and cafes. Oakmont Golf Club is also in the neighborhood. This includes two 18-hole courses, one a par 72 and the other a par 63 executive-level course. It also sits right next to Annadel State Park, two other state parks, and plenty of world-class wineries so you will never run out of healthy and enjoyable things to do. 
- Oakmont Village
- Bennet Valley
- Memorial Hospital


Retirees

Oakmont Village

Santa Rosa

**Is it worth it to move to Santa Rosa, California?**

Worth it in what way? What are you looking for? Santa Rosa - temperate climate (a few nights of freezes in the winter) not often too hot, very clean air. An hour from San Francisco with world class theatre, ballet, opera, a number of museums, amazing restaurants. Santa Rosa in Sonoma County has 425 wineries, has just been named a prime area for craft beers (Russian River Brewing Company - home of Pliny the Younger), amazing cheeses. Twenty minutes from the gorgeous Pacific Coast with migrating whales heading south to Mexico in the winter and heading back to Alaska with the babies in the spring, visible from a number of places on the coast. Old Growth Redwoods. Russian River - great kayaking. Farm to Table restaurants. Bike trails everywhere and the new train has places for bikes on every car. Iron Man in the summer and lots of other bike races. Farm Trails, Cheese Trails, Art Trails. So, if any of those things are important to you…..

**What is it like to live in Santa Rosa, CA?**

Well it can be great in some ways, not in others. The good part is you’re semi-close to SF (The City) and Bay Area. Close to the beaches, redwoods/River Area, Napa, and Wineries. The parks in the area are great too: Trione/Annadel has great hiking, new Taylor Mtn. Area, Sonoma Mountain, Hood Mountain, etc.. These are “must hikes” if you’re a hiker, just watch out for ticks, rattlesnakes, and cougars! There is alot of good wine and beer as well, if that is your thing. Lots of good microbreweries downtown SR and wine bars, plus Sonoma Valley and Healdsburg/Geyserville areas. And most areas in SR esp. Rincon and Bennett Valleys and FG & Hidden Valley are safe even at night. Food is also awesome, with great Mexican food, thai places, and California cuisine (if you can afford > $40.00 for a nice dinner.).

The bad news is it’s VERY expensive to live here anymore. Very high rents if you’re renting, like > $1,100 + even for a studio apartment. The fires in ’17 really changed things in that regard. Very hard to find anything cheap anymore here. For a home you’re looking at > $550K. There is alot of traffic around the 101 and in Petaluma as well. Lots of folks (rich assholes IMO) moving up here from Marin and SF, so you have to deal with them and their shitty driving behaviors. People can be very pretentious (minus those who are from the aforementioned area). There are serious gangs in SW SR (South park and Roseland), W. 9th St., and also Apple Valley. Do not go there after dark and do NOT wear blue clothing or Dodger’s hats.

I grew up in SR and even then really did not care for the town. But then it was just beginning to be a bigger town and small city, in the early 90s. Downtown was still safe back then (but no longer due to the homeless and drugs) even after dark and rents not as high. Overall you have to ask yourself if you can afford the area now. I would not rent here in this area. Schools can be great but avoid the Roseland School District and inner city public schools.



**Is Santa Rosa CA a good place to raise a family?**

No, not really, not unless you are very rich, and your kids will inherit.

AS things stand now, unless your kid grows up to be a CEO or Doctor, they won’t be able to have what one would call a “normal life” in Santa Rosa, as they won’t be able to buy a house, have normal stuff, etc.

This is a big big issue, not just for SR, but for many “blue” left leaning “cool places”, as the folks who live there support good economics and sharing, but don’t want more building (to lower housing costs), and in fact just voted down some bonds to MAKE more affordable housing.

Lots of homeless here now. Regular folks struggle to make it.

Right now, only a quarter of folks can afford a house

Only 26% of Sonoma County residents can afford median home price

Now, it is fairly safe, weather nice, lots of fun stuff, beautiful area. But a place to PICK to raise a family? hmm, no. just no.

Go somewhere like Olympia WA, low costs, good schools, and some hope.

**Moving to Santa Rosa in a few weeks. I have a few questions about the area.**

Yes, there are some good farmers markets. The best farmers market is in the town of Sebastopol which is adjacent to santa rosa. It's a bit of a social scene with all of the organic farmer types hanging out there.

Weather is pretty mild generally. Winter temperatures are typically 45-65 highs and 28-40 lows. Summer temperatures are typically 80-95 highs and 60-75 lows. We get almost all of our rain in the winter and spring time. Some winters it will rain incredibly hard for a long time and cause flooding in certain parts of the county. During the summer and fall we can go 6+ months with no rain. This means we end up with extreme fire danger in the late summer and fall. In 2017, 2019, and 2020, parts of sonoma county ended up with mass evacuations due to raging wildfires. Certain parts of santa rosa were wiped out in the 2017 fire and have mostly been rebuilt. In september/october of this year a fire destroyed some neighborhoods in eastern santa rosa. Wildfire season is a real thing out here and many people talk about leaving the area because of it. Be prepared for extreme smoke in late summer/fall where its not healthy to hang out outside.

The best part of living in Santa Rosa are all of the cute small towns nearby with nice restaurants, wine tasting, ect. Also lots of options for outdoor recreation activities.

Santa Rosa, California

Saint Rose

Looklyloo Score: 85