Santa Rosa, California

Xanitos
6mo ago
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As a Native since I was 2 years old, I know my bias hehe. But I also love to study urban planning. Santa Rosa is a really amazing place at times. Our city council and planning commission lost their minds back in the 70's with some truly baffling choices to the City planning so some areas, like the downtown, are ok, but lack many benefits of a great walkable area, but thankfully it feels like we are on the mend from that passed time and getting better.

We are developing a lot of the city in great ways now and have what I think is a pretty great community that is actively working to make things better. We have so many fantastic local restaurants in the area to explore with a cornucopia of genres. We have one of the best grocery stores you could ever ask for, Oliver's Market and other great family owned business's too. Our arts and entertainment isn't too shabby but the greater Bay Area tends to be where you roam for premium events.

Santa Rosa has a pretty darn large population but it it has an illusion that makes it feel smaller than it is due to its sprawl. To me its a great balance of not feeling like a disconnected large city but we also have many pleasant amenities you could ask for in the local surrounding areas. Ocean, Rivers, Lakes, Forests, agriculture, other great towns and hubs are less than an hour drive away, and that includes SF!

BulldogMama13
6mo ago
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North West Santa Rosa
With a young family, I think sonoma county would absolutely be a good landing spot, even including some areas of Santa Rosa. I encourage you to broaden your search to surrounding towns including Cloverdale, windsor (especially windsor), and Rohnert park. It’s where many of the young families live because starter homes are ever so slightly more affordable there. Rincon valley is a lovely area of Santa Rosa that doesn’t feel like a city with a great school district, but it’s also expensive.

People like to bitch and moan about how expensive it is here and how you could have a mansion in Sacramento for an apartment price here. BUT: the weather is pretty great most of the year, we’re 45 min from the beach, we are super close to gorgeous river spots and lake sonoma, we have more county/state parks per capita than anywhere else I’ve been, we have so many options for really good food, at every price point and every type of cuisine, we’re 45 min from the big racetrack if you’re into motorsports, and petaluma has a little dirt track too. wine tasting galore. I don’t even consider myself into wine but I enjoy a few wine events a year usually with food and good live music

we have an airport with lots of direct cheap flights to Vegas, LA, Yellowstone and more, we have a train that is nice and clean and can take you all the way to the larkspur ferry to go to SF, we’ve got a bunch of hospitals if you need proximity to that kind of thing

I mean really, people, how many places can you live where you have THAT MANY options for things to do as a little daytrip with minimal planning? And of those places, how many aren’t major urban areas? The appeal of sonoma county for me is that it feels rural but has every amenity you could wish for.

s1cWid1T
6mo ago
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Santa Rosa is an interesting place to live. There is plenty of culture and plenty of things to do. Downtown could be better but there are plenty of smaller cute downtown areas to visit minutes away as well so you are not lacking there.

Unless you are in the medical field good job opportunities are limited, the best bet in my opinion otherwise is a to be in union construction as along the industry around here is hospitality oriented so it tends to be lower pay.

ProductUseful3887
6mo ago
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I’m a fan. Sonoma county native of almost 40 years, minus a decade in Los Angeles and Orange County. I’ve lived in Santa Rosa for the last 5 years and am a fan. It’s a big enough town that it still feels quaint without feeling like a concrete jungle. The coast is about an hours drive. Plenty of great spots to hike, fish, ride your bike, and picnic. Also tons of great restaurants in every direction, awesome breweries, wineries and dispensaries (if you partake). And in comparison to other parts of the state, it’s still somewhat affordable.

Santa Rosa, Ca - Should You Live Here?