62-610: Central Coast is a vast American Viticultural Area (AVA) that spans along the Central California Pacific coastline from the San Francisco Bay Area south through Monterey , San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. It was established on November 25, 1985 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) , Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Taylor California Cellars,
124-509: A Fisheries Enhancement Program since 1996. Its website says: "The primary focus of the FEP is to enhance habitat for three salmonids : Steelhead , Chinook salmon , and Coho salmon . These three species are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act . The California Department of Fish and Game considers the Coho salmon endangered." [REDACTED] U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101
186-548: A bill that resulted in Santa Rosa being confirmed as county seat in 1854. Allegedly, several Santa Rosans, not caring to wait, decided to take action and, one night, rode down the Sonoma Valley to Sonoma, took the county seals and records, and brought them to Santa Rosa. Some of the county's land was annexed from Mendocino County between 1850 and 1860. Early post-1847 settlement and development focused primarily on
248-414: A bustling center of trade, taking advantage of its position on the river near a region of highly productive agricultural land that was being settled. Soon, other inland towns, notably Santa Rosa and Healdsburg began to develop similarly due to their locations along riparian areas in prime agricultural flatland. However, their development initially lagged behind Petaluma which, until the arrival of railroads in
310-505: A fair amount of rain, with much of the county receiving between about 25 in (640 mm), comparable to areas such as Sonoma and Petaluma, and roughly 30 in (760 mm) normal for Santa Rosa. However, certain areas, particularly in the north-west portion of the county around the Russian River, receive significantly more rainfall. The Guerneville area, for example, typically receives about 50 in (1,300 mm) of rain
372-629: A petition is accepted as complete, the TTB may choose to seek public input on the proposal and at its sole discretion may approve the proposed AVA. Before the AVA system, wine appellations of origin in the United States were designated based on state or county boundaries. All of these appellations were grandfathered into federal regulations and may appear on wine labels as designated places of origin in lieu of an AVA, such as Sonoma County . In order for
434-401: A wine to be labeled with a state or county appellation, at least 75% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been grown within the boundary of the appellation, and the wine must be fully finished within the state in which the appellation is located. Some states have more stringent rules, such as California , which requires 100% of the grapes used to make the wine be from California and that
496-545: A winery in Gonzales, California , to establish the "Central Coast" viticultural area. The boundaries of the Central Coast, which have been expanded twice, includes portions of six counties where approximately 100,000 acres (40,469 ha) cultivated with Chardonnay being more than half of the varietal. Within the multi-county AVA are numerous established appellations that share the same maritime climate produced by
558-553: A year, with annual rain occasionally going as high as 70 in (1,800 mm). Nearby Cazadero typically receives about 72 in (1,800 mm) of rain a year, many times has reached over 100 in (2,500 mm) a year, and sometimes over 120 in (3,000 mm) of rain in a year. The Cazadero region is the second wettest place in California after Gasquet . Snow is exceedingly rare in Sonoma County, except in
620-459: 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 km ) and comprisedof a mosaic of creeks, open water, perennial marshes, seasonal wetlands, riparian forests, oak woodlands, and grasslands... As
682-719: Is a county located in the U.S. state of California . As of the 2020 United States Census , its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa . Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is part of the San Jose - San Francisco - Oakland , CA Combined Statistical Area . It is the northernmost county in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region. In California's Wine Country region, which also includes Napa, Mendocino, and Lake counties, Sonoma County
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#1732771912158744-473: Is a leading producer of hops, grapes, prunes, apples, as well as dairy and poultry products, largely due to the extent of available, fertile agricultural land in addition to the abundance of high-quality water for irrigation. Agriculture is largely divided between two nearly monocultural uses: grapes and pasturage. The Pomo , Coast Miwok and Wappo peoples were the earliest human settlers of Sonoma County, between 8000 and 5000 BC, effectively living within
806-416: 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 Ukiah , and flows into Lake Mendocino , a major flood control reservoir. The river flows south from the lake through Mendocino to Sonoma County, paralleled by Highway 101. It turns west at Healdsburg, receiving water from Lake Sonoma via Dry Creek , and empties into
868-769: Is just the southeastern portion of the county, which includes many other valleys and geographic zones, including the Petaluma Valley, the Santa Rosa Plains , the Russian River , the Alexander Valley , and the Dry Creek Valley . Distinct habitat areas within the county include oak woodland , redwood forest , northern coastal scrub , grassland , marshland , oak savanna and riparian woodland . The California oak woodland in
930-486: Is not always the case. See map on the right showing the outline of the Paso Robles AVA , California's largest in total area, and the eleven distinct AVAs contained within it. In 2018, the second session of the 115th Congress recognized the contribution of American Viticultural Areas to the economy. The Blunt-Merkley Resolution passed unanimously. It noted that an AVA allows vintners to describe more accurately
992-557: Is partly a result of the presence of high and low pressures in inland California, with persistent high summer temperatures in the Central Valley , in particular, leading to low pressures, drawing in moist air from the Pacific, cooling into damp cool breezes and fog over the cold coastal water. Those places further inland and particularly in the lee of significant elevations tend to receive less rain and less, in some cases no, fog in
1054-401: Is the largest producer. It has nineteen approved American Viticultural Areas and more than 350 wineries. The voters have twice approved open space initiatives that have provided funding for public acquisition of natural areas, preserving forested areas, coastal habitat , and other open space. More than 8.4 million tourists visit each year, spending more than $ 1 billion in 2016. Sonoma County
1116-463: Is the westernmost Federal highway in the U.S.A. Running north/south through the states of California, Oregon , and Washington, it generally parallels the coastline from Downtown Los Angeles to the Canada–US 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 its entire length within
1178-681: Is water. The county lies in the North Coast Ranges of northwestern California. Its ranges include the Mayacamas and the Sonoma Mountains , the southern peak of the latter being the prominent landform Sears Point . The highest peak in the Mayacamas within the county and the highest peak in the county is Mt. Saint Helena . It has uncommon occurrences of pygmy forest , dominated by Mendocino cypress . The highest peak of
1240-581: The California clapper rail ( Rallus longirostris obsoletus ), salt marsh harvest mouse ( Reithrodontomys raviventris ), northern red-legged frog ( Rana aurora ), Sacramento splittail ( Pogonichthys macrolepidotus ), California freshwater shrimp ( Syncaris pacifica ), showy Indian clover ( Trifolium amoenum ), Hickman's potentilla ( Potentilla hickmanii ), northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), and marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). Species of special local concern include
1302-544: The California tiger salamander ( Ambystoma californiense ), coho salmon , and some endangered plants, including Burke's goldfields ( Lasthenia burkei ), Sebastopol meadowfoam ( Limnanthes vinculans ), and Sonoma sunshine or Baker's stickyseed ( Blennosperma bakeri ). Endangered species that are endemic to Sonoma County include Sebastopol meadowfoam, Sonoma sunshine, and Pitkin Marsh lily ( Lilium pardalinum subsp. pitkinense ). The Sonoma County Water Agency has had
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#17327719121581364-530: The Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino County , California, at only 60 acres (24 ha). The Augusta AVA , which occupies the area around the town of Augusta, Missouri , was the first recognized AVA, gaining the status on June 20, 1980. There are currently 276 AVAs spread across 34 states, with over half (154) in California. An AVA may be located within one or more larger AVAs. For example,
1426-635: The Homeland Security Act of 2002 . The counties within Central Coast are: 36°22′20″N 121°18′39″W / 36.37210050°N 121.31082855°W / 36.37210050; -121.31082855 American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area ( AVA ) is a designated wine grape -growing region in the United States , providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about
1488-570: The Pacific Ocean . County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) . TTB was created in January 2003, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms , or ATF, was extensively reorganized under the provisions of
1550-660: The Santa Clara Valley AVA and Livermore Valley AVA are located within the boundaries of the San Francisco Bay AVA , which is itself located within the Central Coast AVA . In such cases, the wine may be labeled with any of the relevant AVAs, but winemakers generally label wines with the most specific AVA allowed for each wine. Smaller AVAs are often perceived to be associated with smaller production and higher quality wines, though this
1612-698: The state where the AVA is located. The boundaries of AVAs are defined by the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a component of the United States Department of the Treasury . The TTB defines AVAs at the request of wineries and other petitioners . Prior to the TTB's creation in 2003, the Treasury’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) received and handled petitions for viticultural areas, wine production and labeling. Section 4.25(e)(2) of
1674-517: The 1860s, remained the primary commercial, transit, and break-of-bulk point for people and goods in the region. After the arrival of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad in 1870, Santa Rosa began to boom, soon equalling and then surpassing Petaluma as the region's population and commercial center. The railroad bypassed Petaluma for southern connections to ferries of San Francisco Bay . Six nations have claimed Sonoma County from 1542 to
1736-563: The Marin County border at the Petaluma River and the border with Solano County at Sonoma Creek . Sonoma County has no incorporated communities directly on the shore of San Pablo Bay. The Petaluma River, Tolay Creek , and Sonoma Creek enter the bay at the county's southernmost tip. The intertidal zone where they join the bay is the vast Napa Sonoma Marsh . Americano Creek , the Petaluma River, Tolay Creek, and Sonoma Creek are
1798-587: 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 Bear Flag Revolt in 1846. Sonoma was one of the original counties when California became a state in 1850, with its county seat originally the town (now city) of Sonoma. However, by the early 1850s, Sonoma had declined in importance in both commerce and population, its county buildings were crumbling, and it
1860-556: The Pacific Ocean at Jenner . The Laguna de Santa Rosa 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 km ). It drains a 254-square-mile (660 km ) watershed, including most of the Santa Rosa Plain. The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation says: The Laguna de Santa Rosa
1922-749: The Sonoma County Historical Society counts 380 landmarks recognized by several agencies. According to the book California Place Names , "The name of the Indian tribe is mentioned in baptismal records of 1815 as Chucuines or Sonomas , by Chamisso in 1816 as Sonomi , and repeatedly in Mission records of the following years." According to the Coast Miwok and the Pomo tribes that lived in the region, Sonoma translates as "valley of
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1984-586: The Sonoma Mountains is Sonoma Mountain itself, which boasts two significant public access properties: Jack London State Historic Park and Fairfield Osborn Preserve . The county includes the City of Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley , in which the City of Sonoma is located. However, these are not synonymous. The City of Sonoma is merely one of nine incorporated cities in the county. The Sonoma Valley
2046-455: The Sonoma Valley, east of Petaluma, are similar, with highs typically in the very high 70s F to 80 °F (27 °C). This is in part due to the presence of the Sonoma Mountains between Petaluma and Sonoma. Cloverdale , far to the north and outside of the Santa Rosa Plain, is significantly hotter than any other city in the county, with rare evening-morning fog and highs often in the 90s, reaching 100 °F (38 °C) much more frequently than
2108-666: The Walbridge Fire burned 55,209 acres (22,342 ha) in the western part of the county; then in September–October the Glass fire affected the city of Santa Rosa and ultimately destroying 1,000+ buildings The county also had a wildfire in the 1870s that is compared to the Hanley fire and Tubbs fire because they burned in the same path. The Sonoma County Landmarks Commission recognizes nearly 200 formal historical landmarks and
2170-501: The city of Sonoma, then the region's sole town and a common transit and resting point in overland travel between the region and Sacramento and the gold fields to the east. However, after 1850, a settlement that soon became the city of Petaluma began to grow naturally near the farthest navigable point inland up the Petaluma River . Originally a hunting camp used to obtain game to sell in other markets, by 1854 Petaluma had grown into
2232-427: The coast, with strong marine influence, tends to have low diurnal temperature fluctuation, with summer highs much cooler than the inland towns, typically 65–75 °F, yet lows in the high 40s to low 50s F, fairly comparable to most inland towns. These microclimates are evident during the rainy seasons as well, with great variation in the amount of rainfall throughout the county. Generally, all of Sonoma County receives
2294-462: The county's beaches were listed as among the cleanest in the state in 2010. Six of the county's nine cities, from Healdsburg south through Santa Rosa to Rohnert Park and Cotati, are in the Santa Rosa Plain. The northern Plain drains directly to the Russian River, or to a tributary; the southern Plain drains to the Russian River via the Laguna de Santa Rosa . Much of central and northern Sonoma County
2356-497: The county. The four-lane sections of the highway have been heavily congested during peak commute hours for many years and work is being done to widen part of the highway to six lanes. The segment from north of Petaluma (at Old Redwood Highway/Petaluma Boulevard North exit) to Windsor has been fully widened, as has the segment from the Petaluma River bridge to the Marin County border. The two new inner lanes are designated for vehicles with two or more occupants during commute hours. Work
2418-404: The county. In summer, daily lows and highs are typically 30–40 °F apart inland, with highs for Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor, and Sebastopol typically being in the very low 80s F and lows at or near 50 °F (10 °C). Healdsburg and the City of Sonoma, with similar lows, have even greater diurnal fluctuations due to their significantly warmer highs. On the other hand,
2480-554: The earth; and noma , village; hence tsonoma , "earth village." Other sources say Sonoma comes from the Patwin tribes west of the Sacramento River , and their Wintu 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 )." Spaniards may have found an Indian chief with a prominent protuberance and applied
2542-710: The first newcomers to establish a permanent foothold in Sonoma County, with the Russian-American Company establishing Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast in 1812. This settlement and its outlying Russian settlements came to include a population of several hundred Russian and Aleut settlers and a stockaded fort with artillery. However, the Russians abandoned it in 1841 and sold the fort to John Sutter , settler and Mexican land grantee of Sacramento . The Mission San Francisco Solano , founded in 1823 as
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2604-416: The fog later in the evening, the fog tends to be more short-lived, and mid-day temperatures are significantly higher than they are on the coast, typically in the low 80s F. This is particularly true for Petaluma, Cotati , and Rohnert Park , and, only slightly less so, Santa Rosa, Windsor , and Sebastopol . In large part, this results from lower elevations and the prominent Petaluma Gap in the hills between
2666-410: The geographic pedigree of their wines, as wines from a particular area can possess distinctive characteristics. Consumers often seek out wines from specific AVAs, and certain wines of particular pedigrees can claim premium prices and loyal customers. If a wine is labeled with an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes that make up the wine must have been grown in the AVA, and the wine must be fully finished within
2728-621: The higher elevations on and around the Mayacamas Mountains , particularly Mount Saint Helena , and Cobb Mountain , whose peak is in Lake County. Sonoma County is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and has 76 miles (122 km) of coastline. The major coastal hydrographic features are Bodega Bay , the mouth of the Russian River, and the mouth of the Gualala River , at the border with Mendocino County . All of
2790-480: The last and northernmost of 21 California missions , is in the present City of Sonoma , at the northern end of El Camino Real . El Presidio de Sonoma , or Sonoma Barracks (part of Spain's Fourth Military District ), was established in 1836 by Comandante General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo . His duties included keeping an eye on the Russian traders at Fort Ross, secularizing the Mission, maintaining cooperation with
2852-569: The moon" or "many moons". Their legends detail this as a land where the moon nestled, hence the names Sonoma Valley and the "Valley of the Moon." This translation was first recorded in an 1850 report by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to the California Legislature. Jack London popularized it in his 1913 novel The Valley of the Moon . In the native languages there is also a constantly recurring ending tso-noma , from tso ,
2914-433: The natural carrying capacity of the land. Archaeological evidence of these First people includes a number of occurrences of rock carvings , especially in southern Sonoma County; these carvings often take the form of pecked curvilinear nucleated design. Spaniards , Russians , and other Europeans claimed and settled in the county from the late 16th to mid-19th century, seeking timber, fur, and farmland. The Russians were
2976-421: The nickname of Chief Nose to the village and the territory. The name may have applied originally to a nose-shaped geographic feature. Jesse Sawyer argues that it is from Wappo tso-noma , meaning "redwood place." According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has an area of 1,768 square miles (4,580 km ), of which 1,576 square miles (4,080 km ) is land and 192 square miles (500 km ) (10.9%)
3038-444: The oak woodland habitat include Pacific madrone , Douglas fir , coast live oak , Garry oak , and California laurel . Common understory plants are toyon , poison oak , and, at the fringes, coast silk-tassel . Sonoma County, as is often the case with coastal counties in California, has a great degree of climatic variation and numerous, often very different, microclimates. Key determining factors for local climate are proximity to
3100-404: The ocean to the west and the Petaluma Valley and Santa Rosa Plain to the east. Areas north of Santa Rosa and Windsor, with larger elevations to the west and further from the fog path, tend to receive less fog and less summer marine influence. Healdsburg, to the north of Windsor, is less foggy and much warmer, with summer highs typically in the higher 80s to about 90 °F (32 °C). Sonoma and
3162-460: The ocean, elevation, and the presence and elevation of hills or mountains to the east and west. This is in large part due to the fact that, as throughout California, the prevailing weather systems and wind come normally from the Pacific Ocean, blowing in from the west and southwest, so that places closer to the ocean and on the windward side of higher elevations tend to receive more rain from autumn through spring and more summer wind and fog. This itself
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#17327719121583224-400: The origin of their wine, while helping vintners to build and enhance the reputation and value of the wines produced. AVAs also allow consumers to attribute a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic to a wine made from grapes grown in an AVA. AVAs also help consumers identify what they purchase. Sonoma County Sonoma County ( / s ə ˈ n oʊ m ə / )
3286-458: The other cities. Notably, however, the temperature differences among the different areas of the county are greatest for the highs during mid-day, with the diurnal lows much more even throughout the entire county. The lows are closely tied to the evening-morning cooling marine influence, in addition to elevation, bringing similarly cool temperatures to much of region. These weather patterns contribute to high diurnal temperature fluctuations in much of
3348-581: The present: Sonoma County was severely shaken by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . The displacements along the fault averaged 15 feet (4.6 m). In October 2017, the county was greatly affected by the Tubbs Fire and the Nuns Fire . In late October and early November 2019, the Kincade Fire burned 77,758 acres (31,468 ha), almost all in Sonoma County. In August and September 2020,
3410-674: The principal streams draining the southern portion of the county. The Sonoma Valley is drained by Sonoma Creek, whose major tributaries are Yulupa Creek , Graham Creek , Calabazas Creek , Schell Creek, and Carriger Creek ; Arroyo Seco Creek is a tributary to Schell Creek. Other creeks include Foss, Felta, and Mill. Lakes and reservoirs in the county include Lake Sonoma, Tolay Lake , Lake Ilsanjo , Santa Rosa Creek Reservoir , Lake Ralphine , and Fountaingrove Lake . Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems. A number of endangered plants and animals are found in Sonoma County, including
3472-415: 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 Santa Rosa Creek , which runs through Santa Rosa. Its major tributaries are Brush Creek , Mark West Creek, Matanzas Creek , Spring Creek , and Piner Creek . Santa Rosa Creek
3534-400: The regulations (27 C.F.R. § 4.25(e)(2)) outlines the procedure for proposing an AVA and provides that any interested party may petition the TTB to establish a grape-growing region as an AVA. Section 9.12 of the TTB regulations (27 C.F.R. § 9.12) prescribes the standards for petitions for the establishment or modification of AVAs. Petitions to establish an AVA must include the following: Once
3596-554: The summer. The coast itself is typically cool and moist throughout summer, often foggy, with fog generally blowing in during the late afternoon and evening until it clears in the later morning becoming sunny, before repeating. Coastal summer highs are typically in the mid to high 60s, warming to the low 70s further from the ocean. Certain inland areas, including the Petaluma area and the Santa Rosa Plain, are also prone to this normal fog pattern in general. However, they tend to receive
3658-512: The upper Yulupa Creek and Spring Creek watersheds in Annadel State Park is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with considerable biodiversity . 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 bunchgrass understory , testifying to the absence of historic grazing or other agriculture . Trees of
3720-699: The wine be fully finished within the state. Washington requires 95% of the grapes in a Washington wine be grown in Washington, although notably the Columbia Valley AVA , Columbia Gorge AVA , and Walla Walla Valley AVA are shared with Oregon. AVAs vary widely in size, ranging from the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA , at more than 19 million acres (29,900 square miles (77,000 km )) across four states ( Illinois , Iowa , Minnesota , and Wisconsin ), to
3782-489: Was relatively remote. As a result, elements in the newer, rapidly growing towns of Petaluma , Santa Rosa, and Healdsburg began vying to move the county seat to their towns. The dispute ultimately was between the bigger, richer commercial town of Petaluma and the more centrally located, growing agricultural center of Santa Rosa. The fate was decided following an election for the state legislature in which James Bennett of Santa Rosa defeated Joseph Hooker of Sonoma and introduced
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#17327719121583844-599: Was shown to be polluted in Sonoma county first flush results. The boundary with Marin County runs from the mouth of the Estero Americano at Bodega Bay , up Americano Creek, then overland to San Antonio Creek and down the Petaluma River to its mouth at the northwest corner of San Pablo Bay , which adjoins San Francisco Bay . The southern edge of Sonoma County comprises the northern shore of San Pablo Bay between
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