$919,558Average Value$665Average Price per Sq Ft2Homes For Sale
From frontier to active community
Sure, Forestville is full of trees, but that’s a happy accident. Its moniker is simply a misspelling of its 19th-century namesake — a saloon owner called Forrister. Snuggled between the Russian River and Highway 116, Forestville was established as a frontier town in the late 1860s. It eventually attracted turn-of-the-century writers and artists, San Franciscans hoping to cool off by the river and vintners looking to bottle the magic of its Russian River Valley soil. “Forestville is just this little very small town, tucked away feeling, but still only 15 minutes from culture and Costco and Home Depot,” says Roxanne Mercer, a broker associate at Luxe Places International and third-generation Guerneville native who has lived in the area for around 60 years, attending high school in Forestville. “You’re actually very close to those things, but it feels like you’re 50 miles away. People get to feel like they’re living in the trees without having to live in a busy vacation town. It’s the kind of place where you can choose to know every neighbor and everybody lifts a hand for everybody, or you can choose not to know anybody.”
This one-lane bridge into town is worth the scenic detour to get to Forestville, California.
Downtown Forestville and their shops are visited regulary by cyclists traveling from Santa Rosa.
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Floating party on the Russian River
Early Tuesday evenings from June through September, residents chat at the Forestville Farmers Market while enjoying live music and perusing locally produced fruits, veggies, booze and crafts. In June, they arm themselves with tube floats and meet at Steelhead Beach to float along the Russian River together and the Forestville Youth Park Parade draws a spirited crowd.
Get your kayak ready for the Russian River and all it has to offer in Forestville, California.
Forestville Youth Park is at the heart of Forestville for locals.
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Sunshine Roasters coffee, wine on every corner
Residents head to Speer’s Market for fresh produce and meats or drive 20 minutes to larger grocery stores in Healdsburg or Santa Rosa. Serving as Forestville’s downtown, Front Street is the essence of wining and dining. Residents find fresh-baked delights at Nightingale Breads and eye-opening espresso at Sunshine Roasters, which also makes a custom coffee blend for Tiny Town Café. At Carr’s Drive-In, the burgers and shakes come with a side of 1950s nostalgia, while Sonoma Pizza Company fires up fancy pies like grilled peach with burrata and arugula alongside house-made root beer. Upscale wine-country dining in Forestville comes in two forms: rustic-swanky and Michelin-starred. The former is Canneti Roadhouse Italiana, owned and helmed by a Tuscan-born chef and known for the seating on its garden-rimmed, fairy-lit deck. The latter is the restaurant at Farmhouse Inn, a sibling-owned luxury resort with locally sourced ingredients. Away from the buzz of still more casual Front Street tasting rooms, wineries and vineyards abound.
Meet with a friend for coffee or watch the tourists from Sunshine Roasters in Forestville.
Forestville residents and guests stop by the Sonoma Pizza Company for an amazing lunch.
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Sunny or tree-shaded living
Single-family homes in Forestville can date back to the Victorian era, but Mercer says no two homes are alike. Ranch-style homes, cozy cottages and homes with rustic wood shingles or log exteriors can all be found here. Larger lots, which can be wooded or flat and sunny, are common and most homes are on septic, but they also come at a premium. “It draws a higher dollar because it is that halfway in between Guerneville and Santa Rosa where you don’t have to deal with vacation traffic and can still be in the woods,” Mercer says. Homes start at about $450,000 but can soar to $3 million.
Hillside homes in Forestville create the feel of a village beside the Russian River.
Classical Victorian homes can be found in Forestville, California.
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Top-rated Analy High School
The Forestville Union Elementary School District has a B-minus on Niche. Forestville Elementary School teaches kindergarten and first grade but hasn’t been scored by Niche or GreatSchools. For second through eighth grade, Forestville Academy, a charter school and the only local option for those grades, receives a B-minus on Niche. Children can attend Analy High School, which is part of the West Sonoma County Union High School District. Analy merged with El Molino High School in 2021, and has an A-minus.
Forestville Elementary School offers an inspiring campus encouraging children to learn.
Educational opportunities abound at Analy High School.
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Floating down the Russian River
Steelhead Beach is the go-to spot for swimming and enjoying the Russian River. Locals enjoy hiking up pedestrian-only side roads or hitting the 5.5-mile off-road West County Regional Trail to Graton and Sebastopol, drinking in views of pastures and vineyards. Residents also enjoy walking around town. “You’ll always see people out walking together in downtown Forestville,” says longtime area resident Julia Lander. “My favorite place to walk is Forestview Cemetery, which is so pretty and peaceful, with big, arching oaks everywhere and vineyards on both sides. You can take your dog, but I just love wandering past the old graves and trying to imagine people’s stories.” Youth Park offers soccer and baseball fields alongside a playground.
Steelhead Beach on the Russian River in Forestville is a great place to spend the day.
Get your best bike mate and head out to West County Regional Trail in Forestville, California.
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Commuting to Santa Rosa
Front Street, also known as Route 116, serves as Forestville’s main thoroughfare. Along this road, it’s about 7 miles to Sebastopol or Guerneville. Forestville’s position between Guerneville and Santa Rosa, which is 14 miles away, is a major draw. “The majority of people are going to be commuting to work, so it’s a much nicer commute for them, not having to go all the way from Guerneville,” Mercer says. The Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport is less than 9 miles away.
Catch the bus out of town with local transit in Forestville, California.
The local Sonoma County Airport offers easy access for Forestville residents and visitors.
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Written By
Christina Norwood
Video By
Mallory Nolte
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Dean Castelli,
an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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On average, homes in Forestville, CA sell after 123 days on the market compared to the national average of 69 days. The median sale price for homes in Forestville, CA over the last 12 months is $600,000, down 19% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address. CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks.
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