Santa Rosa

Stretching from dense midcentury residential blocks off Highway 12 up winding hills canopied by the arced boughs of mature trees along its namesake road, Bennett Valley is a suburban gateway between downtown Santa Rosa and the vast vineyards of the Bennett Valley American Viticultural Area. “The custom homes, nature and convenient shopping are very popular,” says Kate Almassi, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker who lives in Bennett Valley. “How many places are there where you live near a state park and can also walk to Safeway?” Surrounded by scenic vistas of tree-dotted ridges, Bennett Valley connects residents to the outdoors as well as the trendy, urban comforts of downtown Santa Rosa. Called Annadel Park by locals, Trione-Annadel State Park is one of several massive parks atop ridges to the east of Bennett Valley, covered in shady groves of trees, grassy hillsides, fishing lakes and extensive trails. "Spring Lake and Annadel Park are the main attractions,” Almassi says. “They’re right next to each other, and people love that they can just get up and go bike or hike.” For a break from lakeside paths or hilly terrain, locals can find amenities like tennis and pickleball courts, soccer fields, a baseball diamond, dog park, playground and fly-fishing pond at Galvin Community Park. Next door, the public Bennet Valley Golf Course winds through coves of pines and redwood trees off Matanzas Creek. Largely developed from the 1960s onward, Bennett Valley’s central residential streets have a dense, midcentury suburban feel. Extensive sidewalks connect a variety of one- and two-story homes in traditional and more contemporary styles, selling for $475,000 to $920,000. Larger, landscaped lots shrouded by mature trees and shrubs house midcentury ranch-style houses and creative custom builds from the 1980s through 2000s on steep hills away from more crowded blocks, typically selling for $850,000 to $2.5 million. Several townhouse and condo communities sprung up in the 1970s through 1990s, selling attached units for $370,000 to $735,000 depending on access to community amenities like pools or clubhouses and floorplan. Each Wednesday and Saturday morning, The Santa Rosa Farmers Lane Farmers Market supplies residents with colorful arrays of local produce, artisan goods and fresh flowers. Vendors set up their tents in the Farmer’s Lane Plaza parking lot, and the market’s Facebook page keeps the community updated on the cuisines and seasonal items locals can expect to see. Shopping plazas along Yulupa Avenue provide residents with centralized essentials like Safeway and CVS as well as casual restaurants like Gio’s Pizza and Ricardo’s Bar and Grill. Dozens of specialty retailers and sit-down restaurants like lululemon and SEA Thai Bistro draw locals to Montgomery Village which sits within a mile of Bennett Valley, and Matanzas Creek Winery hosts tastings in a more rural setting overlooking a fragrant lavender garden 4 miles in the opposite direction. For religious services, locals can find churches closer to downtown Santa Rosa and a synagogue near Farmer’s Lane Plaza. Kids can attend Yulupa Elementary School for kindergarten through third grade and Strawberry Elementary School for fourth through sixth grade which each earn an A-minus or better on Niche. Students finish up school at Herbert Slater Middle School and Montgomery High School, which each earn a B. Montgomery High has a student-teacher ratio of 22-to-1, and students can opt into IB Diploma or AVID Elective programs to enhance college preparedness. While most residents rely on personal vehicles to get around, Santa Rosa CityBus service runs between shopping centers on Yulupa Avenue and along Hoen Avenue, as do bike lanes. Highway 12 intersects with Route 101 2 miles west of Bennett Valley, opening access to Route 101 Corridor destinations like San Francisco which is 57 miles away. “Since COVID, more hybrid workers who only need to be in Silicon Valley or San Francisco a few times a month have moved up here,” Almassi says. Santa Rosa has experienced destructive wildfires in the past, and homes near Annadel State Park fall into a higher risk zone due to the concentration of brush and trees. During unusually heavy rainfall, some areas along Matanzas Creek and near Neotomas Avenue and Tachevah Drive are prone to flooding.

Set just east of downtown Santa Rosa, Sonoma County's Luther Burbank Home & Gardens is a designated preservation district that has been a part of the city's landscape since 1885. This historic site was once the home and laboratory of Luther Burbank, a pioneering horticulturist who developed over 800 new plant varieties. Today, local volunteers tend the gardens' vibrant roses and fruit trees, attracting visitors from far and wide who come to learn about this often-overlooked piece of Santa Rosa history. Nevertheless, residents in the neighboring homes are well aware that they live amidst a coveted historic site. “It's not your typical subdivision," says Lisa Kranz, a resident and the City of Santa Rosa's Senior Planner. "The history and nature here take center stage – people live in 100-plus-year-old cottages and there's a museum right next door. It's a real treasure, and the community doesn't take it for granted." Fluffy trees and bushes unfurl from house to house, providing a sometimes shady backdrop of green along the well-paved sidewalks and wide streets. Homes in the neighborhood have a lot of character; traditional beige and gray homes are often neighbored by eye-catching pastel cottages and earth-toned Mission Revivals. Realtor Jim Brown of Bertolone Realty grew up in Santa Rosa, and as a kid had a paper route in Burbank Gardens. “The neighborhood’s charm has always been its biggest selling point—most of the houses are really quaint,” says Brown. “It’s not for large families, though. It’s more ideal for someone wanting a starter house or retirement home, simply because the lots here are small—just about 40 feet wide.” Single-family homes here typically have two-bedrooms and one bathroom, built between 1900 and 1930. Craftsman homes and cottages with small front porches and attached garages sit on mid-sized yards, starting at around $450,000 and capping at around $750,000. Kids in the neighborhood can attend schools within the Santa Rosa Elementary district, earning an overall B from Niche. They might start out at the B-minus rated Luther Burbank Elementary, then advance to the B-rated Santa Rosa Middle, emphasizing tech literacy and critical thinking. Montgomery High also earns a B, offering 8th graders the opportunity to shadow a current student before enrolling. One of the oldest parks in Santa Rosa is the 9-acre Juilliard Park, set directly across from the neighborhood. This community open space once belonged to winemaker Charles Juilliard, who in 1872 built a Victorian home here, then planted an orchard around it. Today, the park features a bocce court, towering pines and a garden so lush that locals often make it their wedding venue. Most of the neighborhood gathers here with picnic blankets in the summer for Live at Juilliard, a laid-back concert series that features local acts. Parents can also bring their kids to the Burbank Playground, set conveniently on the grounds for when little ones get bored. Residents are likely to run into neighbors in the South of A Street (SOFA) Arts District, home to the farm-to-fork restaurant Spinster Sisters, and Café Frida Gallery. Folks delight in visiting Spinster Sisters for their Burger Nite Wednesdays, exploring the galleries and catching a matinee at the Roxy 14 movie theater. For everyday essentials, Grocery Outlet is less than a mile away on 4th Street, while the Montgomery Village shopping center offers a Lucky supermarket. The neighborhood is set just east of the junction of Highway 12 and the 101, leading South to Petaluma in 17 miles and downtown San Francisco in 55 miles. The closest bus stop is in Montgomery Village, making stops in downtown Santa Rosa, Howarth Park and several other neighborhoods. Residents can take the Sonoma County Airport Express shuttle to the San Francisco Airport for international flights, while the Sonoma County Airport is located 10 miles away for domestic flights. In case of medical need, the Providence Memorial Hospital is less than a mile away.

Not to be confused with the Sonoma County bookstore chain or the famous magician, Santa Rosa’s Copperfield neighborhood offers convenience to Highway 12, community parks and mostly mid-sized homes on ample lots. “Copperfield is kind of your entry-level in Sonoma County with a lower HOA,” says Josh Montelongo, a Realtor at Prosper Real Estate who has been selling homes in the area for three years. “You’re about a 5-minute drive to downtown. You’re right off Fulton and it’s a quick pop into Sebastopol. You’re close to most of the places you’d want to go in Sonoma County. For the price, you just can’t beat it.” “It's about 5 minutes to the 101, and the commercial drag is super easy, just off the 12,” Montelongo says. Easy access to Highway 12, Fulton Road and West 3rd Street, the latter of which is dotted with bus stops, makes traveling easy. It’s just 3 miles to the Santa Rosa Downtown Station on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, otherwise known as SMART, and less than 5 miles to the Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center. Residents pick up groceries at FoodMaxx or the local gourmet chain, Oliver’s Market. Cozy, wood-paneled diner Louie’s Fine Foods has served three meals daily since 1941. Popular with local seniors, it’s known for its friendly service and big portions of comfort staples like waffles and corned beef hash. Soothingly lit and sprinkled with Asian curios, local standby Thai Pot hasn’t been refreshed since its late ‘90s debut, but its food remains delicious. And of course, it’s a quick drive to Downtown Santa Rosa and its abundance of popular restaurants, from Jackson’s Bar and Oven to the fine-dining Stark’s Steak & Seafood. On sunny days, residents drive 5 miles to The Barlow in Sebastopol, an open-air market where they can enjoy local food, wine and beer. At 77 acres, Copperfield’s largest park is A Place to Play, with soccer and baseball fields, a playground, dog runs for pups both large and small and a fishing pond rimmed by a lush tumble of trees. Some days, the whirring of locals’ remote-control racecars on the park’s curving, rubber-lined track fills the air. A gravel-packed path loops the pond before connecting with the paved Santa Rosa Creek Trail, part of a six-mile walking and biking route that links up with the city’s downtown. A few smaller parks in the neighborhood, including Live Oak Park, offer a green space and playground for locals to enjoy. Single-family homes are generally older ranch-style homes from the 1970s or 1980s and two-story Craftsman-inspired houses built between the 1980s and 1990s. “Like a lot of western Santa Rosa, this area was mostly farms and vineyards until the 1960s and 70s,” says Danny M. Cronin, a Realtor at W Real Estate. “The general vibe is established, with wide, quiet streets that are safe to walk on.” East of Fulton Road, the mostly two- to four-bedroom homes have medium-sized, tree-dotted yards and prominent garages. The median home price is $660,000, but prices range from $600,000 for a fixer-upper to about $700,000 for an updated home. Several mobile home communities are also located in Copperfield, offering residents double-wide two- or three-bedroom mobile homes for between $300,000 and $450,000. “It’s a great spot to get started, because you know there’s going to be a demand for that when you’re ready to sell and move into your forever home,” Montelongo says. “Equity builds. We sold one for $515,000 a couple of years ago, in 2021 or 2022, and it’d be in the $600,000 range now.” Although the homes tend toward the older side, not all of them need a lot of work. “Depending on the property, most of these homes were built in the 70s, so we’re seeing a lot of them getting facelifts,” says Ben LeBerthon, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker who has over 30 years of experience selling in the area. “Some of them can be quite nice inside and others can be quite dated.” West of Fulton Road, a small collection of gated communities full of cul-de-sac subdivisions become leafier and more private, bordered by rural open space, farms and vineyards and selling for between $900,000 and $1.6 million. The Wright Elementary School District has a B-plus on Niche. Children can attend J.X. Wilson Elementary, which has a B rating, from kindergarten through eighth grade. Nearby K-8 charter options, Roseland and Wright, receive a B-plus and B-minus respectively. Older children can attend Piner High School, which has a B-plus and features a planetarium, observatory and computer lab completed in 2013.

Downtown Santa Rosa is a commercial district comprising shopping and dining in the city's heart with small pockets of houses and apartment complexes. Residents enjoy convenient access to Highway 101, connecting drivers throughout the city and towards the San Francisco Bay Area. A part of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa is well-known for its wineries and laidback, neighborly wine country culture. Before early European settlers made Santa Rosa their home, the area was home to tribes of Cahuilla Native Americans. Today, Santa Rosans actively celebrate their city’s history through museums, festivals and nature preservation. “The best part about living in Santa Rosa is the access to the outdoors,” says Florence Sheffer, a Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Realty and over 16 years of real estate experience. “If you live downtown, you’re about 10 minutes from great, big, open spaces, like Annadel State Park, which is 5,000 acres of lakes and trails.” Downtown Santa Rosa is busy with shops, restaurants, construction yards and industrial buildings. “This is where you’ll find vintage homes from the 1930s through current construction,” says Sheffer. Single-story ranch-style homes are common with well-kept, trimmed lawns; many have trees, like oak or redwood. Homes are adorned with quirky string lights and latticework; each house has its own individual style, and homeowners enjoy expressing themselves this way. Condos and apartments are more common than homes in Downtown Santa Rosa, like the Annadel complexes with contemporary architecture. Homes around Downtown Santa Rosa typically start around $800,000 and reach prices up to $2 million for multi-story, five-or four-bedroom homes. Local kids can study at Santa Rosa City Schools. Home of the Vikings, Steele Lane Elementary receives a C from Niche and provides after-school enrichment programs like Lego Robotics and Student Council. Students can attend 7th and 8th grade at Hilliard Comstock Middle, also rated C, before moving on to Santa Rosa High, rated A-minus; here, students can join extracurricular clubs like Bee & Gardening, Baking and Dead Poets Society. Prince Gateway Park is a half-acre lot of grassy areas with a splash park for both children and adults to cool down on sunny California days. Nearby, one of Santa Rosa’s oldest parks, Juilliard Park, covers over 9 acres and includes a playground, community garden, and public art by Charles Ginnever; the park also hosts the Live at Juilliard Summer Concert Series. Around the corner, the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens is a must-see destination for his meticulous, naturalist creations in his acre-sized garden and Greek Revival home. Visitors may also want to head to the Prince Memorial Greenway along Santa Rosa Creek to enjoy serene views of California scenery. Find all sorts of shopping and dining options in Santa Rosa’s downtown area. “Downtown suffered during the pandemic, but now we’re getting all kinds of new restaurants,” says Sheffer. Try Carlos’ Country Kitchen for homestyle American favorites like burgers and grilled cheeses. For Italian and German cooking, try Franchetti’s Gasthaus + Biergarten to enjoy a schnitzel burger or goulash; head there during happy hour to sample the German beers on tap. Living in Sonoma County means having access to the wine culture that helped put it on the map—if that piques your interest, then check out the nearby D'Argenzio Winery and Tasting Room or take a trip 20 miles upstate to Francis Ford Coppola Winery for wine tastings and movie memorabilia. For shopping, try the historic Railroad Square to find one-of-a-kind antiques and oddities at stores like Green Fish Trading and The Batcave. About a mile away, grab groceries at the local Whole Foods. Santa Rosa is home to a plethora of annual festivals and events, like the Sonoma County Pride Parade, which celebrates diversity, community, and belonging. There’s also the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, which features local agriculture and a wine-judging competition. Visitors also won’t want to miss events like Movies in the Park at Howarth Park in the summer, the Floating Pumpkin Patch at Ridgway Swim Center and the Handmade Holiday Crafts Fair. While downtown, locals can also learn about Santa Rosa’s history at the Museum of Sonoma County or learn about a famous Santa Rosan, Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip, at the Charles M. Schulz Museum. The Downtown Santa Rosa area is walkable, but residents typically drive around the city; Highway 101 is nearby and connects drivers throughout the city and towards Southern California. Santa Rosa also offers buses throughout the city and to surrounding areas of Sonoma County. Sheffer recommends the Smart Train for an easy trip to the San Francisco Ferry. The Sonoma County Airport is about 7 miles from Downtown Santa Rosa; for medical needs, Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital is 2 miles away.

Like a botanical garden with vintage houses, Santa Rosa's leafy, friendly Junior College neighborhood is full of folks who love gardens, caring for older homes and strolling on wide, well-kept streets, greeting their neighbors. Named for its Santa Rosa Junior College, this urban-suburban neighborhood bordered by US 101 and just east of downtown is popular with academics, students, and families with kids. Warm efforts towards social justice and inclusion are made by the Junior College Neighborhood Association, from LGBTQ-friendly lawn-sign campaigns to sidewalk-chalk drawing parties. "Junior College is a great area to live," says Adam Menconi, broker/owner of Prosper Real Estate in Santa Rosa, who has been a top-selling Sonoma Valley real estate professional for 20 years. "It has beautiful tree-lined streets and a lot of different styles of homes that have been built over the years. It's also in a great centralized Santa Rosa location that retains value very well." Founded in 1918, Santa Rosa Junior College is one of California's oldest community colleges. Locally known as “the JC,” its 100-acre campus has an East Coast feel, with tall oaks and ivy-covered brick buildings. In addition to a planetarium and gallery of Native American artifacts, its highlights include a resident stage for its acclaimed theater program and the student-run café and bakery at the Burdo Culinary Arts Center, a great seasonal spot for morning pastries. Single-family homes in Junior College are generally Queen Annes, Craftsman bungalows and midcentury ranch styles, ranging from around 900 to 4,800 square feet and priced from $400,000 to $1.6 million. Longtime Junior College resident Allison Bettis loves to stroll around and visit her favorites, which date from the late 19th century into the 1920s. "I think the antique homes here are the nicest ones in Santa Rosa," says Bettis. "It's like porch heaven, all gables and spindles and columns. And there's this safe, lived-in feel, like the neighborhood's been here forever." Bettis continues, "The farther east you go from the school, the wider the streets get and the bigger the houses, but even the smallest ones are full of hand-carved details and stained glass." The roots of century-old oaks have rippled many sidewalks here; some trees are large enough to arch over the well-paved streets. Curb appeal can suffer outside homes rented by local students, but most yards are a glory of native and ornamental plantings; botany and horticulture students come here to study common area shrubs, trees and flowers. The most expensive homes are found in the highly sought-after McDonald District. This seamlessly upscale subdivision was named after Colonel Mark L. McDonald, who, in the late 1860s, bought 160 acres here to develop a neighborhood so elegant that it would lure his fellow wealthy San Franciscans north. His charm offensive included building his huge, elaborate Stick-Eastlake style “Mableton” (now known as the McDonald Mansion) on a sprawling, wrought-iron-gated lot, which brought elites here in droves. The mansion not only looks like something out of a Disney film but also served as the backdrop for one — the 1960 “Polyanna.” Aside from the Junior College's many playing fields - Go, Bear Cubs! - there are a few small parks in the area. Half-acre green spaces like Humboldt Park and North Park might seem like little more than tree-shaded playgrounds, but neighborhood kids make some of their first friends here. Many of the area's eateries are geared toward college students, mostly set in shopping centers and strip malls along Mendocino Avenue. Fast-casual joints and Asian eateries prevail, from family-friendly Hang Ah Dim Sum to Chinese and Vietnamese fusion restaurant Goji Kitchen. Dierk’s Midtown Café will fuel the day with a hearty diner breakfast - and the pull-apart-rolls are a must-have. Cozy Plum Bistro features artfully prepared vegan comfort food, and nearby Bird & The Bottle offers a grown-up place for brunch, dinner or creative cocktails. There's no lack of grocery options either, with a neighborhood Grocery Outlet, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods just across the freeway, as well as two area Safeways. From May through October, the JC’s own Shone Farm brings its seasonal farm stand to a campus parking lot, hawking its student-produced veggies, wine, preserves and more. Flower lovers will want to check out the family-owned King’s Nursery, one of Sonoma County’s best flowering plant nurseries, which is a special joy to visit during spring and summer. Junior College residents can keep their health blooming at the medical offices sprinkled all over the area and at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center, one stop north on US 101. Some neighborhood kids attend Steele Lane Elementary, which GreatSchools rates a two out of 10 for its academics, while others might attend kindergarten through eighth grade at Santa Rosa Charter School, earning a solid B from Niche for its focused arts integration curriculum. Santa Rosa High School earns an A-minus for its strong teachers, college prep and diversity. With multiple Santa Rosa CityBus stops along nearby Mendocino Avenue, both students and commuters can catch a ride for the quick journey downtown. Folks heading further afield to San Francisco can make the 55-mile journey by car along nearby US 101. A graceful, inclusive and leafy neighborhood of vintage homes, lush gardens and the city’s most popular community college, urban-suburban Junior College offers its welcome to everyone.