Sonoma, California
Encyclopedia
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...

, Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...

 past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...

. Today, Sonoma is a center of the state's wine industry
California wine
California wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state...

 for the Sonoma Valley AVA
Sonoma Valley AVA
The Sonoma Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA which centers on the Sonoma Valley in the southern portion of the county...

 Appellation
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....

, as well as the home of the nationally recognized Sonoma International Film Festival
Sonoma International Film Festival
The Sonoma International Film Festival takes place every April in the Sonoma Valley and is hosted by the Sonoma International Film Society, a 501c3 non-profit organization. The festival is in its 14th season and has become a film festival destination location hosting the best in film, food and wine...

. Sonoma's population was 10,648 as of the 2010 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

.

Origins

The region of Sonoma was originally the home of Native American Coast Miwok
Coast Miwok
The Coast Miwok were the second largest group of Miwok Native American people. The Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Point and eastward to Sonoma Creek...

 tribes as well as the Pomo people
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...

 and Wintun
Wintun
Wintun is the name generally given to a group of related Native American tribes who live in Northern California, including the Wintu , Nomlaki , and Patwin tribes. Their range is from approximately present-day Lake Shasta to San Francisco Bay, along the western side of the Sacramento River to the...

s. Many of the Native Americans still remain, even after seven changes in government since the Spanish first explored and took over the region (see Sonoma County for governments.)

The town of Sonoma began with the foundation of Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823, and named for Francis Solanus, a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, it is the northernmost Alta...

 in 1823 by Father José Altimira of the Franciscan Order. This mission was the farthest north of all 21 California missions, and was connected to the others by the Camino Real
El Camino Real (California)
El Camino Real and sometimes associated with Calle Real usually refers to the 600-mile California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 missions , 4 presidios, and several pueblos, stretching from Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego...

 (Royal Road). Mission San Francisco Solano was the last of the California missions
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...

 to be established, and the only one founded after Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

's independence from Spain.

Soon after it was built, it was secularized by the Mexican government, under the orders of Lieutenant, later General, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...

. Under Vallejo's supervision, the Presidio of Sonoma
Presidio of Sonoma
El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...

, or Sonoma Barracks (part of Spain's Fourth Military District), was built beside the mission for the army, and he pursued control and order in the region over the native tribes and kept a military eye on the Russians of Fort Ross. Vallejo, who owned over 7 million acres (28,328 km²) in landholdings and was one of Sonoma's most illustrious residents, was instrumental in its growth and made Sonoma into the political center of Northern California. He maintained good relationships with the Native Americans of the region, was helped by his friendship with native Chief Solano
Chief Solano
Chief Solano, original native name Sem-Yeto, meaning "brave or fierce hand", and christianed at about age ten with the Spanish name Francisco Solano, was born about 1798-1800 near Suisun Bay, California in California. Sem-Yeto was a famous chief and leader of the Suisunes tribe, a Patwin people of...

 of the Suisunes
Suisunes
The Suisunes were a tribe of Native Americans that lived in Northern California's Suisun Marsh regions of Solano County, California between what is now Suisun City, Vacaville and Putah Creek around 200 years ago. The Suisunes' main village, Yulyul, is believed to be where Rockville, California is...

, who had been baptized at the mission and who near the city.

Vallejo was also partial towards the influx of American immigrants, both legal and illegal, who entered by way of Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park is a state-protected park in Sacramento, California which includes Sutter's Fort and the California State Indian Museum. Begun in 1839 and originally called "New Helvetia" by its builder, John Sutter, the fort was a 19th century agricultural and trade colony in...

, despite his personal dislike of John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...

. He was, however, careful to ensure the newcomers did not achieve too much power, lest they destabilize the state. His partiallity was tested when an illegal American alien, Edward Bale, formed an American mob attempted to murder Vallejo's brother Salvador in Sonoma's central plaza after losing to him in a duel. Bale was foiled, and plans were made to execute him right on the plaza. However, Vallejo, law-abiding citizen he was, ordered a court trial at the Sonoma alcaldia, where Bale was nonetheless found guilty of attempted murder. His life, however, was spared by the Mexican government, which did not want to create any problems. After the overthrow of the unpopular governor Nicolás Gutiérrez
Nicolás Gutiérrez
Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was a twice acting governor of Alta California in 1836 from January to May and July to November.Gutierrez served two abbreviated terms in less than a year as acting governor of Alta California in 1836...

 by Vallejo's nephew Juan Bautista Alvarado
Juan Bautista Alvarado
Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo was a Californio and twice Governor of Alta California from 1836 to 1837, and 1838 to 1842.-Early years:...

 in 1836, the Monterey diputación named him Comandante General of California, further increasing the prestige of Vallejo and Sonoma. When the American immigrants attempted to overthrow the Mexican government in the Bear Flag Revolt, they imprisoned Vallejo in the town jail and declared Sonoma capital of the "Republic of California".

Plaza


El Pueblo de Sonoma was laid out in the standard form of a Mexican town, centered around the largest plaza in California, 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) in size. This plaza is surrounded by many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823, and named for Francis Solanus, a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, it is the northernmost Alta...

, Captain Salvador Vallejo's Casa Grande, the Presidio of Sonoma
Presidio of Sonoma
El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...

, the Blue Wing Inn, the Sebastiani Theatre, and the Toscano Hotel. In the middle of the plaza, Sonoma's early 20th-century city hall, at the plaza's center and still in use, was designed and built with four identical sides in order not to offend the merchants on any one side of the plaza. The plaza is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 and still serves as the town's focal point, hosting many community festivals and drawing tourists all year round. There are approximately thirty restaurants in the plaza area, including Italian, Irish, Mexican, Portuguese, Basque, Mediterranean, Himalayan, and French. It provides a central tourist attraction. It is also the location of the Farmer's Market, held every Tuesday evening from April to October.

American revolt against Mexican rule


Sonoma is known as the birthplace of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, for it was in this town plaza that the Bear Flag Revolt
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...

 took place and a Bear Flag was first raised on June 14, 1846. The rebelling men claimed to act on the orders of Col. John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...

 proclaiming independence from Mexican rule and a free country called the California Republic
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...

 here. Sonoma served as the capital of the short-lived California Republic
California Republic
The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...

 until the United States Stars and Stripes flag was raised during the Mexican-American war.

General Vallejo was imprisoned during the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846, and he later transferred his allegiance to the U.S. and endorsed California statehood (1850). With his amassed land holdings, Vallejo guided the development of the town of Sonoma. He was one of the most powerful residents in the town's history, dividing up the lands into large ranches for friends and family.

Viticulture

Sonoma is also considered the birthplace of wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

-making in California, dating back to the original vineyards of Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano
Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823, and named for Francis Solanus, a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, it is the northernmost Alta...

, then improvements made by Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Viticulture," or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California"...

, the father of California viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

 and credited with introduction of the Zinfandel
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia , where it was introduced in the 18th century...

/Primitivo grape varietal. The Valley of the Moon
Valley of the Moon
-Places:*For the California valley see: Sonoma Valley**For the legend The Valley of the Moon, see also Sonoma Valley**For the California valley see Sonoma Valley AVA*For places called Moon Valley in Spanish see Valle de la Luna...

 Vintage Festival takes place late each September, and is California's oldest celebration of its winemaking heritage.

Geography

The city is situated in the Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...

, with the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains
Sonoma Mountains
The Sonoma Mountains are a northwest-southeast trending formation of California Coast Ranges in Sonoma County, California, USA. The range is approximately fourteen miles long and separates the Sonoma Creek watershed from the Petaluma River and Tolay Creek watersheds...

 to the west, with the prominent landform Sears Point
Sears Point
Sears Point is a prominent landform jutting into the historic reaches of San Pablo Bay in Sonoma County, California, USA. This hill is the southernmost peak of the Sonoma Mountains and forms the southwestern ridge above Tolay Lake...

 to the southwest.

The city has an area of 2.7 sq mi (7 km²), none of it covered by water.

Climate

Sonoma has typical Mediterranean weather with hot, dry summers (although nights are comfortably cool) and cool, wet winters. In February, the normal high is 58.4 °F (14.7 °C) and the typical low is 37.3 °F (2.9 °C). In July, the normal high is 89.8 °F (32.1 °C) and the normal low is 51.9 °F (11.1 °C). There are an average of 58.1 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and 12.1 days with highs of 100 °F (37.8 °C). The highest temperature on record was 116 °F (46.7 °C) on July 13, 1972, and the lowest temperature was 13 °F (-10.6 °C) on December 22, 1990. Normal annual precipitation is 30.64 inches (778.3 mm). The wettest month on record was 20.29 inches (515.4 mm) in January 1995. The greatest 24-hour rainfall was 6.75 inches (171.5 mm) on January 4, 1982. There are an average of 68.6 days with measurable precipitation. Snow has rarely fallen, but 1.0 inch fell in January 1907; more recently, snow flurries were observed on February 5, 1976 and in the winter of 2001.

Environmental features

The principal watercourse in the town is Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek is a stream in northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharging to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by...

, which flows in a southerly direction to discharge ultimately to the Napa Sonoma Marsh
Napa Sonoma Marsh
The Napa Sonoma Marsh is a wetland at the northern edge of San Pablo Bay, which is a northern arm of the San Francisco Bay in California, USA. This marsh has an area of 48,000 acres , of which 13,000 acres are abandoned salt evaporation ponds...

; Arroyo Seco Creek
Arroyo Seco Creek
Arroyo Seco Creek or simply Arroyo Seco is a tributary stream to Schell Creek in southern Sonoma County, California, United States. In the Spanish language arroyo seco means "dry creek"....

 is a tributary to Schell Creek with a confluence in the eastern portion of the town.
The active Rodgers Fault lies to the west of Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek
Sonoma Creek is a stream in northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharging to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by...

; however, risk of major damage is mitigated by the fact that most of the soils beneath the city consist of a slight alluvial terrace underlain by strongly cemented sedimentary and volcanic rock. To the immediate south, west and east are deeper rich, alluvial soils that support valuable agricultural cultivation. The mountain block to the north rises to 1,200 feet (366 m) and provides an important scenic
Scenic
Scenic is the first full-length album by Denver Harbor, released on October 12, 2004 on Universal Records. It contains re-recorded versions of four of the five tracks from their debut EP Extended Play , as well as two of the three songs from their 2003 demo Scenic is the first full-length album by...

 backdrop, around whose views the city's original streetscape was carefully laid out.

In terms of fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

, there are a variety of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s, small mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s and amphibians who reside in Sonoma. California quail
California Quail
The California Quail, Callipepla californica, also known as the California Valley Quail or Valley Quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family...

 frequent the riparian areas, while black tailed deer kite
Kite (bird)
Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....

, towhee
Towhee
A towhee is any one of a number of species of birds in the genus Pipilo or Melozone within the family Emberizidae ....

, waxwing
Waxwing
The waxwings form the genus Bombycilla of passerine birds. According to most authorities, this is the only genus placed in the family Bombycillidae.-Description:Waxwings are characterised by soft silky plumage...

, robin, thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...

 and sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...

 bird species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are found locally.

The town of Sonoma boasts a relatively quiet setting, with California State Route 12 (called from north to south Sonoma Highway, West Napa Street, and Broadway), Fifth Street West, and Spain Street being the primary noise sources. About eight miles (13 km) south of the city is the Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...

, which is also a significant noise generator. The total citywide population exposed to environmental noise exceeding 60 CNEL is approximately 300.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Sonoma had a population of 10,648. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,883.3 people per square mile (1,499.4/km²). The racial makeup of Sonoma was 9,242 (86.8%) White, 52 (0.5%) African American, 56 (0.5%) Native American, 300 (2.8%) Asian, 23 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 711 (6.7%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 264 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,634 persons (15.3%).

The Census reported that 10,411 people (97.8% of the population) lived in households, 11 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 226 (2.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,955 households, out of which 1,135 (22.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,094 (42.3%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 425 (8.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 174 (3.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 230 (4.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

, and 48 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,920 households (38.7%) were made up of individuals and 1,054 (21.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10. There were 2,693 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...

 (54.3% of all households); the average family size was 2.82.

The population was spread out with 1,920 people (18.0%) under the age of 18, 559 people (5.2%) aged 18 to 24, 2,252 people (21.1%) aged 25 to 44, 3,250 people (30.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,667 people (25.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.2 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

There were 5,544 housing units at an average density of 2,021.9 per square mile (780.7/km²), of which 2,928 (59.1%) were owner-occupied, and 2,027 (40.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%. 6,294 people (59.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,117 people (38.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the latest census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 9,128 people, 4,373 households, and 2,361 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,442/sq mi (1,330/km²). There were 4,671 housing units at an average density of 1,762/sq mi (681/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.80% White, 0.36% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.14% from two or more races. 6.85% of the population were Hispanics (of any race).

There are 4,373 households of which 21.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 39.2% of households consist of individuals and 21.5% have someone living alone who is 65 or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.77. The age distribution is as follows: 18.6% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who have achieved age 65. The median age is 47 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.

The median income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...

 for a household in the city was $50,505, and the median income for a family was $65,600. Males had a median income of $51,831 versus $40,276 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $32,387. 3.7% of the population and 2.0% of families were below the poverty line. 3.3% of those under 18 and 4.7% of those are 65 and older.

Politics

In the state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...

 Sonoma is located in the 2nd Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...

 District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Noreen Evans
Noreen Evans
Noreen Evans is an American politician in the California State Senate. She is a Democrat representing the 2nd district, encompassing Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties, as well as parts of Sonoma and Solano counties....

, and in the 6th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 District, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman
Jared Huffman
Jared Huffman is the assemblyman for California's 6th State Assembly district, which includes all of Marin and southern Sonoma counties...

. Federally, Sonoma is located in California's 1st congressional district
California's 1st congressional district
California's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California and presently consists of the northern coastline and includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties and parts of Sonoma and Yolo counties.The district is currently...

.

Media

There are three local news sources in Sonoma: The Sonoma Index Tribune, the Sonoma Valley Sun, and Sonoma Patch.

The Sonoma Index-Tribune from Sonoma Valley Publishing, has been family owned since 1884. It was started by Benjamin Frank in 1879 as "The Sonoma Index." In 1884, Harry Granice purchased the small weekly and it soon became "The Sonoma Index-Tribune." Today, the paper is still owned and operated by the same family line. Upon Granice's death, his daughter Celeste Granice Murphy took over the publication. In 1946, Robert M. Lynch joined his aunt in the newspaper business, eventually buying the paper from her. Today Robert Lynch's sons, Bill Lynch and Jim Lynch, serve as owners and publishers of the twice weekly publication. The same company also provides the quarterly SONOMA magazine.
The newspaper has received dozens of awards in its history, including recognition from the National Newspaper Association and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

The Sonoma Valley Sun is a weekly newspaper serving the city of Sonoma and surrounding communities since 2004. The free paper, with news reporting, graphics, and photography, was run by Three House MultiMedia, Inc., founded by consulting engineer Bill Hammett, who moved to Sonoma in 1994. At one time, Three House also published the free weekly newspaper "El Sol de Sonoma," in Spanish, and a bimonthly magazine called "FineLife." In 2010, Three House ceased operation, transferring its assets through a bulk sale to four members of the former staff, including Editors Jody Purdom and Val Robichaud and Design Director Barney LaHaye, who continue to publish the Sun, with distribution on Thursdays.

Transportation and highways

California State Route 12 is the main route in Sonoma, passing through the populated areas of the Sonoma Valley and connecting it to Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...

 to the north and Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...

 to the east. State routes 121
California State Route 121
State Route 121 is a California state highway in the Wine Country that runs northerly from its junction with State Route 37 at Sears Point, past the Tolay Lake basin and across Tolay Creek near Infineon Raceway, veers east at a junction with State Route 116 and Bonneau Road at Schellville, runs...

 and 116
California State Route 116
State Route 116 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from State Route 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to State Route 121 south of Sonoma.-Route description:...

 run to the south of town, passing through the unincorporated area of Schellville
Schellville, California
Schellville is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States. Schellville is located at the junction of California State Route 12 and California State Route 121 south of Sonoma...

 and connecting Sonoma Valley to Napa, Petaluma
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...

 to the west, and Marin County to the south. Sonoma County Transit
Sonoma County Transit
Sonoma County Transit is a public transportation system based in Sonoma County, California.-Cities and communities served:As the primary bus system in the county, Sonoma County Transit operates to the following communities, listed by zones from south to north:Sonoma Coast and Russian River:*...

 provides bus service from Sonoma to other points in the county. Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit
Golden Gate Transit is a public transportation system serving the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. It mainly serves Marin and Sonoma Counties, and also provides limited service to San Francisco and Contra Costa County.Golden Gate Transit is one of three...

 cancelled its service from Sonoma Plaza to downtown San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

.

Notable residents

  • General Hap Arnold: an aviation pioneer and commander of the United States Army Air Corps (from 1938), commander of the U.S. Army Air Forces (from 1941 until 1945) and the first General of the Air Force
    United States Air Force
    The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

     (in 1949). The main arterial road, Arnold Drive, the runs up the west side of Sonoma Valley, is named for him as for Arnold Field a Football Field in Downtown Sonoma
  • Count Agoston Haraszthy
    Agoston Haraszthy
    Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Viticulture," or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California"...

    : the father of California viticulture
    Viticulture
    Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

    , created the first winery
    Winery
    A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...

     west of the Mississippi. He tried many locations but settled in Sonoma with General Vallejo's assistance. His first winery, Buena Vista, still exists today.
  • Joseph Hooker
    Joseph Hooker
    Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...

    , one-time politician and future American Civil War
    American Civil War
    The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

     general, lived in Sonoma in the 1850s. His house still exists in town.
  • John Lasseter
    John Lasseter
    John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....

    : (born January 12, 1957 in Hollywood, California) is an animator and the chief creative executive at Pixar
    Pixar
    Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...

     Animation Studios. Lasseter won Academy Awards
    Academy Awards
    An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...

     for Best Animated Short Film (Tin Toy
    Tin Toy
    Tin Toy is a 1988 short film using computer animation. It was directed by John Lasseter and produced by Pixar. It was the first testing of PhotoRealistic RenderMan...

    ) and Special Achievement Award (Toy Story
    Toy Story
    Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...

    ).
  • Jack London
    Jack London
    John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...

    : (1876–1916) claimed that Sonoma meant "The Valley of the Moon
    The Valley of the Moon
    The Valley of the Moon is a novel by American writer Jack London...

    ", which phrase is still applied to the town as well as the whole of Sonoma Valley
    Sonoma Valley
    Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...

    . The writer lived for many years in the nearby town of Glen Ellen
    Glen Ellen, California
    Glen Ellen is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic Park , Sonoma Valley Regional Park, and a former home of Hunter S....

    .
  • Brian Posehn
    Brian Posehn
    Brian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...

    : Comedian and co-star on The Sarah Silverman Program
    The Sarah Silverman Program
    The Sarah Silverman Program is an American television series that starred comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab...

     grew up in Sonoma.
  • Sebastiani Family: Family patriarch, Samuele Sebastiani, started Sebastiani Vineyards in 1904. His son, August, ran the company from 1944 to the late 1970s, when his son Sam took the reins. August died in 1980. In 1986, August's youngest son, Don Sebastiani
    Don Sebastiani
    Don Sebastiani is an American vintner and politician from the state of California.Sebastiani grew up in Sonoma, California. Born to parents August and Sylvia Sebastiani, he was the youngest of three children, with older siblings Sam and Mary Ann. He attended St. Francis Solano School in Sonoma,...

    , took the company from about 200,000 cases to just shy of 8 million cases produced in 1999, at which time he sold a number of assets to Constellation Wines. Don then left the old family company and he, along with his sons, Donny & August, started Don Sebastiani & Sons in 2000. Sebastiani Vineyards was under the direction of Sam & Don's sister, Mary Ann Sbastiani Cuneo, before being sold in Foley Wine Group in 2008. Don's son, August Sebastiani, was elected to the Sonoma City Council in 2006.
  • Adam Shaw (painter)
    Adam Shaw (painter)
    Adam Shaw; is an American painter, philosopher, and physician, primarily known as a painter. His work expands the tradition of abstraction by reliance on classical painterly techniques and a view towards the referential...

    : (born 1957) Nationally exhibited painter, physician, and philosopher.
  • Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
    Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
    Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...

    : Last Mexican military commander of northern California. His residence in Sonoma was the site for a portion of the Bear Flag revolt which made California a Republic.
  • Ignazio Vella
    Ignazio Vella
    Ignazio A. "Ig" Vella was an American businessman and cheese maker who served on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.- Life, education, and career :...

     (1928–2011) ran the Vella Cheese Company for many years and also served three terms on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
  • Chuck Williams: founder of Williams-Sonoma
    Williams-Sonoma
    Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a high-end American consumer retail company that sells kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions...

    , the food assessory chain store, started its existence on Broadway, two blocks from the Plaza, before moving to San Francisco
    San Francisco, California
    San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

    .
  • Robin Williams
    Robin Williams
    Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...

    : (born July 21, 1952 in Chicago
    Chicago
    Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

    ) famous actor and comedian.


Professional athletes: Tommy Everidge
Tommy Everidge
Thomas James "Tommy" Everidge is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently with the independent Lancaster Barnstormers.-Amateur career:...

, Tony Moll
Tony Moll
Tony Moll is an American football offensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers...

 and Joe Abouata
Joe Abouata
Joe Abouata is an American heavyweight mixed martial artist. "A-Poc" holds titles as the BCX North American Heavyweight Champion and the USKBA North American Heavyweight Champion....

 were classmates, and grew up in Sonoma.

Historic sites

Sonoma can boast three of the first ten California Historical Landmarks:
  • Mission San Francisco Solano
    Mission San Francisco Solano
    Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823, and named for Francis Solanus, a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, it is the northernmost Alta...

     (#3) - On July 4, 1823, Padre José Altamira founded the northernmost of California's Franciscan missions here, the only one established in California under independent Mexico.
  • The home of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (#4) - known as Lachryma Montis (Tears of the Mountain), was built in 1850.
  • Bear Flag Monument
    California Republic
    The California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic, is the name used for a period of revolt against Mexico initially proclaimed by a handful of American settlers in Mexican California on June 14, 1846, in Sonoma. This was shortly before news of the Mexican–American War had reached the area...

     (#7) - On June 14, 1846, the Bear Flag Party raised the Bear Flag in the Sonoma plaza and declared California free from Mexican rule.
  • The Presidio of Sonoma
    Presidio of Sonoma
    El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...

    , the northernmost Mexican military post, still stands facing the plaza.

Items named after the town

  • Sonoma Jack Cheese: Cheese, moist to very dry light colored cheese covered in chocolate powder
    Chocolate
    Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

     and most credited to the Vella cheese making family. The Vella Cheese factory, former Sonoma Brewing Co. building, continues to make a variety of cheese products and is within walking distance of the Plaza.
  • The GMC Sonoma
    Chevrolet S-10
    The first compact pickup from General Motors was the rebadged Isuzu KB sold since 1972 as the Chevrolet LUV. The 1973 Arab oil embargo forced GM to consider designing a domestically-produced compact pickup truck. As usual, parts from other GM chassis lines were incorporated. The first S-series...

     was a compact pickup truck.
  • Intel's "Sonoma" series processors. Several of Intel's processors were given names from towns, cities or places in Sonoma County when Intel's CEO was Les Vadasz. He is a resident of the Valley of the Moon area.


Points of interest

  • Agua Caliente
    Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, California
    Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente is a census-designated place in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 4,144....

  • The Valley of the Moon
    The Valley of the Moon
    The Valley of the Moon is a novel by American writer Jack London...

  • Sonoma Creek
    Sonoma Creek
    Sonoma Creek is a stream in northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharging to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by...

  • Sonoma Skatepark
  • Arroyo Seco Creek
    Arroyo Seco Creek
    Arroyo Seco Creek or simply Arroyo Seco is a tributary stream to Schell Creek in southern Sonoma County, California, United States. In the Spanish language arroyo seco means "dry creek"....

  • Jack London State Historic Park
    Jack London State Historic Park
    Jack London State Historic Park, also known as Jack London Home and Ranch, is a California State Historic Park near Glen Ellen, California, United States, situated on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain...

  • Quarryhill Botanic Garden
    Quarryhill Botanic Garden
    The Quarryhill Botanical Garden is a research botanical garden housing one of the largest collections of temperate Asian plants in North America...

  • Sonoma Valley
    Sonoma Valley
    Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...

  • Sonoma Developmental Center
    Sonoma Developmental Center
    The Sonoma Developmental Center is a large, state-run facility in California, United States, serving the needs of people with developmental disabilities. It is located in Eldridge in Sonoma County. It opened at its current location on November 24, 1891, though it had existed at previous locations...

  • Cornerstone Sonoma Internationally acclaimed garden installations created by world class landscape architects from around the world. Plus, shops, art galleries, an Argentine restaurant and wine tasting.
  • Buena Vista Winery
    Buena Vista Winery
    Buena Vista Winery , located in Sonoma Valley, is the oldest commercial winery in California. It was founded by Agoston Haraszthy in 1857.-External links:*...

  • Wine Country
  • Sonoma Traintown Railroad - a quarter scale train in a park 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the Town Square that covers 10 acres (40,468.6 m²). It has a petting zoo, ferris wheel, swings, vintage carousel, scrambler, miniature coaster and an airplane ride. In a television commercial, Train Town has claimed to be one fifth the size of the original Disneyland and twice the fun. It was opened in 1968. The airplane ride is only for children that are 54 inches (1,371.6 mm) tall or shorter, so it does have a height restriction.
  • Sonoma Plaza
    Sonoma Plaza
    Sonoma Plaza is the central plaza in the former El Pueblo de Sonoma, now known as Sonoma, California. The town is centered around this plaza, the largest plaza in California. This plaza is surrounded by many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solano, Captain Salvador...

  • Blue Wing Inn of 1840, where such notable guests, according to local tradition, included John C. Frémont
    John C. Frémont
    John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...

    , U. S. Grant, Governor Pío Pico
    Pío Pico
    Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...

    , Kit Carson
    Kit Carson
    Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...

    , Fighting Joe Hooker
    Joe Hooker
    Joe Hooker may refer to:* Joseph Hooker, U.S. Army officer and major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.* Harve Pierre, also known as Joe Hooker, record producer, writer and singer & Vice-President of Bad Boy Records...

    , William T. Sherman, Phil Sheridan, and members of the Bear Flag Party.
  • General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
    Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo
    Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was a Californian military commander, politician, and rancher. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of Mexico, and shaped the transition of California from a Mexican district to an American state...

     Home: official residence of the last Mexican Governor.
  • Presidio of Sonoma
    Presidio of Sonoma
    El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks, was a military outpost established in Alta California in 1836. It was built to house troops under General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the Commandant of the Northern Frontier, as part of Mexico's strategy to subdue the Native Americans of the Sonoma Valley...

     adobe
  • Mission San Francisco Solano
    Mission San Francisco Solano
    Mission San Francisco Solano was founded on July 4, 1823, and named for Francis Solanus, a missionary to the Indians of Peru born in Montilla, Spain, known as the "Wonder Worker of the New World." Originally planned as an asistencia to Mission San Rafael Arcángel, it is the northernmost Alta...

    , California's last Mission
  • Swiss Hotel - adobe structure and original home of Vallejo's brother, located on The Plaza.
  • Sebastiani Theatre - a historical theatre built in 1933 by Samuele Sebastiani as a movie house.
  • Infineon Raceway
    Infineon Raceway
    Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...

  • The Sonoma Overlook Trail
  • Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

     Bliss (image)
    Bliss (image)
    Bliss is the name of a Windows bitmap image included with Microsoft Windows XP, produced from a photograph of a landscape in Sonoma County, California, southeast of Sonoma Valley near the site of the old Clover Stornetta Inc. Dairy. The image contains rolling green hills and a blue sky with cumulus...

     was photographed southeast of town on Fremont Drive near the site of Stornetta's Dairy.
  • The Corner Store - Located in one of Sonoma's oldest buildings, The Corner Store is a historic brick site that has been plagued by fire and even burned down several times.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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