A conversation with Martha O’Hayer, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Petaluma California, Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County California covers nearly 2000 square miles of the most beautiful countryside in California, if not the entire US.  Roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island, Sonoma County has less than half a million people.  The County line on the southern end lies just 35 miles from San Francisco yet it’s far enough away that you know you’re in paradise.  Our rich agricultural land boasts two main products – grapes for world class wines and pasture space for our four legged friends.  You know, the happy cows!

Our rich agricultural land boasts two main products – grapes for world class wines and pasture space for our four legged friends. You know, the happy cows! There are nine incorporated municipalities in the Sonoma County Region they include, from North to South—Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Town of Windsor, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, Cotati, City of Sonoma and Petaluma.

Our Town

Sonoma County is home to over 250 Wineries (producing 30% more wine than its famous neighbor, Napa County) and an estimated 10-12 million cases of wine annually, 76 miles of rugged Pacific Coastline; boasting the cleanest beaches in the state, impressive Redwood Forests, Infineon Raceway, NASCAR and Indy Raceway, and some seriously wacky events. We welcome 7.4 Million tourists annually and feature some of this Country’s finest year- round weather.

 

 

Climate

Our climate is unsurpassed in my opinion. Due to the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Mountains to the east, we enjoy relatively moderate temperatures throughout the year. Not too hot and not too cold. There are many microclimates throughout the county depending on location. The coastal communities are typically foggy and cooler in summer, while the interior towns see the morning fog burn off and give way to sunshine most summer days. So a weather map showing temperatures at the coast at 64 degrees and 90’s inland is not an unusual sight on a typical summer day. In fact, it’s 10:30 AM in Petaluma, CA while I’m writing this and I see a snippet of blue sky peeking through and I know the sun will be out before I’m done.

 

We typically receive no rain at all from late May till early October. That makes for our dry, golden hills in summer which give way to lush greenery all winter long, quite the opposite of most of the rest of the country. Rainfall in the County varies widely, for instance, 25-30 inches in Petaluma, Santa Rosa and as much as 70 inches a year in places like Guerneville and Cazadero less than 30 miles away.

 

Agriculture

We subscribe to a sustainable and local food focus. The farm-to-table concept feels as though it were born here in Wine Country. We practice in our own home gardens and the restaurants certainly go to local sources first for most or many of their ingredients, sometimes right outside of their own back door. And it shows in our world class restaurants. The prestigious Michelin Guide gave stars to four restaurants in Sonoma County and the ‘nod’ to nearly thirty!

So you might be getting the idea that the focus here in Sonoma Wine Country is food and wine and you’re right. But let’s not forget about beer. I once heard a winemaker say, “it takes a lot of good beer to make a great wine!” There are plenty of Sonoma County Breweries to visit as well as artisan producers of dairy products such as award winning cheeses and ice cream. Many producers of local products from wine to beer to cheese offer tours of their facilities. Although we’re serious about our food, wine and our climate, we’re serious about other things as well.

Real Estate

We’re serious about Real Estate. Sonoma County Real Estate values have dropped significantly as they have in most every part of the U.S., making it a more affordable place sto call home than in years past. A recent article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat cites the County is on fire for the Vacation Home market. It states that 30% of all home sales in Sonoma County are second homes. In Bodega Bay, nine out of ten homes are second homes. Buyers love the idea of vacation homes near beaches, mountains, the Russian River, nestled in the beauty of wine country and basking in great weather year round.

 

Sonoma County Attractions

Did I mention we love to have fun here? You may have heard of some of our signature annual events including; Worlds Ugliest Dog Contest, a main feature of the Sonoma Marin Fair held in June in Petaluma, Whiskerino also held in Petaluma-a what else? A Whisker contest. There’s the Cotati Accordion Festival, and the Great Handcar Regatta, all on the not so ordinary side. Add those to the plethora of wine, agricultural, arts and music events and you’ll never run out of things to do. And don’t forget that on the very southern end of the county, we have a 700+ acre raceway featuring NASCAR and Indy Racing as well as events year round. Even at Infeneon Raceway, food is a big deal and I don’t mean

 

corn dogs.

Sonoma County Personalities

We’ve established that Sonoma County is home to amazing weather, beautiful countryside, and producers of outstanding food, wine and beer, but did you know that we’ve also produced some pretty famous music, food and TV personalities? Guy Fieri of Food Network fame has several restaurants here and lives here. Grammy award winning band, TRAIN, is from the Petaluma area. Duske Estes, chef owner of Zazu and Bovolo restaurants competed last year in Iron Chef American and is this year’s winner of the prestigious Cochon 555.

 

And most recently, our newest TV celebrity is a Sonoma Winemaker and this year’s runner up on ABC TV’s The Bachelorette and recently chosen as next season’s The Bachelor, Ben F.

Transportation

Transportation includes the Sonoma County Airport and several municipal airports. Our main interstate is Route 101 which runs right through the county from North to South, much like I95 on the East Coast. Trains are running freight again as of late, but our SMART train is not here yet.

So plan your trip accordingly. Or better yet, why not make Sonoma County your second home? I’ll be here when you finally get hip to the concept of living here in Sonoma County, CA USA. Wow, just writing this makes me never want to leave home. And by the way…as predicted, the sun is out. Come and see for yourself.

Contact Martha

You can find me at www.marthaohayer.com, read my blog and keep up with the local happenings, call me at 415-786-6331, or stop by and see me at the Petaluma Visitor’s Center a few times a month. Thanks for reading and please come and visit Sonoma County, CA soon.

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This guest post is part of our Realtor Thursday Series. We invite realtors and real estate professionals from towns and cities all over the country, big or small, to participate. Our goal is to “travel” to as many towns as we can in every state. Every town is unique and wonderful to our readers. If you would like to showcase your town, your neighbors and your talents as a realtor, please contact us at liz@dalesiegel.com