Sonoma County is not densely populated, with about 484 000 residents. Santa Rosa is its largest city and county seat. It is located to the north of Marin County and west of Napa County. While it may not be quite as well-known as either of those, it produces more wine than Napa and is nonetheless a highly desirable place to live and visit. It has been on lists of the top happiest, healthiest, and best places to live.
The earliest human settlers in the county were the Wappo, Coast Miwok, and Pomo peoples, who inhabited the area between 8000 and 5000 BC. There are currently still several Native American tribes in Sonoma County. Europeans came later, starting in the 16th century. The county was formed in 1850 as one of the original counties when California became a state. Still, several nations claimed it from 1542 until then: the Spanish Empire, the Kingdom of England, the Russian Empire, the First Mexican Empire, the Mexican Republic, the California Republic, and the United States from 1846.
The county has numerous bodies of water, in addition to the Pacific Ocean on its western boundary, so there is naturally a great deal of opportunity for water sports. But the county maintains a resource for recreational activities that goes far beyond that, with parks, campsites, bicycle paths, music, and much more. The official Sonoma County government website has resources for almost any services you can think of:
There are innumerable others, particularly for residents and visitors – which new residents might find helpful.
The real estate market in Sonoma County is very stable. While it reacts to external forces, such as booms and crashes, it tends to bounce back fairly well. Luxury homes, in particular, have done well in recent times. While many other counties have experienced significant increases in the past year, high-priced sales in Sonoma County jumped an astonishing 176%.