Sonoma County, California

The Pomo, Coast Miwok and Wappo peoples were the earliest human settlers of Sonoma County, between 8000 and 5000 BC, effectively living within the natural carrying capacity of the land. Archaeological evidence of these First people includes a number of occurrences of rock carvings, especially in southern Sonoma County; these carvings often take the form of pecked curvilinear nucleated design.

File:Russian chapel at Fort Ross (2016).jpg was established by the Russians in 1812.]]

Spaniards, Russians, and other Europeans claimed and settled in the county from the late 16th to mid-19th century, seeking timber, fur, and farmland.{{cite web |title=Early California: pre-1769–1840s: Russian Presence |url=http://picturethis.museumca.org/timeline/early-california-pre-1769-1840s/russian-presence/info |website=Picture This |publisher=Oakland Museum of California}} The Russians were the first newcomers to establish a permanent foothold in Sonoma County, with the Russian-American Company establishing Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast in 1812. This settlement and its outlying Russian settlements came to include a population of several hundred Russian and Aleut settlers and a stockaded fort with artillery. However, the Russians abandoned it in 1841 and sold the fort to John Sutter, settler and Mexican land grantee of Sacramento.{{cite web |title=Russians establish Fort Ross in California |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/russians-establish-fort-ross |website=History.com |date=November 16, 2009 |quote=After making unsuccessful attempts to interest both the British and Mexicans in the fort, the Russians finally found a buyer in John Sutter.}}

File:"General Vallejo Reviewing His Troops in Sonoma, 1846".jpg reviewing his troops in Sonoma, 1846]]

The Mission San Francisco Solano, founded in 1823 as the last and northernmost of 21 California missions, is in the present City of Sonoma, at the northern end of El Camino Real. El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks (part of Spain's Fourth Military District), was established in 1836 by Comandante General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. His duties included keeping an eye on the Russian traders at Fort Ross, secularizing the Mission, maintaining cooperation with the Native Americans of the entire region, and doling out the lands for large estates and ranches. The City of Sonoma was the site of the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846.{{cite web |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bear-flag-revolt |title=Bear Flag Revolt |website=Encyclopedia.com |date= 2008 |access-date= July 23, 2018}}

Sonoma was one of the original counties when California became a state in 1850,{{cite news |url=http://www.counties.org/county-history |title=California County History |work=CSAC.org |publisher=California State Association of Counties |date=2014 |access-date=September 22, 2015 }} with its county seat originally the town (now city) of Sonoma. However, by the early 1850s, Sonoma had declined in importance in both commerce and population, its county buildings were crumbling, and it was relatively remote. As a result, elements in the newer, rapidly growing towns of Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Healdsburg began vying to move the county seat to their towns. The dispute ultimately was between the bigger, richer commercial town of Petaluma and the more centrally located, growing agricultural center of Santa Rosa. The fate was decided following an election for the state legislature in which James Bennett of Santa Rosa defeated Joseph Hooker of Sonoma and introduced a bill that resulted in Santa Rosa being confirmed as county seat in 1854.{{cite web|url=http://www.calarchives4u.com/history/sonoma/1880-382.htm |title=Sonoma County History |website=Calarchives4u.com |access-date=July 17, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319220837/http://www.calarchives4u.com/history/sonoma/1880-382.htm |archive-date=March 19, 2014 }} Allegedly, several Santa Rosans, not caring to wait, decided to take action and, one night, rode down the Sonoma Valley to Sonoma, took the county seals and records, and brought them to Santa Rosa.{{cite web|url=http://users.ap.net/~chenae/socohist.html |publisher=AccessPort |website=ap.net |title=History of Sonoma County |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107010823/http://users.ap.net/~chenae/socohist.html |archive-date=January 7, 2012 }} Some of the county's land{{which|date=January 2020}} was annexed from Mendocino County between 1850 and 1860.

Early post-1847 settlement and development focused primarily on the city of Sonoma, then the region's sole town and a common transit and resting point in overland travel between the region and Sacramento and the gold fields to the east. However, after 1850, a settlement that soon became the city of Petaluma began to grow naturally near the farthest navigable point inland up the Petaluma River. Originally a hunting camp used to obtain game to sell in other markets, by 1854 Petaluma had grown into a bustling center of trade, taking advantage of its position on the river near a region of highly productive agricultural land that was being settled. Soon, other inland towns, notably Santa Rosa and Healdsburg began to develop similarly due to their locations along riparian areas in prime agricultural flatland. However, their development initially lagged behind Petaluma which, until the arrival of railroads in the 1860s, remained the primary commercial, transit, and break-of-bulk point for people and goods in the region. After the arrival of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad in 1870, Santa Rosa began to boom, soon equalling and then surpassing Petaluma as the region's population and commercial center. The railroad bypassed Petaluma for southern connections to ferries of San Francisco Bay.{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}

Six nations have claimed Sonoma County from 1542 to the present:{{Citation needed|date=February 2015}}

{| class="wikitable"

|-

|File:Flag of New Spain.svg

|Spanish Empire, 1542, by sea, voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo as far as the Russian River. Later validated by voyage of Sebastián Vizcaíno, 1602.

|-

|File:Flag of England.svg

|Kingdom of England, June 1579, voyage of the Golden Hind under Captain Francis Drake at Bodega Bay (exact location disputed).

|-

|File:Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg

|Spanish Empire, October 1775, the Sonora at Bodega Bay, under Lt. Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, until 1821, when Mexico gained independence from Spain.

|-

|File:Flag of Russia.svg

|Russian Empire, by Russian-American Company expedition led by Ivan Alexandrovich Kuskov, the founder of Fort Ross and, from 1812 to 1821, its colonial administrator. Note: There is an overlap of rule with the Mexican Empire (next item), until the Russians sold Fort Ross in 1841 to John Sutter, before leaving the area in 1842.

|-

|File:Flag of Mexico (1821-1823).svg

|First Mexican Empire, August 1821, under Emperor Agustin Iturbide (October 1822, probable time new flag raised in California), until 1823.

|-

|File:Flag of Mexico (1823-1864, 1867-1893).svg

|Mexican Republic, 1823 until June 1846.

|-

|File:1stBearFlag.svg

|California Republic, June 14, 1846, until July 9, 1846.

|-

|File:Flag of the United States.svg

|United States of America, July 9, 1846 to present.

|}

Sonoma County was severely shaken by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The displacements along the fault averaged {{convert|15|ft|m}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/docs/gp/98gp-07.htm|title=Sonoma County General Plan – Public Safety Element|date=October 11, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120064454/http://www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/docs/gp/98gp-07.htm|archive-date=January 20, 2008}}

In October 2017, the county was greatly affected by the Tubbs Fire{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Kevin L.|title=Bernie Krause's Equipment, Decades of Musical Memorabilia Lost in Fires|url=https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2017/10/11/bernie-krauses-equipment-decades-of-musical-memorabilia-lost-in-fires/|website=KQED Arts|access-date=October 12, 2017|language=en-us|date=October 11, 2017}} and the Nuns Fire. In late October and early November 2019, the Kincade Fire burned {{convert|77,758|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}, almost all in Sonoma County. In August and September 2020, the Walbridge Fire burned {{convert|55209|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} in the western part of the county; then in September–October the Glass fire affected the city of Santa Rosa and ultimately destroying 1,000+ buildings{{Cite web|last=SFGATE|first=Amanda Bartlett|date=September 28, 2020|title=Everything you need to know about the Glass Fire|url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/What-you-need-to-know-about-the-Glass-Fire-15604419.php|access-date=October 26, 2020|website=SFGATE|language=en-US}} The county also had a wildfire in the 1870s that is compared to the Hanley fire and Tubbs fire because they burned in the same path.

The Sonoma County Landmarks Commission recognizes nearly 200 formal historical landmarks and the Sonoma County Historical Society counts 380 landmarks recognized by several agencies.

File:Edward S. Curtis Collection People 100.jpg girl c. 1924, by Edward S. Curtis from The North American Indian volume 14]]

According to the book California Place Names, "The name of the Indian tribe is mentioned in baptismal records of 1815 as Chucuines or Sonomas, by Chamisso in 1816 as Sonomi, and repeatedly in Mission records of the following years."

According to the Coast Miwok and the Pomo tribes that lived in the region, Sonoma translates as "valley of the moon" or "many moons". Their legends detail this as a land where the moon nestled, hence the names Sonoma Valley and the "Valley of the Moon."{{cite news|url=https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/why-graton-is-trying-to-get-into-gaming|title=Why Graton is trying to get into gaming|last=May|first=James|date=May 19, 2003|work=Indian Country Today|access-date=January 25, 2009}} This translation was first recorded in an 1850 report by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to the California Legislature.{{cite book|last=Hanna|first=Phil Townsend|title=The Dictionary of California Land Names|publisher=The Automobile Club of Southern California|location=Los Angeles|year=1951|page=311}} Jack London popularized it in his 1913 novel The Valley of the Moon.

In the native languages there is also a constantly recurring ending tso-noma, from tso, the earth; and noma, village; hence tsonoma, "earth village."{{cite book |author=Alfred Louis Kroeber |title=Handbook of the Indians of California |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofindian00kroe |url-access=registration |publisher=Dover Publications |location=New York City, N.Y. |year=1976|isbn=9780486233680 }} Other sources say Sonoma comes from the Patwin tribes west of the Sacramento River, and their Wintu word for "nose". Per California Place Names, "the name is doubtless derived from a Patwin word for 'nose', which Padre Arroyo (Vocabularies, p. 22) gives as sonom (Suisun)." Spaniards may have found an Indian chief with a prominent protuberance and applied the nickname of Chief Nose to the village and the territory.Alfred L. Kroeber, AAE 29:354 [1932] The name may have applied originally to a nose-shaped geographic feature.{{cite book|title=California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names|first=Erwin Gustav|last=Gudde|author2=Bright, William|year=1998|location=Berkeley|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=0-520-21316-5|edition=Second|pages=g. 370|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/californiaplacen00gudd}}

Jesse Sawyer argues that it is from Wappo tso-noma, meaning "redwood place."{{cite web |author=Jesse O. Sawyer |title=The Naming of Sonoma |url=http://cla.berkeley.edu/item.php?bndlid=1600 |publisher=The Bear Flag News |location=University of California, Berkeley |year=1980}}

File:Hoodmtndown.jpg with vineyards in foreground]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of {{convert|1768|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1576|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|192|sqmi}} (10.9%) is water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}

The county lies in the North Coast Ranges of northwestern California. Its ranges include the Mayacamas and the Sonoma Mountains, the southern peak of the latter being the prominent landform Sears Point. The highest peak in the Mayacamas within the county and the highest peak in the county is Mt. Saint Helena. It has uncommon occurrences of pygmy forest, dominated by Mendocino cypress. The highest peak of the Sonoma Mountains is Sonoma Mountain itself, which boasts two significant public access properties: Jack London State Historic Park and Fairfield Osborn Preserve.

The county includes the City of Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley, in which the City of Sonoma is located. However, these are not synonymous. The City of Sonoma is merely one of nine incorporated cities in the county. The Sonoma Valley is just the southeastern portion of the county, which includes many other valleys and geographic zones, including the Petaluma Valley, the Santa Rosa Plains, the Russian River, the Alexander Valley, and the Dry Creek Valley.

Distinct habitat areas within the county include oak woodland, redwood forest, northern coastal scrub, grassland, marshland, oak savanna and riparian woodland. The California oak woodland in the upper Yulupa Creek and Spring Creek watersheds in Annadel State Park is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem with considerable biodiversity. These forested areas have been characterized as some of the best examples of such woodlands.{{cite web|url=http://www.parks.sonoma.net/Annadel.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971011174618/http://www.parks.sonoma.net/Annadel.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 11, 1997|title=Annadel State Park|work=Parks and Recreation in Sonoma County}} An unusual characteristic of these forests is the high content of undisturbed prehistoric bunchgrass understory, testifying to the absence of historic grazing or other agriculture.

Trees of the oak woodland habitat include Pacific madrone, Douglas fir, coast live oak, Garry oak, and California laurel. Common understory plants are toyon, poison oak, and, at the fringes, coast silk-tassel.

File:DryCreekValley.jpg

Sonoma County, as is often the case with coastal counties in California, has a great degree of climatic variation and numerous, often very different, microclimates.{{cite web |url=http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/hortic/sonoma_county_climate.pdf |title=Sonoma County Climatic Zones |access-date=November 30, 2007 |publisher=University of California Cooperative Extension |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812154328/http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/hortic/sonoma_county_climate.pdf |archive-date=August 12, 2007 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/hortic/pdf/climate_location_data.pdf |title=Climate data for various locations in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake and Marin counties, California |first=Rip |last=Forrey |access-date=November 30, 2007 |publisher=University of California Cooperative Extension Sonoma County |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630163510/http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/hortic/pdf/climate_location_data.pdf |archive-date=June 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }} Key determining factors for local climate are proximity to the ocean, elevation, and the presence and elevation of hills or mountains to the east and west. This is in large part due to the fact that, as throughout California, the prevailing weather systems and wind come normally from the Pacific Ocean, blowing in from the west and southwest, so that places closer to the ocean and on the windward side of higher elevations tend to receive more rain from autumn through spring and more summer wind and fog. This itself is partly a result of the presence of high and low pressures in inland California, with persistent high summer temperatures in the Central Valley, in particular, leading to low pressures, drawing in moist air from the Pacific, cooling into damp cool breezes and fog over the cold coastal water. Those places further inland and particularly in the lee of significant elevations tend to receive less rain and less, in some cases no, fog in the summer.

The coast itself is typically cool and moist throughout summer, often foggy, with fog generally blowing in during the late afternoon and evening until it clears in the later morning becoming sunny, before repeating. Coastal summer highs are typically in the mid to high 60s, warming to the low 70s further from the ocean.

Certain inland areas, including the Petaluma area and the Santa Rosa Plain, are also prone to this normal fog pattern in general. However, they tend to receive the fog later in the evening, the fog tends to be more short-lived, and mid-day temperatures are significantly higher than they are on the coast, typically in the low 80s F. This is particularly true for Petaluma, Cotati, and Rohnert Park, and, only slightly less so, Santa Rosa, Windsor, and Sebastopol. In large part, this results from lower elevations and the prominent Petaluma Gap in the hills between the ocean to the west and the Petaluma Valley and Santa Rosa Plain to the east.

Areas north of Santa Rosa and Windsor, with larger elevations to the west and further from the fog path, tend to receive less fog and less summer marine influence. Healdsburg, to the north of Windsor, is less foggy and much warmer, with summer highs typically in the higher 80s to about {{convert|90|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley, east of Petaluma, are similar, with highs typically in the very high 70s F to {{convert|80|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. This is in part due to the presence of the Sonoma Mountains between Petaluma and Sonoma. Cloverdale, far to the north and outside of the Santa Rosa Plain, is significantly hotter than any other city in the county, with rare evening-morning fog and highs often in the 90s, reaching {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}} much more frequently than the other cities. Notably, however, the temperature differences among the different areas of the county are greatest for the highs during mid-day, with the diurnal lows much more even throughout the entire county. The lows are closely tied to the evening-morning cooling marine influence, in addition to elevation, bringing similarly cool temperatures to much of region.

These weather patterns contribute to high diurnal temperature fluctuations in much of the county. In summer, daily lows and highs are typically 30–40 °F apart inland, with highs for Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor, and Sebastopol typically being in the very low 80s F and lows at or near {{convert|50|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Healdsburg and the City of Sonoma, with similar lows, have even greater diurnal fluctuations due to their significantly warmer highs. On the other hand, the coast, with strong marine influence, tends to have low diurnal temperature fluctuation, with summer highs much cooler than the inland towns, typically 65–75 °F, yet lows in the high 40s to low 50s F, fairly comparable to most inland towns.

These microclimates are evident during the rainy seasons as well, with great variation in the amount of rainfall throughout the county. Generally, all of Sonoma County receives a fair amount of rain, with much of the county receiving between about {{convert|25|in|mm|abbr=on}}, comparable to areas such as Sonoma and Petaluma, and roughly {{convert|30|in|mm|abbr=on}} normal for Santa Rosa. However, certain areas, particularly in the north-west portion of the county around the Russian River, receive significantly more rainfall. The Guerneville area, for example, typically receives about {{convert|50|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain a year, with annual rain occasionally going as high as {{convert|70|in|mm|abbr=on}}. Nearby Cazadero typically receives about {{convert|72|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain a year, many times has reached over {{convert|100|in|mm|abbr=on}} a year, and sometimes over {{convert|120|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain in a year. The Cazadero region is the second wettest place in California after Gasquet.{{cite web|url=http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4058640|title=Rainiest Town In The Bay Area Up For Sale|access-date=December 13, 2007|last=Freedman|first=Wayne|date=April 5, 2006|publisher=KGO-TV News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521143346/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=4058640|archive-date=May 21, 2011|url-status=dead}}

Snow is exceedingly rare in Sonoma County, except in the higher elevations on and around the Mayacamas Mountains, particularly Mount Saint Helena, and Cobb Mountain, whose peak is in Lake County.{{cite web |title=Subsection M261Be Konocti Flows |publisher=U.S. Forest Service |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/m261be.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110922101445/http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/projects/ecoregions/m261be.htm |archive-date=September 22, 2011 |access-date=February 22, 2014}}

File:Sonoma coastline from Bodega Head-L1001155.jpg

Sonoma County is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and has {{convert|76|mi|km}} of coastline. The major coastal hydrographic features are Bodega Bay, the mouth of the Russian River, and the mouth of the Gualala River, at the border with Mendocino County. All of the county's beaches were listed as among the cleanest in the state in 2010.{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Area-beaches-grade-well-for-safe-swimming-3187113.php |title=Bay Area beaches grade well for safe swimming |date=May 27, 2010 |author=Carolyn Jones |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}}

Six of the county's nine cities, from Healdsburg south through Santa Rosa to Rohnert Park and Cotati, are in the Santa Rosa Plain. The northern Plain drains directly to the Russian River, or to a tributary; the southern Plain drains to the Russian River via the Laguna de Santa Rosa.

File:Russian River mouth on California coast.jpeg as viewed from the Jenner Cliffs looking south, showing the mouth of the Russian River at the Pacific Ocean]]

Much of central and northern Sonoma County is in the watershed of the Russian River and its tributaries. The river rises in the coastal mountains of Mendocino County, north of the city of Ukiah, and flows into Lake Mendocino, a major flood control reservoir. The river flows south from the lake through Mendocino to Sonoma County, paralleled by Highway 101. It turns west at Healdsburg, receiving water from Lake Sonoma via Dry Creek, and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa is the largest tributary of the Russian River.{{cite web |url=http://www.lagunafoundation.org/about_ecology.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722010816/http://www.lagunafoundation.org/about_ecology.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |title=The Ecology of the Laguna de Santa Rosa |website=lagunafoundation.org |publisher=Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation |access-date=July 17, 2014 }} It is {{convert|14|mi|km}} long, running north from Cotati to the Russian River near Forestville. Its flood plain is more than {{convert|7,500|acre|km2}}. It drains a {{convert|254|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} watershed, including most of the Santa Rosa Plain.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation says:{{cite web|url=http://www.lagunadesantarosa.org/ecology.html |website=lagunadesantarosa.org |title=Ecology |publisher=Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206161535/http://www.lagunadesantarosa.org/ecology.html |archive-date=February 6, 2007 }}

The Laguna de Santa Rosa is Sonoma County's richest area of wildlife habitat, and the most biologically diverse region of Sonoma County (itself the second-most biologically diverse county in California)... It is a unique ecological system covering more than {{convert|30,000|acre|km2}} and {{sic|comprised|hide=y|of}} a mosaic of creeks, open water, perennial marshes, seasonal wetlands, riparian forests, oak woodlands, and grasslands... As the receiving water of a watershed where most of the county's human population lives, it is a landscape feature of critical importance to Sonoma County's water quality, flood control, and biodiversity.

The Laguna's largest tributary is Santa Rosa Creek, which runs through Santa Rosa. Its major tributaries are Brush Creek, Mark West Creek, Matanzas Creek, Spring Creek, and Piner Creek. Santa Rosa Creek was shown to be polluted in Sonoma county first flush results.{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Damage-to-Creeks-Water-Supply-Analyzed-After-Sonoma-County-Fires.html|title=Damage to Creeks, Water Supply Analyzed After Sonoma County Fires|date=2017|website=www.govtech.com|language=en|access-date=March 18, 2019}}

The boundary with Marin County runs from the mouth of the Estero Americano at Bodega Bay, up Americano Creek, then overland to San Antonio Creek and down the Petaluma River to its mouth at the northwest corner of San Pablo Bay, which adjoins San Francisco Bay. The southern edge of Sonoma County comprises the northern shore of San Pablo Bay between the Marin County border at the Petaluma River and the border with Solano County at Sonoma Creek. Sonoma County has no incorporated communities directly on the shore of San Pablo Bay.

The Petaluma River, Tolay Creek, and Sonoma Creek enter the bay at the county's southernmost tip. The intertidal zone where they join the bay is the vast Napa Sonoma Marsh.

Americano Creek, the Petaluma River, Tolay Creek, and Sonoma Creek are the principal streams draining the southern portion of the county. The Sonoma Valley is drained by Sonoma Creek, whose major tributaries are Yulupa Creek, Graham Creek, Calabazas Creek, Schell Creek, and Carriger Creek; Arroyo Seco Creek is a tributary to Schell Creek. Other creeks include Foss, Felta, and Mill.

Lakes and reservoirs in the county include Lake Sonoma, Tolay Lake, Lake Ilsanjo, Santa Rosa Creek Reservoir, Lake Ralphine, and Fountaingrove Lake.

Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

• Del Mar Landing State Marine Reserve
• Stewarts Point State Marine Reserve & Stewarts Point State Marine Conservation Area
• Salt Point State Marine Conservation Area
• Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve
• Russian River State Marine Reserve and Russian River State Marine Conservation Area
• Bodega Head State Marine Reserve & Bodega Head State Marine Conservation Area
• Estero Americano State Marine Recreational Management Area

A number of endangered plants and animals are found in Sonoma County, including the California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus), salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris), northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora), Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus), California freshwater shrimp (Syncaris pacifica), showy Indian clover (Trifolium amoenum), Hickman's potentilla (Potentilla hickmanii), northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), and marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus).

Species of special local concern include the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), coho salmon, and some endangered plants, including Burke's goldfields (Lasthenia burkei), Sebastopol meadowfoam (Limnanthes vinculans), and Sonoma sunshine or Baker's stickyseed (Blennosperma bakeri).

Endangered species that are endemic to Sonoma County include Sebastopol meadowfoam, Sonoma sunshine, and Pitkin Marsh lily (Lilium pardalinum subsp. pitkinense).

The Sonoma County Water Agency has had a Fisheries Enhancement Program since 1996. Its website says:{{cite web|url=http://www.scwa.ca.gov/environment/natural_resources/fisheries_enhancement.php |publisher=Sonoma County Water Agency |title=Fisheries Enhancement Program |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002073118/http://www.scwa.ca.gov/environment/natural_resources/fisheries_enhancement.php |archive-date=October 2, 2009 }}

"The primary focus of the FEP is to enhance habitat for three salmonids: Steelhead, Chinook salmon, and Coho salmon. These three species are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The California Department of Fish and Game considers the Coho salmon endangered."

• Mendocino County, California – north
• Lake County, California – northeast
• Napa County, California – east
• Solano County, California – southeast
• Marin County, California – south
• Contra Costa County, California – south-southeastMarin, Solono, Sonoma and Contra Costa Counties' borders come to a common point approx. 6 miles into San Francisco Bay. Thus, Contra Costa County is an adjacent county. {{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/codesandstatute02caligoog | quote=3955. | page=[https://archive.org/details/codesandstatute02caligoog/page/n522 515] | title=The codes and statutes of the State of California | year=1876 | publisher=A. L. Bancroft | last=Hittell | first = Theodore Henry | access-date=August 20, 2012}}{{cite web | url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=50731529530+1+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve | access-date=August 20, 2012 | title=California Codes, Government Codes, section 23149}}

• San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)

File:US 101 (1961 cutout).svg U.S. Route 101

U.S. Route 101 is the westernmost Federal highway in the U.S.A. Running north/south through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, it generally parallels the coastline from Downtown Los Angeles to the Canada–US border. Highway 101 links seven of the county's nine incorporated cities: Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, and Petaluma. It is a freeway for its entire length within the county.

The four-lane sections of the highway have been heavily congested during peak commute hours for many years and work is being done to widen part of the highway to six lanes. The segment from north of Petaluma (at Old Redwood Highway/Petaluma Boulevard North exit) to Windsor has been fully widened, as has the segment from the Petaluma River bridge to the Marin County border. The two new inner lanes are designated for vehicles with two or more occupants during commute hours. Work is being done around Petaluma to finish the widening within Sonoma County; the widening also involves upgrading the highway to full freeway standards.

File:California 1.svg State Route 1

Within Sonoma County, Highway 1 follows the coastline from the Mendocino County border, at the mouth of the Gualala River, to the Marin County border, at the Estero Americano (Americano Creek), southeast of Bodega Bay.

File:California 12.svg State Route 12

File:CA SR-12 Sonoma.jpg in Sonoma (Broadway)]]

Highway 12 runs eastward from its intersection with Highway 116 in Sebastopol to Santa Rosa. There it turns south through the Valley of the Moon to Sonoma, then east into Napa County. The four-lane freeway section within Santa Rosa, between Fulton Road and Farmers Lane, is called the Luther Burbank Memorial Highway. That section, especially where it crosses Highway 101, is severely congested during peak commute hours.

The two-lane Bodega Highway runs west from the intersection of Highways 12 and 116 in Sebastopol, through the coastal hills to its intersection with Highway 1, east of Bodega Bay. East of Santa Rosa, Highway 12 is also called Sonoma Highway; and east of the City of Sonoma, Carneros Highway.

File:California 37.svg State Route 37

Highway 37 connects Highway 101 at Novato, in Marin County, with Interstate 80 in Vallejo, in Solano County, at the top of San Pablo Bay. Within Sonoma County, it is also called Sears Point Road.

File:California 116.svg State Route 116

Highway 116 is a winding, two-lane rural route that runs from Jenner, at the mouth of the Russian River on the coast, southeast to Arnold Drive near Sonoma. It is also called "Pocket Canyon" between Guerneville and Forestville; Gravenstein Highway North, between Forestville and Sebastopol; and Gravenstein Highway South, between Sebastopol and Stony Point Road, west of Rohnert Park. East of Petaluma it is called Lakeville Highway, then Stage Gulch Road.

File:California 121.svg State Route 121

Highway 121 is a two-lane rural route running from Highway 37 near Sears Point Raceway to Highway 128 in Lake Berryessa, in Napa County.

File:California 128.svg State Route 128

The northernmost section of Highway 128 is a two-lane, rural route running southeast from Highway 101 at Geyserville, north of Healdsburg, through the Alexander Valley and into Napa County.

• Sonoma County Transit is the countywide transit operator, providing service to all cities in Sonoma County.
• CityBus operates within the city limits of Santa Rosa.{{Cite web|url=http://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/departments/transit/citybus/pages/default.aspx|title=CityBus|publisher=City of Santa Rosa|access-date=February 4, 2015}}
• The cities of Cloverdale and Petaluma also provide their own local bus service.
• Golden Gate Transit connects Santa Rosa and points south with Marin County and San Francisco.
• Mendocino Transit Authority runs north from Santa Rosa to Ukiah (via US 101) and to the coast (via California Routes 12 and 1).
• Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a commuter rail line eventually planned to go between Larkspur in Marin County and Cloverdale in Sonoma County. {{as of|December 2020}} the line operates between Larkspur and the Sonoma County Airport.

The Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport is at 2290 Airport Boulevard, west of Highway 101, between Santa Rosa and Windsor. Its main runway is {{convert|5,115|ft|m}} long and {{convert|150|ft|m}} wide, and can accommodate planes up to {{convert|95,000|lb|kg}} maximum gross takeoff weight. It offers fuel, major maintenance, hangar space, and tie-downs for local and transient aircraft. Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines offer regular daily commercial flights.

There are five general aviation airports within the county:

• Cloverdale Municipal Airport
• Healdsburg Municipal Airport
• Petaluma Municipal Airport
• Sonoma Skypark
• Sonoma Valley Airport

File:Railroads of Sonoma County California.png

File:PostcardMesaGrandeCARailroadStationCirca1910.jpg

In 1864, the Petaluma and Haystack Railroad connected the city of Petaluma to a ferry landing at the head of navigation on the Petaluma River.

In 1870, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) connected the City of Santa Rosa to ferry connections at Donahue landing on the Petaluma River. Rail service was extended north to Healdsburg in 1871 and Cloverdale in 1872. In 1884 the railroad was extended south to an alternate ferry connection in Tiburon. This rail line serves as the primary route of Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit.{{cite web |url=http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/about-smart |title=About SMART |website=sonomamarintrain.org |date=September 26, 2016 |access-date=December 31, 2017 }}

The 3-foot-gauge North Pacific Coast Railroad extended northward in 1876 from a ferry connection at Sausalito through Valley Ford, Freestone, and Occidental to Monte Rio on the lower Russian River. Service was extended to Duncans Mills in 1877 and Cazadero in 1885. The standard gauge Fulton and Guerneville Railroad left the SF&NP at Fulton to reach Korbel in 1876 and Guerneville in 1877. Standard-gauge rails were extended down-river to Duncan Mills in 1909 after the Northwestern Pacific Railroad merger, and narrow-gauge service was discontinued in 1930. The standard-gauge route became River Road after tracks were removed in 1935.{{cite book |last1=Codoni |first1=Fred |last2=Trimble |first2=Paul Castelhun |title =Northwestern Pacific Railroad |publisher =Arcadia Publishing |date =2006 |page =65 |isbn =0738531219}}

The unique Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway linked the city of Sonoma to bay ferries in 1876 and was replaced in 1879 by the {{convert|3|ft|m|adj=on}}-gauge Sonoma Valley Railroad to a ferry landing near the mouth of the Petaluma River. Service was extended from Sonoma to Glen Ellen in 1882. The southern end of the line was extended westward in 1888 to a connection with the SF&NP at Ignacio. This line was converted to standard-gauge in 1890 and remains (in 2018) as Sonoma County's connection to the national rail system at Schellville.

Southern Pacific subsidiary Santa Rosa and Carquinez Railroad extended eastward in 1888 to link Santa Rosa with the national rail system. The portion between Sonoma and Santa Rosa was dismantled in the 1940s after interchange shifted to the former Sonoma Valley line.{{cite web |url=https://localwiki.org/sonoma-valley/Railroads |title=Sonoma Valley Railroads |website=Sonoma Valley |publisher=LocalWiki |access-date=April 1, 2018 }}

A SF&NP branch line from Santa Rosa brought rail service to Sebastopol in 1890. The Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad extended interurban service north from a ferry connection in Petaluma to reach Sebastopol in 1904, Santa Rosa in 1905, and Forestville in 1906. Portions of this line were converted to the Joe Rodota Trail after tracks were removed in the 1980s.{{cite web|url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/parks/pk_westc.htm|title=West County and Joe Rodota Trails|website=Sonoma-county.org|access-date=April 1, 2018}}

The Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit commuter rail line inaugurated passenger service on August 25, 2017,{{cite web|url=http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/08/17/smart-train-service-between-marin-sonoma-county-to-start-aug-25/|title=Smart Train Service Between Marin, Sonoma County To Start Aug. 25|work=KPIX 5 CBS San Francisco|date=August 17, 2017|publisher=CBS Broadcasting, Inc.|access-date=August 18, 2017}} utilizing the Northwestern Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Sonoma County Airport station to Larkspur Landing in Marin. The system is planned to extend to Cloverdale Depot.

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense in the year of 2009.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

|-

! colspan="3" | Population and crime rates

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Population

| colspan="2" | 478,551

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Violent crimeOffice of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. [http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf Table 11: Crimes – 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222315/http://stats.doj.ca.gov/cjsc_stats/prof09/00/11.pdf |date=December 2, 2013 }}. Retrieved November 14, 2013.

| 1,917 || 4.01

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Homicide

| 9 || 0.02

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Forcible rape

| 163 || 0.34

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Robbery

| 318 || 0.66

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Aggravated assault

| 1,427 || 2.98

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Property crime

| 4,537 || 9.48

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Burglary

| 1,993 || 4.16

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Larceny-theftOnly larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.

| 6,671 || 13.94

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Motor vehicle theft

| 786 || 1.64

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Arson

| 85 || 0.18

|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"

|-

! colspan="9" | Cities by population and crime rates

|-

! City

! data-sort-type="number" | PopulationUnited States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_california_by_city_2012.xls Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California)]. Retrieved November 14, 2013.

! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crimes

! data-sort-type="number" | Violent crime rate
per 1,000 persons

! data-sort-type="number" | Property crimes

! data-sort-type="number" | Property crime rate
per 1,000 persons

|-

| Cloverdale || 8,775 || 6 || 0.68 || 157 || 17.89

|-

| Cotati || 7,398 || 54 || 7.30 || 85 || 11.49

|-

| Healdsburg || 11,458 || 18 || 1.57 || 271 || 23.65

|-

| Petaluma || 58,995 || 167 || 2.83 || 822 || 13.93

|-

| Rohnert Park || 41,716 || 192 || 4.60 || 770 || 18.46

|-

| Santa Rosa || 170,862 || 636 || 3.72 || 3,818 || 22.35

|-

| Sebastopol || 7,512 || 8 || 1.06 || 170 || 22.63

|-

| Sonoma || 10,841 || 27 || 2.49 || 193 || 17.80

|-

| Windsor || 27,293 || 67 || 2.45 || 318 || 11.65

|}

{{US Census population

| 1850 = 560

| 1860 = 11867

| 1870 = 19819

| 1880 = 25926

| 1890 = 32721

| 1900 = 38480

| 1910 = 48394

| 1920 = 52090

| 1930 = 62222

| 1940 = 69052

| 1950 = 103405

| 1960 = 147375

| 1970 = 204885

| 1980 = 299681

| 1990 = 388222

| 2000 = 458614

| 2010 = 483878

| 2020 = 488863

|estyear=2023

|estimate=481812

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 26, 2024}}

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=January 24, 2022}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=May 31, 2014}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 31, 2014}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 31, 2014}} 2010 2020

{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sonomacountycalifornia/PST045222 |title=QuickFactsSonoma County, California |website=census.gov |access-date=April 21, 2023}} 2022{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06097.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 31, 2014}}

}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Sonoma County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
{{nobold|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.}}

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2010{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sonoma County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US06097&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!{{partial|Pop 2020}}{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sonoma County, California|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US06097&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

!% 2010

!{{partial|% 2020}}

|-

|White alone (NH)

|320,027

|style='background: #ffffe6; |285,792

|66.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58.46%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|6,769

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,125

|1.40%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.46%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|3,584

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,053

|0.74%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.62%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|17,777

|style='background: #ffffe6; |22,239

|3.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.55%

|-

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|1,434

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,708

|0.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%

|-

|Other Race alone (NH)

|913

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,909

|0.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.60%

|-

|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)

|12,944

|style='background: #ffffe6; |24,599

|2.68%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.03%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|120,430

|style='background: #ffffe6; |141,438

|24.89%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28.93%

|-

|Total

|483,878

|style='background: #ffffe6; |488,863

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

|-

! colspan=6 | Population, race, and income

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total populationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 26, 2013.

| colspan=2 | 478,551

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  White

| 390,474

| 81.6%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Black or African American

| 7,161

| 1.5%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  American Indian or Alaska Native

| 5,962

| 1.2%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Asian

| 19,249

| 4.0%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

| 1,513

| 0.3%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Some other race

| 37,977

| 7.9%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Two or more races

| 16,215

| 3.4%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Hispanic or Latino (of any race)U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 26, 2013.

| 116,222

| 24.3%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Per capita incomeU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

| colspan=2 | $33,119

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median household incomeU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

| colspan=2 | $64,343

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Median family incomeU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

| colspan=2 | $78,227

|}

File:Ethnic Origins in Sonoma County, CA.png

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"

|-

! colspan=9 | Places by population and race

|-

! Place

! TypeU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

! data-sort-type="number" | Population

! data-sort-type="number" | White

! data-sort-type="number" | Other
Other = Some other race + Two or more races

! data-sort-type="number" | Asian

! data-sort-type="number" | Black or African
American

! data-sort-type="number" | Native American
Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native

! data-sort-type="number" | Hispanic or Latino
(of any race)

|-

| Bloomfield || CDP || 186 || 93.0% || 0.0% || 7.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 3.2%

|-

| Bodega || CDP || 132 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%

|-

| Bodega Bay || CDP || 772 || 87.2% || 3.5% || 9.3% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 4.9%

|-

| Boyes Hot Springs || CDP || 7,284 || 74.8% || 20.8% || 3.4% || 0.0% || 1.1% || 52.7%

|-

| Carmet || CDP || 22 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%

|-

| Cazadero || CDP || 305 || 92.8% || 7.2% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 8.9%

|-

| Cloverdale || City || 8,390 || 81.1% || 13.6% || 4.6% || 0.2% || 0.5% || 30.2%

|-

| Cotati || City || 7,154 || 87.9% || 6.2% || 4.4% || 1.2% || 0.2% || 10.5%

|-

| Eldridge || CDP || 1,899 || 74.6% || 22.9% || 1.8% || 0.5% || 0.2% || 19.0%

|-

| El Verano || CDP || 3,555 || 80.6% || 13.3% || 5.5% || 0.0% || 0.5% || 28.2%

|-

| Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente || CDP || 4,034 || 88.7% || 7.1% || 2.9% || 0.7% || 0.6% || 41.2%

|-

| Forestville || CDP || 3,268 || 86.6% || 10.0% || 3.1% || 0.0% || 0.2% || 10.7%

|-

| Fulton || CDP || 691 || 54.6% || 36.0% || 9.4% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 36.0%

|-

| Geyserville || CDP || 1,024 || 58.1% || 37.6% || 2.4% || 0.0% || 1.9% || 56.7%

|-

| Glen Ellen || CDP || 549 || 91.4% || 7.3% || 0.0% || 1.3% || 0.0% || 10.4%

|-

| Graton || CDP || 1,621 || 83.0% || 14.4% || 0.0% || 0.3% || 2.3% || 22.8%

|-

| Guerneville || CDP || 4,187 || 90.6% || 5.4% || 0.3% || 2.1% || 1.6% || 11.6%

|-

| Healdsburg || City || 11,161 || 79.1% || 17.7% || 0.3% || 0.8% || 2.2% || 33.0%

|-

| Jenner || CDP || 113 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%

|-

| Kenwood || CDP || 509 || 80.6% || 17.3% || 2.2% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 18.3%

|-

| Larkfield-Wikiup || CDP || 8,569 || 88.3% || 7.7% || 3.3% || 0.2% || 0.5% || 17.6%

|-

| Monte Rio || CDP || 1,044 || 91.9% || 5.9% || 0.8% || 0.0% || 1.4% || 2.4%

|-

| Occidental || CDP || 1,264 || 88.8% || 5.9% || 4.0% || 1.3% || 0.0% || 4.8%

|-

| Penngrove || CDP || 2,428 || 90.6% || 8.6% || 0.8% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 12.8%

|-

| Petaluma || City || 57,265 || 83.5% || 9.2% || 5.1% || 1.0% || 1.1% || 21.3%

|-

| Rohnert Park || City || 40,741 || 78.6% || 11.5% || 6.6% || 2.0% || 1.4% || 23.3%

|-

| Roseland || CDP || 6,628 || 67.6% || 27.1% || 2.9% || 1.8% || 0.5% || 58.5%

|-

| Salmon Creek || CDP || 95 || 93.7% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 6.3% || 0.0%

|-

| Santa Rosa || City || 164,976 || 78.2% || 12.5% || 5.1% || 2.3% || 1.9% || 28.2%

|-

| Sea Ranch || CDP || 812 || 97.9% || 0.7% || 1.4% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 7.4%

|-

| Sebastopol || City || 7,359 || 88.8% || 6.8% || 1.2% || 0.7% || 2.5% || 10.8%

|-

| Sereno del Mar || CDP || 119 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0%

|-

| Sonoma || City || 10,430 || 87.5% || 8.0% || 2.1% || 0.4% || 1.9% || 16.6%

|-

| Temelec || CDP || 1,510 || 97.3% || 1.7% || 1.1% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 10.2%

|-

| Timber Cove || CDP || 165 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 13.9%

|-

| Valley Ford || CDP || 85 || 100.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 0.0% || 43.5%

|-

| Windsor || Town || 26,229 || 80.1% || 12.7% || 3.0% || 0.6% || 3.7% || 32.2%

|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"

|-

! colspan=6 | Places by population and income

|-

! Place

! Type

! PopulationU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. [https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website] . Retrieved October 21, 2013.

! data-sort-type="currency" | Per capita income

! data-sort-type="currency" | Median household income

! data-sort-type="currency" | Median family income

|-

| Bloomfield || CDP || 186 || $31,592 || $85,515 || $85,735

|-

| Bodega || CDP || 132 || $26,221 || $21,750 || $40,972

|-

| Bodega Bay || CDP || 772 || $52,512 || $73,250 || $122,500

|-

| Boyes Hot Springs || CDP || 7,284 || $24,218 || $47,123 || $48,382

|-

| Carmet || CDP || 22 ||Data unavailable || ||

|-

| Cazadero || CDP || 305 || $32,407 || $46,875 || $53,500

|-

| Cloverdale || City || 8,390 || $25,745 || $56,649 || $71,233

|-

| Cotati || City || 7,154 || $38,863 || $62,969 || $77,350

|-

| Eldridge || CDP || 1,899 || $28,397 || $94,688 || $105,724

|-

| El Verano || CDP || 3,555 || $27,189 || $49,731 || $53,409

|-

| Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente || CDP || 4,034 || $29,849 || $59,315 || $63,879

|-

| Forestville || CDP || 3,268 || $32,773 || $53,095 || $65,135

|-

| Fulton || CDP || 691 || $25,734 || $42,692 || $125,417

|-

| Geyserville || CDP || 1,024 || $23,915 || $49,375 || $51,250

|-

| Glen Ellen || CDP || 549 || $33,389 || $45,558 || $56,250

|-

| Graton || CDP || 1,621 || $36,676 || $77,574 || $91,946

|-

| Guerneville || CDP || 4,187 || $30,594 || $39,459 || $61,250

|-

| Healdsburg || City || 11,161 || $34,031 || $63,666 || $72,235

|-

| Jenner || CDP || 113 || $45,432 || $81,161 || $42,422

|-

| Kenwood || CDP || 509 || $76,096 || $56,250 || $144,318

|-

| Larkfield-Wikiup || CDP || 8,569 || $33,798 || $71,046 || $92,243

|-

| Monte Rio || CDP || 1,044 || $21,861 || $31,667 || $41,544

|-

| Occidental || CDP || 1,264 || $46,895 || $67,205 || $104,375

|-

| Penngrove || CDP || 2,428 || $39,270 || $84,315 || $98,407

|-

| Petaluma || City || 57,265 || $35,111 || $76,185 || $92,192

|-

| Rohnert Park || City || 40,741 || $28,203 || $56,950 || $71,726

|-

| Roseland || CDP || 6,628 || $20,518 || $54,255 || $60,104

|-

| Salmon Creek || CDP || 95 || $70,087 || $80,694 || $80,694

|-

| Santa Rosa || City || 164,976 || $30,085 || $60,850 || $69,944

|-

| Sea Ranch || CDP || 812 || $48,998 || $57,227 || $79,063

|-

| Sebastopol || City || 7,359 || $35,459 || $60,000 || $85,391

|-

| Sereno del Mar || CDP || 119 || $120,019 || $162,986 || $162,986

|-

| Sonoma || City || 10,430 || $42,261 || $63,262 || $104,942

|-

| Temelec || CDP || 1,510 || $37,406 || $39,274 || $44,960

|-

| Timber Cove || CDP || 165 || $39,092 || $42,143 || $58,250

|-

| Valley Ford || CDP || 85 || || ||

|-

| Windsor || Town || 26,229 || $31,009 || $77,157 || $86,425

|}

The 2010 United States census reported that Sonoma County had a population of 483,878. The racial makeup of Sonoma County was 371,412 (76.8%) White, 7,610 (1.6%) African American, 6,489 (1.3%) Native American, 18,341 (3.8%) Asian, 1,558 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 56,966 (11.8%) from other races, and 21,502 (4.4%) from two or more races. There were 120,430 residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, of any race (24.9%).{{USCensus2010CA}}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

|-

!colspan=10|Population reported at 2010 United States Census

|-

|{{center|The County}} ||{{center|Total
Population}}||{{center|White}} ||{{center|African
American}} || {{center|Native
American}} || {{center|Asian}} || {{center|Pacific
Islander}} || {{center|other
races}} || {{center|two or
more races}} ||{{center|Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)}}

|-

| Sonoma County

|align="right"|483,878||align="right"|371,412||align="right"|7,610||align="right"|6,489||align="right"|18,341||align="right"|1,558||align="right"|56,966||align="right"|21,502||align="right"|120,430

|-

|{{center|Incorporated
cities and towns}} ||{{center|Total
Population}}||{{center|White}} ||{{center|African
American}} || {{center|Native
American}} || {{center|Asian}} || {{center|Pacific
Islander}} || {{center|other
races}} || {{center|two or
more races}} ||{{center|Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)}}

|-

|Cloverdale

|align="right"|8,618||align="right"|6,458||align="right"|48||align="right"|156||align="right"|98||align="right"|7||align="right"|1,530||align="right"|321||align="right"|2,824

|-

|Cotati

|align="right"|7,265||align="right"|5,929||align="right"|122||align="right"|75||align="right"|283||align="right"|30||align="right"|427||align="right"|399||align="right"|1,255

|-

|Healdsburg

|align="right"|11,254||align="right"|8,334||align="right"|56||align="right"|205||align="right"|125||align="right"|18||align="right"|2,133||align="right"|383||align="right"|3,820

|-

|Petaluma

|align="right"|57,941||align="right"|46,566||align="right"|801||align="right"|353||align="right"|2,607||align="right"|129||align="right"|5,103||align="right"|2,382||align="right"|12,453

|-

|Rohnert Park

|align="right"|40,971||align="right"|31,178||align="right"|759||align="right"|407||align="right"|2,144||align="right"|179||align="right"|3,967||align="right"|2,337||align="right"|9,068

|-

|Santa Rosa

|align="right"|167,815||align="right"|119,158||align="right"|4,079||align="right"|2,808||align="right"|8,746||align="right"|810||align="right"|23,723||align="right"|8,491||align="right"|47,970

|-

|Sebastopol

|align="right"|7,379||align="right"|6,509||align="right"|72||align="right"|60||align="right"|120||align="right"|19||align="right"|298||align="right"|301||align="right"|885

|-

|Sonoma

|align="right"|10,648||align="right"|9,242||align="right"|52||align="right"|56||align="right"|300||align="right"|23||align="right"|711||align="right"|264||align="right"|1,634

|-

|Windsor

|align="right"|26,801||align="right"|19,798||align="right"|227||align="right"|594||align="right"|810||align="right"|51||align="right"|4,052||align="right"|1,269||align="right"|8,511

|-

|{{center|Census-designated
places}} ||{{center|Total
Population}}||{{center|White}} ||{{center|African
American}} || {{center|Native
American}} || {{center|Asian}} || {{center|Pacific
Islander}} || {{center|other
races}} || {{center|two or
more races}} ||{{center|Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)}}

|-

|Bloomfield

|align="right"|345||align="right"|282||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|4||align="right"|0||align="right"|52||align="right"|7||align="right"|62

|-

|Bodega

|align="right"|220||align="right"|209||align="right"|0||align="right"|2||align="right"|2||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|7||align="right"|9

|-

|Bodega Bay

|align="right"|1,077||align="right"|951||align="right"|2||align="right"|4||align="right"|33||align="right"|4||align="right"|49||align="right"|34||align="right"|126

|-

|Boyes Hot Springs

|align="right"|6,656||align="right"|4,505||align="right"|48||align="right"|91||align="right"|84||align="right"|9||align="right"|1,674||align="right"|245||align="right"|3,270

|-

|Carmet

|align="right"|47||align="right"|43||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|3||align="right"|0

|-

|Cazadero

|align="right"|354||align="right"|318||align="right"|1||align="right"|7||align="right"|5||align="right"|0||align="right"|5||align="right"|18||align="right"|23

|-

|El Verano

|align="right"|4,123||align="right"|3,054||align="right"|22||align="right"|22||align="right"|101||align="right"|12||align="right"|717||align="right"|195||align="right"|1,559

|-

|Eldridge

|align="right"|1,233||align="right"|988||align="right"|10||align="right"|3||align="right"|36||align="right"|6||align="right"|144||align="right"|46||align="right"|325

|-

|Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente

|align="right"|4,144||align="right"|2,926||align="right"|25||align="right"|39||align="right"|68||align="right"|8||align="right"|895||align="right"|183||align="right"|1,925

|-

|Forestville

|align="right"|3,293||align="right"|2,914||align="right"|32||align="right"|36||align="right"|53||align="right"|6||align="right"|153||align="right"|99||align="right"|406

|-

|Fulton

|align="right"|541||align="right"|349||align="right"|3||align="right"|12||align="right"|11||align="right"|1||align="right"|149||align="right"|16||align="right"|186

|-

|Geyserville

|align="right"|862||align="right"|609||align="right"|5||align="right"|7||align="right"|14||align="right"|0||align="right"|192||align="right"|35||align="right"|328

|-

|Glen Ellen

|align="right"|784||align="right"|693||align="right"|3||align="right"|9||align="right"|16||align="right"|3||align="right"|18||align="right"|42||align="right"|67

|-

|Graton

|align="right"|1,707||align="right"|1,402||align="right"|10||align="right"|29||align="right"|25||align="right"|3||align="right"|144||align="right"|94||align="right"|322

|-

|Guerneville

|align="right"|4,534||align="right"|3,926||align="right"|31||align="right"|68||align="right"|47||align="right"|12||align="right"|226||align="right"|224||align="right"|553

|-

|Jenner

|align="right"|136||align="right"|125||align="right"|2||align="right"|0||align="right"|2||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|7||align="right"|8

|-

|Kenwood

|align="right"|1,028||align="right"|930||align="right"|1||align="right"|1||align="right"|23||align="right"|2||align="right"|45||align="right"|26||align="right"|79

|-

|Larkfield-Wikiup

|align="right"|8,884||align="right"|7,042||align="right"|81||align="right"|168||align="right"|292||align="right"|19||align="right"|878||align="right"|404||align="right"|1,979

|-

|Monte Rio

|align="right"|1,152||align="right"|1,047||align="right"|10||align="right"|6||align="right"|11||align="right"|1||align="right"|16||align="right"|61||align="right"|79

|-

|Occidental

|align="right"|1,115||align="right"|992||align="right"|7||align="right"|7||align="right"|31||align="right"|0||align="right"|23||align="right"|55||align="right"|81

|-

|Penngrove

|align="right"|2,522||align="right"|2,212||align="right"|19||align="right"|24||align="right"|54||align="right"|2||align="right"|112||align="right"|99||align="right"|292

|-

|Roseland

|align="right"|6,325||align="right"|3,235||align="right"|130||align="right"|224||align="right"|276||align="right"|15||align="right"|2,078||align="right"|367||align="right"|3,773

|-

|Salmon Creek

|align="right"|86||align="right"|86||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|1

|-

|Sea Ranch

|align="right"|1,305||align="right"|1,220||align="right"|15||align="right"|3||align="right"|10||align="right"|0||align="right"|37||align="right"|20||align="right"|117

|-

|Sereno del Mar

|align="right"|126||align="right"|118||align="right"|1||align="right"|0||align="right"|1||align="right"|1||align="right"|2||align="right"|3||align="right"|8

|-

|Temelec

|align="right"|1,441||align="right"|1,376||align="right"|4||align="right"|4||align="right"|31||align="right"|5||align="right"|5||align="right"|16||align="right"|68

|-

|Timber Cove

|align="right"|164||align="right"|152||align="right"|1||align="right"|1||align="right"|6||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|4||align="right"|9

|-

|Valley Ford

|align="right"|147||align="right"|105||align="right"|1||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|0||align="right"|33||align="right"|8||align="right"|52

|-

|{{center|Other
unincorporated areas}} ||{{center|Total
Population}}||{{center|White}} ||{{center|African
American}} || {{center|Native
American}} || {{center|Asian}} || {{center|Pacific
Islander}} || {{center|other
races}} || {{center|two or
more races}} ||{{center|Hispanic
or Latino
(of any race)}}

|-

|All others not CDPs (combined)

|align="right"|90,835||align="right"|76,431||align="right"|930||align="right"|1,008||align="right"|1,871||align="right"|183||align="right"|7,375||align="right"|3,037||align="right"|16,303

|}

At the 2000 United States census,{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }} there were 458,614 people, 172,403 households, and 112,406 families in Sonoma County. The population density was {{convert|291|/mi2|/km2}}. There were 183,153 housing units at an average density of {{convert|116|/mi2|/km2}}.

Of the 172,403 households, 50.3% were married couples living together, 34.8% were non-families, and 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present. 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.7% were individuals, and 10.0% were 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.60, and the average family size was 3.12.

The median age was 38 years. 24.5% were under 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94 males.

The median household income was $53,076, and the median family income was $61,921. Males had a median income of $42,035, females $32,022. The per capita income for the county was $25,724. About 4.7% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Sonoma County as the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metropolitan statistical area.{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/bulletins/2013/b13-01.pdf|title=OMB Bulletin No. 13-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas|publisher=United States Office of Management and Budget|date=February 28, 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013}} The United States Census Bureau ranked the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 105th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-01.csv|title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|format=CSV|work=2012 Population Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division|date=March 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401093220/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-01.csv|archive-date=April 1, 2013}}

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA metropolitan statistical area as a component of the more extensive San Francisco Bay Area, the 5th most populous combined statistical area and primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-02.csv|title=Table 2. Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|format=CSV|work=2012 Population Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division|date=March 2013|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517083619/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2012/tables/CBSA-EST2012-02.csv|archive-date=May 17, 2013}}

Sonoma County's governing board and legislative body is the five-member Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.{{cite web|url=http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Departments-Agencies/Board-of-Supervisors/ |title=Board of Supervisors |publisher=Sonoma County |access-date=July 17, 2014}} Supervisors are elected by district{{cite web|url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/board/district.htm |title=Supervisorial Districts |website=sonoma-county.org |access-date=July 17, 2014}} at the Consolidated Primary Election, and serve for four years. The Supervisors also sit as directors of several local jurisdictions, such as Sonoma Water,{{cite web |url=http://www.scwa.ca.gov/ |title=Sonoma County Water Agency |website=scwa.org |access-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715200103/http://www.scwa.ca.gov/ |url-status=dead }} and the Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District.{{cite web|url=http://www.sonomaopenspace.org/ |title=Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District |website=sonomaopenspace.org |access-date=July 17, 2014}}

The current supervisors (as of January 2021) are:

• District 1: Susan Gorin,
• District 2: David Rabbitt,
• District 3: Chris Coursey,
• District 4: James Gore, and
• District 5: Lynda Hopkins.{{Cite web

| url = http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/

| title = Board of Supervisors

| publisher = County of Sonoma

| access-date = September 11, 2021}}

The Supervisors appoint the members of 59 boards, commissions, and committees.{{cite web |url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/board/maddy/list.asp |title=Boards, Commissions, Committees & Task Forces |website=sonoma-county.org |date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421011201/http://www.sonoma-county.org/board/maddy/list.asp |url-status=dead }}

The County Administrator{{cite web|url=http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Departments-and-Agencies/County-Administrators-Office/ |title=County Administrators Office |work=Departments and Agencies |publisher=Sonoma County |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209044552/http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Departments-and-Agencies/County-Administrators-Office/ |archive-date=February 9, 2014 }} is the county's chief executive officer, reporting to the Board of Supervisors. The administrator manages the county's departments, such as the regional parks department.

On December 15, 2009, the Board announced{{cite journal |url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/news/pdf/20091215_new_cao.pdf |title=Press Release: Supervisors Announce New County Administrator |publisher=Sonoma County |date=December 15, 2009 |access-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513181711/http://www.sonoma-county.org/news/pdf/20091215_new_cao.pdf |url-status=dead }} the appointment of Veronica Ferguson to be the first woman County Administrator. She assumed office on February 1, 2010.

On May 1, 2014, the county launched a public utility named Sonoma Clean Power.{{cite news|last1=GNECKOW|first1=ERIC|title=Sonoma Clean Power flips switch for first customers|url=http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/csp/mediapool/sites/NBBJ/IndustryNews/story.csp?cid=4185043&sid=778&fid=181|access-date=November 24, 2016|work=The North Bay Business Journal|date=May 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107221502/http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/csp/mediapool/sites/NBBJ/IndustryNews/story.csp?cid=4185043&sid=778&fid=181|archive-date=November 7, 2016|url-status=dead}} This utility was created under the guidelines of Community Choice Aggregation.

Sonoma County is split between California's 2nd and 4th congressional districts, represented by {{Representative|cacd|2}} and {{Representative|cacd|4}}, respectively.{{Cite GovTrack|CA|5|access-date=March 1, 2013}}

In the California State Assembly, Sonoma County is split between the 2nd, 4th, and 10th districts, which are held by {{Representative|caad|2|fmt=spfl}}, {{Representative|caad|4|fmt=spfl}}, and {{Representative|caad|10|fmt=spfl}}, respectively.{{cite web

| url = http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers |title=Members Assembly |access-date=March 2, 2013

| publisher = State of California}} In the California State Senate, the county is split between {{Representative|casd|2|fmt=sdistrict}}, and {{Representative|casd|3|fmt=sdistrict}}.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department is the law enforcement agency for the unincorporated area of the county. It also contracts to provide the police forces of the City of Sonoma and the Town of Windsor. The department has more than 1,000 employees, including more than 275 Deputy Sheriffs, in four bureaus. More than 300 Correctional Officers and staff work in two jail facilities; Main Area Detention Facility and the North County Detention Facility, with a total daily population of nearly 1,200 inmates.{{cite web |url=http://www.sonomasheriff.org/about_overview.php |title=Sheriff's Department Overview |publisher=Sonoma County Sheriff's Office |date=April 19, 2002 |access-date=July 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727060640/http://www.sonomasheriff.org/about_overview.php |archive-date=July 27, 2014 }} Police shootings in 2007 led to calls for an independent civilian police review board;Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 3/30/07: Fatal police shootings rekindle review debate/Recent cases raise decade-old concerns over agencies' abilities to investigate each other which was established in 2015.{{Cite web|title=THE HISTORY OF THE INDEPENDENT OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT REVIEW AND OUTREACH (IOLERO)|url=https://unionhall.aflcio.org/system/files/iolero_history.pdf|access-date=November 10, 2020}}

In 2015, news broke of systematic torture by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. One victim suffered from internal bleeding, and was subsequently denied medical care for several days. Numerous victims claim that they were inflicted with various forms of head and brain trauma and sustained brain injury.{{Cite web |title=ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: Inmate describes alleged abuse by Sonoma County jail guards |url=https://abc7news.com/sonoma-county-jail-correctional-deputies-beat-inmates-filed-a-lawsuit-attorney-izaak-schwaiger/1018775/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=ABC7 San Francisco |language=en}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-10-05 |title=Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Sued for Alleged Torture, Beatings of Jail Inmates |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/sonoma-county-sheriff-offices-sued-for-alleged-torture-beatings-of-jail-inmates/65366/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=NBC Bay Area |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Kale |date=2015-10-06 |title=Suit charges inmates were beaten, tortured at Sonoma County Jail |url=https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Suit-charges-inmates-were-beaten-tortured-at-6553508.php |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=SFGATE |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Fernandez |first=Lisa |date=2015-10-06 |title=Sonoma County Jail Guards Beat, Humiliated Inmates in 'Sadistic' Attack: Federal Lawsuit |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/jail-guards-beat-humiliated-sonoma-county-jail-federal-lawsuit/104173/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=NBC Bay Area |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=PAYNE |first=PAUL |date=2015-10-05 |title=Sonoma County inmates sue over alleged brutal, hours-long beatings |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/lawsuit-claims-sonoma-county-jail-inmates-suffered-5-hour-beating-at-hands/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat |language=en-US}}

Dominic Foppoli was a mayor of Windsor, and on the town council. He was accused of rape or sexual assault by 14 different women. Accusations include the use of date rape drugs, alcohol, violence, and manipulation.{{Cite web |title=Timeline of sexual assault allegations against Dominic Foppoli |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2021/windsor-dominic-foppoli-timeline/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=The San Francisco Chronicle |language=en}}

Robert Jacob was the mayor of Sebastopol, and was convicted of child sexual abuse.{{Cite web |last=Regimbal |first=Alec |date=2023-01-30 |title=Ex-Bay Area mayor expected to serve 7 years in child sex abuse case |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/former-sebastopol-mayor-prison-sentence-17751572.php |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=SFGATE |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-26 |title=Former Sebastopol mayor gets 7 years in prison for lewd conduct with child |url=https://www.ktvu.com/news/former-sebastopol-mayor-gets-7-years-in-prison-for-lewd-conduct-with-child |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=Bay City News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=ATAGI |first=COLIN |date=2023-03-23 |title=Former Sebastopol mayor sentenced to prison for child sex crimes, addresses victim in court |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/former-sebastopol-mayor-sentenced-in-lewd-acts-case-must-register-as-sex-o/ |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat |language=en-US}}

{{More citations needed section|date=November 2023}}

File:Vineyardsonomamtn.jpg]]

Agriculture has long played a critical role in Sonoma County's economy, and it makes up a major component of California's Wine Country. Just over 2% of the population works in agriculture, nearly twice the state average. Similar to other regions of the state, the county's mild climate and fertile soil allow for the cultivation of a wide variety of crops, ornamentals, and for the raising of livestock. Beyond the production of grapes, the county's agricultural heartland is primarily located in the west and southwest, and near the cities of Petaluma and Sebastopol. The renowned horticulturalist Luther Burbank, who created hundreds of new varieties of plants and crops, lived and worked in Sonoma County for much of his life.

Winemaking in the county is by far its most valuable industry and a major part of the economic and cultural life. First established in 1850 by a Franciscan priest named Fr. Jose Altimira of the Mission San Francisco Solano, the production of wine has perhaps become Sonoma County's most well known feature. In 2004, growers harvested {{convert|165,783|short ton|t}}s) of wine grapes worth US$310 million. In 2006 the Sonoma County grape harvest amounted to over 185,000 tons, exceeding Napa County's harvest by more than 30 percent.{{cite web|publisher=Sonoma County Vintner |url=http://www.sonomawine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=335544383&Itemid=Year |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170524230436/http://sonomawine.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=335544383&Itemid=Year |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 24, 2017 |title=2006 Sonoma County grape harvest statistics: Sonoma County Vintners association}} About 80 percent of non-pasture agricultural land in the county is for growing wine grapes—{{convert|58280.4|acre|km2|abbr=on}} in 2014 of vineyards, with over 1100 growers. In 2019 Sonoma County's wine industry had produced over $654,000,000 worth of wine grapes. The most common varieties planted are Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot noir, though the area is also known for its Merlot and Zinfandel.{{cite web|title=Sonoma County Crop Report 2014|url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/pdf/crop_reports/2014_crop_report.pdf|website=www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm|access-date=August 11, 2015|archive-date=September 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904084955/http://www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/pdf/crop_reports/2014_crop_report.pdf|url-status=dead}} Sonoma County is home to more than 425 wineries with sixteen distinct and two shared American Viticultural Areas, including the Sonoma Valley AVA, Russian River Valley AVA, Alexander Valley AVA, Bennett Valley AVA and Dry Creek Valley AVA, the last of which is known for the production of high-quality Zinfandels.

Dairy farming is another major agricultural sector, particularly prominent in the western reaches of the county and in the Petaluma Gap. Worth nearly $140,000,000 in 2019, Sonoma County is home to nearly 65 registered dairies, including the locally prominent Clover Sonoma and the Straus Family Creamery. In addition to milk, the county is home to producers of cheese and yogurt. It was reported that in 2018, just over half of all of the county's dairies were certified as organic.

Poultry farming and other livestock can be found throughout the county, but is particularly prominent near the city of Petaluma. The raising of chickens (for eggs and as broilers), cattle, sheep, and to a lesser extent hogs comprised a $250,000,000 industry in 2019.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Austin |date=November 9, 2023 |title=Bay Area Ranchers mobile slaughterhouse folds after less than 2 years, dealing blow to local livestock industry |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/bay-area-ranchers-mobile-slaughterhouse-folds-after-less-than-2-years-deal/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=The Press Democrat}}

Fishing and Crabbing was worth just over $9,300,000 in 2019 and is primarily concentrated on Bodega Bay. Although numerous species are fished and farmed, the most prominent include Dungeness crab and Chinook salmon.

Behind grapes, apples are the second most common crop grown in Sonoma County, particularly near the city of Sebastopol, and is an industry worth nearly $2,000,000. Although several varieties are grown, the region is most well known for its renowned Gravenstein apples. The county is also home to farms producing olives, hay, rye, oats, and various vegetables (particularly tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and celery). There are also numerous nurseries producing flowers and other decorative ornamentals.

The Timber Industry is not as prominent as it once was and is concentrated along the western and northwestern coastlines. The most common trees that are logged are Redwoods, as well as various Pines and Oaks.

Similar to other Bay Area communities, Sonoma County is also home to several prominent players in the Tech Industry, such as Keysight (formerly a part of Agilent Technologies) in Santa Rosa. Sonoma County is home to several notable brewing and beverage companies including: Bear Republic Brewing Company, Guayakí, Lagunitas Brewing Company, and the Russian River Brewing Company. The clothing manufacturer Marmot is based in Rohnert Park.

For most of the 20th century, Sonoma County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1896 until 1988, the only Democrats to carry Sonoma were Woodrow Wilson in 1912, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, pp. 152–155 {{ISBN|0786422173}} Like the rest of the Bay Area, it has since become a Democratic stronghold.

The last Republican to win a majority in the county was Ronald Reagan in 1984, and the last Republican to represent a significant part of the county in Congress was Representative Donald H. Clausen, who left office in January 1983.

{{PresHead|place=Sonoma County, California|source1={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=September 5, 2018}}|source2=This total comprised 5,806 votes for Progressive Theodore Roosevelt (who was official Republican nominee in California), 1,494 votes for Socialist Eugene V. Debs and 367 votes for Prohibition Party nominee Eugene W. Chafin.}}

{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|63,426|179,600|8,439|California}}

{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|61,825|199,938|6,554|California}}

{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|51,408|160,435|21,460|California}}

{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|54,784|153,942|8,139|California}}

{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|55,127|168,888|5,336|California}}

{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|68,204|148,261|4,225|California}}

{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|63,529|117,295|16,182|California}}

{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|53,555|100,738|27,004|California}}

{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|47,619|104,334|45,738|California}}

{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|67,725|91,262|2,596|California}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|76,447|71,295|1,915|California}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|60,722|45,596|19,667|California}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|50,555|50,353|5,044|California}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|57,697|43,746|3,991|California}}

{{PresRow|1968|Republican|38,088|33,587|6,384|California}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|27,677|44,354|105|California}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|34,641|29,147|244|California}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|33,659|20,616|86|California}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|35,605|17,675|594|California}}

{{PresRow|1948|Republican|22,077|16,026|1,881|California}}

{{PresRow|1944|Republican|16,309|15,949|111|California}}

{{PresRow|1940|Republican|16,819|15,230|330|California}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|11,185|17,273|248|California}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|9,161|15,686|822|California}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|12,891|8,506|194|California}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|9,535|1,767|5,726|California}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|10,377|4,070|1,065|California}}

{{PresRow|1916|Republican|9,733|8,377|1,214|California}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|32|6,500|7,667|California}}

{{PresRow|1908|Republican|5,427|3,168|844|California}}

{{PresRow|1904|Republican|5,269|2,816|463|California}}

{{PresRow|1900|Republican|4,381|3,517|209|California}}

{{PresRow|1896|Republican|4,053|3,595|168|California}}

{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|3,016|3,451|483|California}}

{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|3,293|3,394|324|California}}

{{PresRow|1884|Republican|3,044|2,944|172|California}}

{{PresFoot|1880|Democratic|2,290|2,628|122|California}}

{{Hidden begin

|titlestyle = background:#ccccff;

|title = Gubernatorial elections results

}}

{| class="wikitable" class="toccolours" style="float:left; margin-right:1em; font-size:95%;"

|+ Sonoma County vote
by party in gubernatorial elections{{Cite web|url=http://vote.sonoma-county.org/content.aspx?sid=1009&id=3244|title=Final Results for Consolidated General Election – November 4, 2014|publisher=Sonoma County Registrar of Voters|access-date=December 1, 2016}}

|-

! Year

!GOP

!DEM

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2022

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|29.1% 57,413

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|70.9% 140,041

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2018

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|27.7% 58,338

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|72.3% 152,040

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2014

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|25.2% 36,249

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|74.8% 107,328

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2010

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|30.1% 55,472

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|64.7% 119,079

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|2006

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|47.0% 81,608

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|44.6% 77,392

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2003

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|35.0% 54,651

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|40.7% 63,588

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2002

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|29.9% 43,408

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|50.4% 73,079

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1998

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|29.0% 46,616

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|64.3% 103,235

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1994

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.7% 73,234

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|49.7% 79,720

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1990

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.6% 54,706

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|55.8% 79,093

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1986

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|59.4% 75,003

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|37.9% 47,859

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1982

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.1% 55,968

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|51.2% 63,542

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1978

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|35.9% 37,584

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|54.3% 56,920

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1974

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.0% 40,339

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|48.5% 40,756

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1970

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|58.6% 44,823

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|39.2% 29,953

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1966

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|60.7% 41,516

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|39.3% 26,898

|-

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1962

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|49.7% 29,647

| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|49.2% 29,373

|}

{{Hidden end}}

On November 4, 2008, Sonoma County voted 66.4% against Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.{{Cite web|title=Official Results - Consolidated General Election - 11/04/2008|url=http://www.sonoma-county.org/RegVoter/Elections/pdf/2008/20081104summary.pdf|website=Sonoma-county.org}}

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 2019, there are 277,665 registered voters in Sonoma County.{{cite web|url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/ror-odd-year-2019/politicalsub.pdf|title=Registration by Political Subdivision by County : 2019|website=Elections.cdn.sos.ca|access-date=June 29, 2023}} Of those, 143,054 (51.5%) are registered Democratic, 49,386 (17.8%) are registered Republican, and 70,244 (25.3%) declined to state a political party. Every city, town, and the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County have more registered Democrats than Republicans.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

|-

! colspan="3" | Population and registered voters

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | Total population{{Cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2018_PEPANNRES&prodType=table|title=American FactFinder|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214061229/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=PEP_2018_PEPANNRES&prodType=table|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}

| colspan="2" | 502,146

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |  Registered votersCalifornia Secretary of State. [http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/ror-odd-year-2013/political-sub.pdf February 10, 2013 – Report of Registration] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727173649/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/ror-odd-year-2013/political-sub.pdf |date=July 27, 2013 }}. Retrieved October 31, 2013.Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.

| 261,706

| 54.7%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Democratic

| 134,896

| 51.5%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Republican

| 56,428

| 21.6%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Democratic–Republican spread

| +78,468

| +29.9%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    American Independent

| 6,619

| 2.5%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Green

| 4,640

| 1.8%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Libertarian

| 1,833

| 0.7%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Peace and Freedom

| 792

| 0.3%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Americans Elect

| 3

| 0.0%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    Other

| 829

| 0.3%

|-

! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |    No party preference

| 55,666

| 21.3%

|}

{{Clear}}

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable" style="width: 100%;"

|-

! colspan="8" | Cities by population and voter registration

|-

! City

! data-sort-type="number" | Population

! data-sort-type="number" | Registered voters

! data-sort-type="number" | Democratic

! data-sort-type="number" | Republican

! data-sort-type="number" | D–R spread

! data-sort-type="number" | Other

! data-sort-type="number" | No party preference

|-

| Cloverdale || 8,390 || 51.8% || 49.1% || 24.7% || +24.4% || 7.9% || 21.1%

|-

| Cotati || 7,154 || 57.4% || 52.8% || 17.8% || +35.0% || 10.3% || 22.4%

|-

| Healdsburg || 11,161 || 56.5% || 52.6% || 21.7% || +30.9% || 7.5% || 20.6%

|-

| Petaluma || 57,265 || 57.5% || 52.3% || 20.5% || +31.8% || 7.8% || 22.0%

|-

| Rohnert Park || 40,741 || 50.1% || 49.6% || 21.3% || +28.3% || 8.8% || 23.2%

|-

| Santa Rosa || 164,976 || 50.9% || 52.1% || 21.4% || +30.7% || 7.7% || 21.4%

|-

| Sebastopol || 7,359 || 69.6% || 61.4% || 11.4% || +50.0% || 9.8% || 19.5%

|-

| Sonoma || 10,430 || 65.0% || 51.2% || 22.8% || +28.4% || 8.1% || 20.8%

|-

| Windsor || 26,229 || 54.4% || 46.6% || 27.5% || +19.1% || 7.5% || 21.1%

|}

• Empire College, Santa Rosa
• Golden Gate University (Rohnert Park satellite of Walnut Creek Campus)
• Santa Rosa Junior College
• Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park
• University of San Francisco (Santa Rosa Campus)

{{See also|List of school districts in California#Sonoma County}}

The educational system of Sonoma County is similar to that of other counties in California, with a large number of independent school districts.

School districts include:{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06097_sonoma/DC20SD_C06097.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sonoma County, CA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=July 25, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06097_sonoma/DC20SD_C06097_SD2MS.txt Text list]

Unified:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Calistoga Joint Unified School District
• Cloverdale Unified School District
• Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District
• Geyserville Unified School District
• Healdsburg Unified School District - Includes areas zoned for PK-12 and areas zoned only for 7–12
• Shoreline Unified School District
• Sonoma Valley Unified School District
• Windsor Unified School District

{{div col end}}

Secondary:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Petaluma Joint Union High School District
• Point Arena Joint Union High School District
• Santa Rosa City School District
• West Sonoma County Union High School District

{{div col end}}

Elementary:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Alexander Valley Union School District
• Bellevue Union School District
• Bennett Valley Union Elementary School District
• Cinnabar Elementary School District
• Dunham Elementary School District
• Forestville Union Elementary School District
• Fort Ross Elementary School District
• Gravenstein Union Elementary School District
• Guerneville Elementary School District
• Harmony Union School District
• Horicon Elementary School District
• Kashia Elementary School District
• Kenwood Elementary School District
• Laguna Joint Elementary School District
• Liberty Elementary School District
• Mark West Union Elementary School District
• Monte Rio Union Elementary School District
• Montgomery Elementary School District
• Oak Grove Union Elementary School District
• Old Adobe Union Elementary School District
• Petaluma City Elementary School District
• Piner-Olivet Union Elementary School District
• Rincon Valley Union Elementary School District
• Roseland Public Schools
• Santa Rosa Elementary School District
• Sebastopol Union Elementary School District
• Twin Hills Union Elementary School District
• Two Rock Union Elementary School District
• Waugh Elementary School District
• West Side Union Elementary School District
• Wilmar Union Elementary School District
• Wright Elementary School District

{{div col end}}

The Sonoma County Library system offers a central library in downtown Santa Rosa plus 10 branch libraries and two rural stations. More than half of Sonoma County's residents have library cards and borrow more than 2.5 million items per year. The library's website and catalog]receive over 200,000 visits annually. Staff answer nearly half a million reference questions annually for individuals, businesses and government agencies. During a typical school year over 750 classes, more than half the county total, either visit a library or are visited by a children's librarian. The library operates an adult literacy program, and computer terminals are made available for free Internet access."[http://www.library.ca.gov/lds/librarystats.html California Library Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212015144/http://www.library.ca.gov/lds/librarystats.html |date=February 12, 2015 }}" California Library Statistics – 2011–2012 Retrieved February 10, 2015

File:CitySantaRosa1.jpg attack bomber built in 1944]]

• Pacific Coast Air Museum
• Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa
• Sonoma County Museum, Santa Rosa
• Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, Santa Rosa

File:CA 1 north of Jenner.jpg in the Sonoma Coast State Park north of Jenner]]

File:Tolaylakefromthesouth.jpg]]

• Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve
• Bodega Bay
• Doran Regional Park
• Fort Ross, former Russian fur trade outpost
• Grove of Old Trees{{cite web |url=https://www.landpaths.org/grove-of-old-trees/ |title=Grove of Old Trees |date=July 2, 2019 |publisher=LandPaths |accessdate=March 23, 2022 }}
• Hood Mountain Regional Park
• Jack London State Historic Park, author Jack London's Beauty Ranch, in Glen Ellen
• Lake Sonoma
• Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
• Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
• Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experiment Farm
• Mission San Francisco Solano, across from Sonoma Plaza
• Ocean Song{{cite web |url=https://www.landpaths.org/ocean-song/ |title=Ocean Song/Myers |date=July 2, 2019 |publisher=LandPaths |accessdate=October 7, 2023 }}
• Quarryhill Botanic Garden
• Rancho Petaluma Adobe
• Safari West
• The Sitting Room Library
• Sonoma Coast State Beach,{{cite web|url=http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/ |title=Sonoma County Regional Parks |website=parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov |access-date=July 17, 2014}} including Arched Rock Beach, Gleason Beach and Goat Rock Beach.
• Sonoma Raceway
• Sonoma TrainTown Railroad
• Spring Lake Regional Park
• Stillwater Cove
• Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
• Tolay Lake Regional Park

Sonoma County has nine incorporated municipalities.

File:Downtown Santa Rosa - Empire Building.JPG

File:Petaluma CA Street.jpg

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Community !! Population{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/tables/SUB-EST2011-03-06.xls|title=Places in California listed alphabetically|publisher=U.S. Census|access-date=October 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213215211/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/tables/SUB-EST2011-03-06.xls|archive-date=December 13, 2012|url-status=dead}} !! Incorporation Date{{Cite web

| url = http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc

| title = California Cities by Incorporation Date

| format = Word

| publisher = California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions

| access-date = August 25, 2014

| url-status = dead

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130221091414/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc

| archive-date = February 21, 2013

| df = mdy-all

}}

|-

| City of Cloverdale || 8,618 || February 28, 1872

|-

| City of Cotati || 7,265 || July 16, 1963

|-

| City of Healdsburg || 11,254 || February 20, 1867

|-

| City of Petaluma || 57,941 || April 12, 1858

|-

| City of Rohnert Park || 40,971 || August 28, 1962

|-

| City of Santa Rosa || 167,815 || March 26, 1868

|-

| City of Sebastopol || 7,379 || June 13, 1902

|-

| City of Sonoma || 10,648 || September 3, 1883

|-

| Town of Windsor || 26,801 || July 1, 1992

|}

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Bloomfield
• Bodega
• Bodega Bay
• Boyes Hot Springs
• Carmet
• Cazadero
• El Verano
• Eldridge
• Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente
• Forestville
• Fulton
• Geyserville
• Glen Ellen
• Graton
• Guerneville
• Jenner
• Kenwood
• Larkfield-Wikiup
• Monte Rio
• Occidental
• Penngrove
• Roseland
• Salmon Creek
• Sea Ranch
• Sereno del Mar
• Sonoma State University
• Temelec
• Timber Cove
• Valley Ford

{{Div col end}}

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Annapolis
• Asti
• Camp Meeker
• Carneros
• Duncans Mills
• Freestone
• The Geysers
• Guernewood Park
• Hacienda
• Kellogg
• Korbel
• Lakeville
• Lytton
• Mark West
• Mark West Springs
• Mercuryville
• Mesa Grande
• Rio Nido
• Schellville
• Stewarts Point
• Two Rock
• Venado
• Villa Grande
• Vineburg

{{div col end}}

File:Map of Sonoma County 1884.jpg

At the time of its formation, the county comprised four civil townships. It was restructured several times, and by 1880 was made up of 14 townships:{{cite book|first=J. P.|last=Munro-Fraser|title=History of Sonoma County: Including Its Geology, Topography, Mountains, Valleys and Streams ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LBY1AQAAMAAJ|year=1880|publisher=Alley, Bowen & Co.|oclc= 06846293}}

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Analy
• Bodega
• Cloverdale
• Knight's Valley
• Mendocino
• Ocean
• Petaluma
• Redwood
• Russian River
• Salt Point
• Santa Rosa
• Sonoma
• Vallejo
• Washington

{{Div col end}}

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Sonoma County.{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=2010 U.S. Census website |access-date=December 7, 2017 }}

† county seat

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Rank

!City/Town/etc.

!Municipal type

!Population (2010 Census)

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 1

|† Santa Rosa

| City

| 167,815

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 2

|Petaluma

| City

| 57,941

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 3

|Rohnert Park

| City

| 40,971

|- style="background-color:#F0F8FF;"

| 4

|Windsor

| Town

| 26,801

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 5

|Healdsburg

| City

| 11,254

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 6

|Sonoma

| City

| 10,648

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 7

|Larkfield-Wikiup

| CDP

| 8,884

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 8

|Cloverdale

| City

| 8,618

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 9

|Sebastopol

| City

| 7,379

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 10

|Cotati

| City

| 7,265

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 11

|Boyes Hot Springs

| CDP

| 6,656

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 12

|Roseland

| CDP

| 6,325

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 13

|Guerneville

| CDP

| 4,534

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 14

|Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente

| CDP

| 4,144

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 15

|El Verano

| CDP

| 4,123

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 16

|Forestville

| CDP

| 3,293

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 17

|Penngrove

| CDP

| 2,522

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 18

|Graton

| CDP

| 1,707

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 19

|Temelec

| CDP

| 1,441

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 20

|Sea Ranch

| CDP

| 1,305

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 21

|Eldridge

| CDP

| 1,233

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 22

|Monte Rio

| CDP

| 1,152

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 23

|Occidental

| CDP

| 1,115

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 24

|Bodega Bay

| CDP

| 1,077

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 25

|Kenwood

| CDP

| 1,028

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 26

|Geyserville

| CDP

| 862

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 27

|Glen Ellen

| CDP

| 784

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 28

|Fulton

| CDP

| 541

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 29

|Cazadero

| CDP

| 354

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 30

|Bloomfield

| CDP

| 345

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 31

|Bodega

| CDP

| 220

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 32

|Timber Cove

| CDP

| 164

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 33

|Valley Ford

| CDP

| 147

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 34

|Jenner

| CDP

| 136

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 35

|Sereno del Mar

| CDP

| 126

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 36

|Salmon Creek

| CDP

| 86

|- style="background-color:#FFFF99;"

| 37

|Stewarts Point Rancheria{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=3985 |title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search |website=www.census.gov |access-date=January 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213134512/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=3985 |archive-date=February 13, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

| AIAN

| 78

|- style="background-color:#F0FFF0;"

| 38

|Carmet

| CDP

| 47

|}

{{Main|Film locations in Sonoma County, California}}

File:Mad1.jpg airplane hangar, next to the Pacific Coast Air Museum, Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport]]

Due to the varied scenery in Sonoma County and proximity to the city of San Francisco, a large number of movies have been filmed using venues within the county. Some of the earliest U.S. filmmaking occurred in Sonoma County, including Salomy Jane (1914) and one of Broncho Billy Anderson's 1915 Westerns.

Other films include the 1947 film The Farmer's Daughter (starring Joseph Cotten and Loretta Young) as well as two Alfred Hitchcock films, Shadow of a Doubt of 1943, filmed and set in Santa Rosa, and The Birds of 1963, filmed largely in Bodega Bay and Bodega. American Graffiti was filmed largely in Petaluma.

Other films produced partially in Sonoma County include:

{{Clear}}

{|

|-

| style="vertical-align:top; width:50%;"|

Sonoma County

• 1965 The Third Day
• 1983 Cujo – Santa Rosa, Glen Ellen, Petaluma
• 1985 The Goonies – Goat Rock State Beach
• 1986 Peggy Sue Got Married – Petaluma, including a 1950s makeover of Washington St., the diner "Millie's Chili Bar" (rechristened as "The Donut Hole"), and exterior and interior shots of Santa Rosa High School.
• 1993 Nowhere to Run – Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, for farmhouse and pond scenes.
• 2001 The Man Who Wasn't There
• 2001 Bandits – Flamingo Hotel, Clover milk truck featuring local icon "Clo the cow" and rural county roads.

Cloverdale

• 1955 Many Rivers to Cross – Big Sulphur Creek
• 1993 So I Married an Axe Murderer – Cloverdale Airport

Glen Ellen

• 1982 Shoot the Moon – Glen Ellen and Jack London's Wolf House.

|valign="top"|

Petaluma

• 1972 American Graffiti
• 1977 Heroes – Bus stop at corner of Kentucky and C streets. Walnut Street.

Russian River

• 1925 Braveheart – Along the river.
• 1942 Holiday Inn – Village Inn Lodge in Monte Rio as the "Holiday Inn" with tons of artificial snow.

Santa Rosa

• 1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – Sequence involving the plane flying full bore, at about 150 knots, through an airplane hangar in less than a second, was shot at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport.

Sebastopol

• 1949 Thieves' Highway – Gold Ridge Road.

Sonoma

• 1988 Tucker: The Man and His Dream.
• 1996 Scream – Sonoma Community Center on East Napa Street.

|}

Bliss, the default computer wallpaper of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, is a photograph of a green hill and blue sky with clouds in Sonoma County. Taken in 1996 by Charles O'Rear, it is the most viewed photo in the world.{{Cite news|url=https://bgr.com/2015/07/23/most-viewed-photograph-windows-xp/|title=The Most Viewed Photo in the History of the World|last=Heisler|first=Yoni|date=July 23, 2015|work=BGR|access-date=July 15, 2018|language=en-US}} macOS Sonoma was named after Sonoma County.{{Cite web |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Apple's new operating system is called Sonoma, complete with Wine Country-inspired features |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/apple-reveals-latest-operating-software-version-inspired-by-sonoma/ |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat |language=en-US}}

{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}

• List of Sonoma County Regional Parks facilities
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sonoma County, California
• Sonoma County Historic Landmarks and Districts
• Sonoma County Water Agency
• Sonoma Mountain Zen Center

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|title=An Illustrated History of Sonoma County, California|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto02lewi|year=1889|publisher=Lewis Publishing Company|oclc=04107195}}
• {{cite book|title=California Gazetteer|publisher= Wilmington: American Historical Publications|year=1985|isbn= 0937862754|oclc=12372425}}
• {{cite book|last=Finley|first=Ernest L.|title=History of Sonoma County, California: Its People and Its Resources|location=Santa Rosa|publisher=Press Democrat Pub. Co.|year=1937|oclc=21868591}}
• {{cite book|editor-last=Gille|editor-first=Frank H.|title=The Encyclopedia of California|location=St. Clair Shores|publisher=Somerset Publishers, Inc.|year=1998|isbn= 9780403098705|oclc=894506127}}
• {{cite book|last=Gregory|first=Thomas Jefferson|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofsonomac00greg#page/n5/mode/2up|title=History of Sonoma County, California, with Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County, Who Have Been Identified with Its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present Time|location= Los Angeles|publisher=Historic Record Company|year=1911|oclc=04387962}}
• {{cite book|last1=Hansen|first1=Harvey J.|last2=Miller|first2=Jeanne Thurlow|title=Wild Oats in Eden; Sonoma County in the 19th Century|location=Santa Rosa|year=1962|oclc=01847987}}
• {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/historicalatlasm00unse_0#page/n60/mode/thumb|title=Historical Atlas Maps of Sonoma County, California|location=Oakland|publisher=Thos. H. Thompson & Co.|year=1877|oclc=06166297}}
• {{cite book|first=J. P.|last=Munro-Fraser|title=History of Sonoma County: Including Its Geology, Topography, Mountains, Valleys and Streams ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LBY1AQAAMAAJ|year=1880|publisher=Alley, Bowen & Co.|oclc= 06846293}}
• {{cite book|last=Taber|first=George M.|title=Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine|location=NY|publisher=Scribner|year=2005|isbn=9780743247511|oclc=58843337|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/judgmentofparisc00tabe}}
• {{cite book|first=Robert A.|last= Thompson|title=Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Sonoma County, California|url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldescri00thom|page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldescri00thom/page/n0 1]|year=1877|publisher=L.H. Everts & Co.|oclc=06840554}}
• {{cite book|first=Robert A.|last= Thompson|title=Central Sonoma: A Brief Description of the Township and Town of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, Its Climate and Resources|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1qY-AQAAMAAJ|year=1884|publisher=W.M. Hinton & Company|oclc=11855702}}
• {{cite book|first=Robert A. |last=Thompson|title=Conquest of California: Capture of Sonoma by Bear Flag Men June 14, 1846. Raising of the American Flag in Monterey by Commodore John D. Sloat, July 7, 1846|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXpQAQAAIAAJ|year=1896|publisher=Sonoma Democrat|oclc=02540771}}
• {{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Robert A.|year=1896|url=https://archive.org/details/russiansettleme00thomgoog|title=The Russian Settlement in California|publisher=Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company|oclc=15538413}}
• {{cite book|last=Tuomey|first=Honoria|title=History of Sonoma County, California|location=Chicago|publisher=S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.|year=1926|oclc=12074234}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EmPPIHFEFKUC Volume one], [https://books.google.com/books?id=UP9QUM7sVLYC Volume two]
• Sonoma County Genealogical Society. Portraits of Early Sonoma County Settlers. Santa Rosa, California: Caiifornia Genealogical Society, 2016, ISBN 978-1-365-13126-4

{{Commons category|Sonoma County, California}}

• {{Official website|http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/|Sonoma County official website}}
• [http://www.sonoma.com Sonoma.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141020231324/http://edb.sonoma-county.org/ Sonoma Economic Development Board]
• [http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/ Parks and Recreation in Sonoma County]
• [http://www.sonomacountyhistory.org/ Sonoma County Historical Society]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140210075658/http://library.sonoma.edu/regional/default.php North Bay Regional Collection] at [http://library.sonoma.edu/ Sonoma State University Library]

{{Geographic Location

| Centre = Sonoma County, California

| North = Mendocino County

| Northeast = Lake County

| East = Napa County

| Southeast = Solano County

| South = Marin County

| Southwest =

| West = Pacific Ocean

| Northwest =

}}

{{Cities of Sonoma County, California}}

{{North Bay}}

{{SF Bay Area}}

{{California}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1850 establishments in California

Category:Populated places established in 1850

Category:Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:California counties