Rohnert Park, the Gateway City to Sonoma County's bountiful wine country, is located in the southern central plain of Sonoma County. One of California's original counties, it is 1,604 square miles with 62 miles of Pacific shoreline. On the north and east it is bordered by Mendocino, Lake, and Napa counties. On the west and south, it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Marin County, and San Pablo Bay. Its southern boundary lies 27 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sonoma County is known as one of the premier wine producing areas in the world. It abounds in agricultural products: dairy, beef, sheep, gourmet vegetables, flowers, fruit orchards, and wine grapes.

Rohnert Park is accessible by various transportation modes. US Highway 101, which runs from Marin and San Francisco Counties in the south to Mendocino County in the north, bisects the business and commercial areas of Rohnert Park. A main railroad line with numerous spurs provides freight rail transportation, and the Petaluma River handles river freight from San Pablo Bay to Petaluma. Commercial and passenger air traffic is handled by the Sonoma County Airport located northwest of Santa Rosa.

Cool, moist marine air from the ocean moderates temperatures while the low range of western coastal hills provides protection from the effects of Pacific storms. The coastal range to the east acts as a barrier to the Central Valley heat waves. Although protected from weather extremes, residents wear coats in winter and shorts from late spring to early fall.

Rainfall is concentrated in a six month period from October through April. Average total rainfall per year is 27.67 inches. Mild springs with average temperatures of 62 degrees in February gradually rise to 71 degrees in May, and give way to sunny, warm weather in July through September Summer weather is moderated by cooling evening fog from the ocean. Winds on the coast become blustery in spring, but the buffer of coastal hills to the west keep wind speeds down to an average of 4 to 12 miles per hour.

Rohnert Park, incorporated in 1962,is one of the first planned communities in the U.S.A. It has thirteen neighborhood parks, nine tennis court complexes, four swimming pools, two 18 hole golf courses, and a community center which includes a sports complex and performing arts center. Designed for family living, there are tree-lined residential streets and underground utilities. Bikeways and walkways provide links between neighborhood parks the city is home to 39,580 residents.

The city is home to 40,032 residents.

Education

The Cotati/Rohnert Park Unified School District is the only school district in the city. It is comprised of nine elementary schools, one kindergarten through eighth grade school, two middle schools, one high school, one continuation high school, and one special needs high school.

Sonoma State University (SSU) is located in Rohnert Park. There are 6,700 full time students enrolled in courses of study that offer 39 bachelors degrees, 13 masters degrees, and 10 credential programs. Over the past 35 years, the university been an important focus of economic and cultural life in Sonoma County, forging partnership programs with public schools and other academic institutions as well as the business community.

An extension of Golden Gate University is also located in the city. Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley are both within a two hour drive.

Cultural Arts and Recreation

The Dorothy Spreckels Performing Arts Center is a state-of-the-art showpiece for local and national performing artists in two theaters designed for dance, music and theatrical performances. SSU offers cultural events through the Center for Performing Arts and the Fine Arts.

Rohnert Park is home to the Crushers, a Western Baseball League Class AA independent team. SSU's men's and women's athletic teams compete in NCAA Division II.

The Peter M. Callinan Sports Center offers racquetball, basketball and weight training. Weekly teenage activities and social events are also located here and receive enthusiastic community support. Adjacent to the Sports Center is tile Community Center, where classes and community events are offered to city residents for all age groups.

There is a golf resort consisting of two municipal I8 hole golf courses and spacious club house.

The Sonoma County Wine & Visitors Center and official California Welcome Center is located in the city. It features a tasting room and retail shop stocked with more than 150 Sonoma County wines. Cooking classes taught by celebrity chefs take place in its kitchen facilities.

Rohnert Park is exactly halfway between the attractive vintage river town of Petaluma and the county seat of Santa Rosa. This location places the city in the middle a 16-mile area of the largest population and retail corridor in the county.

Thoughtfully designed for families, Rohnert Park has tree-lined streets and attractive neighborhoods connected by bike and walking trails. Each neighborhood is designed around a park and elementary school. Farms and grazing land surround the city.

Within this environment Rohnert Park offers more public and private recreational facilities and opportunities than any other city in the North Bay. There is the added attraction of two state-of-the-art performing arts centers, one operated by the city and one on the Sonoma State University campus. On the planning board is a major North Bay concert facility that will accommodate 3,000. This concert hall will transform the classical performing arts in Sonoma County by attracting the finest national and international performers and adding to Sonoma County's wine country ambience.

Rohnert Park is home to The Sonoma County Crushers, an AA professional baseball team that offers family-centered traditional baseball. Sonoma State University is expanding its athletic program with the goal of becoming one of the state's premier soccer centers.

Rohnert Park's focus has always been children. There are abundant activities for children of all ages through city run athletic facilities, private enterprise and nonprofit organizations Approximately 31700 children and teens participate in baseball, girls softball, soccer, and basketball leagues, and Pop Warner football. There is an active swim team that participates in local, regional and state swim meets.

Sharing their knowledge, skills and talents, volunteers round out professional staff at the city's community center where classes are held for children and teens in fine arts, crafts, physical fitness, dance, music, and drama. Some business owners provide after school tutoring and mentoring.

Rohnert Park's unified school district has 6,700 students. Through partnerships with private industry and businesses the district has incorporated technology into its teaching programs. Curricular Pathways include a 3-1-3 program, a Tech Prep program and the International Baccalaureate program at the high school. As a result of partnerships with Hewlett-Packard, Sonoma State University, and Autodesk Foundation, a technology high school is being designed and will be located on the Sonoma State University campus. It is scheduled to open in fall 1999. Numerous awards have been won by many of the schools in the district. There is an active and involved Parent Teachers Association.

Currently under construction is an innovative and unique learning center on the Sonoma State University campus. This facility will employ the latest technology to link learning centers and libraries around the world. It is the first university facility of its kind in the United States. When completed it will link with Rohnert Park's new public library and schools thus providing the finest resources for learning and knowledge.

Volunteers made up of all age and economic groups coach, teach, mentor, serve on boards of directors, and care for the city's children and teens. Hundreds of people attend events that raise money for educational programs, youth recreation, and at-risk youth programs. Educators and business people come together monthly at a breakfast meeting where information and ideas are shared and partnerships are recognized.

The African proverb that says it takes an entire village to raise its children is abundantly evident in Rohnert Park. All the major stakeholders--chamber of commerce, city, school district and university- share the same goal of providing for our children the best opportunities and environment in which to learn and thrive.

Total Dwelling Units: 15,299

Average Median Price for Single

Family Home: $197,500

Housing Permits Issued:

Single/Multifamily Dwelling

Median Household Income

Population

Ethnic Population Breakdown

All real property is assessed at full market value at the time of purchase. The property tax rate is 1.13 percent of assessed value. Proposition 13 prohibits increases in the property tax rate.

Tax Revenues Fiscal Year 1997-98

Retail Sales Tax = 7.5%

6.8 square miles/

4,352 acres/ 10.9 km