Neighborhood Spotlight

Sonoma is known for its worldclass film festival and long history as a wine region.

Home to an international film festival, an iconic plaza and scores of highclass homes, Sonoma delivers on its reputation as one of the mustsee spots in Wine Country.

After all, Sonoma is regarded as the birthplace of winemaking in California. Original vineyards date back to Mission San Francisco Solano, where Agoston Haraszthy cultivated Zinfandel and Primitivo grapes.

Sonoma resides in an epynomously named valley between the Maycamas and Sonoma mountains. It’s a little less than three square miles, none of which is covered by water.

Sonoma is prized for being subdued. Noise is typically limited to traffic from Highway 12, Spain Street and Fifth Street West.

The city is famous for Sonoma Plaza, the largest such plaza in the state. City hall is located in the center of it, and Sonoma Plaza is famous for being the focal point of the town. The tourist attraction is a National Historic Landmark and houses dozens of restaurants. Sonoma was named a Preserve America Community in 2015.

A 2019 census estimate puts Sonoma’s population at a little more than 11,000 people.

Sonoma also has its share of famous residents. Kirk Hammett, the lead guitarist and songwriter for Metallica, hails from Sonoma, as does John Lasseter, an animator and the chief creative executive at Pixar Animation Studios. Chuck Williams, founder of the Williams Sonoma chain of food accessory stores, grew up in Sonoma as well. Williams started the first Williams Sonoma store a couple blocks from the iconic plaza before moving to San Francisco.

Sonoma also plays home to three of California’s first ten historical landmarks, and there’s about 90 historic landmarks throughout the city. Mission San Francisco Solano, the third mission to be built, resides in Sonoma, along with the Bear Flag Monument and the Presidio of Sonoma.

The city’s name has inspired a number of references in popular culture. Computer manufacturer Intel named a series of processors “Sonoma” and GMC named a compact pickup after the community as well.

The Sonoma International Film Festival began in 1997 and features categories like documentaries, student film production, featurelength narratives and world cinema.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock Above: A panoramic view of a vineyard with an oak tree in Sonoma. Sonoma is known as one of California’s top wine regions, with vineyards dating back to the state’s early days. Below: Enjoy a glass of wine at one of Sonoma’s worldclass wineries.