Relocating to Sonoma County
Welcome to the Sonoma County Relocation Guide, Part #1.
Here you can find info to help you decide if putting down roots here is the right decision. With the perfect mix of country life and proximity to the city, its a nature lovers paradise!
Part #1:
The Top 5 Reasons to Move to Sonoma County
1. THE WEATHER: The first reason I love living in Sonoma County is the weather! Here we have fairly mild weather. This means that we get some rain but not too much, it rarely ever snows and it doesn’t get extremely hot.
To be more specific, we get about 40 inches of rain per year. This is just enough to be able to enjoy a few rainy days, keep our hills green in the winter and fill our rivers, but not so much that we get sick of the rain. If you work out doors, this is an amazing perk!
The hottest month of the year in Sonoma County is July, where the average is about 83 degrees…pretty ideal right? Did I mention we don’t have much humidity, so this means we can actually hang out outside and enjoy the heat without feeling like we need to take a shower!
Our coldest month is January, but don’t worry its not too cold. Our average low is 39 degrees. Just enough to feel the seasons without having to deal with freezing temperatures or any snow. But – if you like snow and snow sports, Lake Tahoe is just a few hours away and a local favorite.
2. NATURE RELATED ACTIVITIES: If you enjoy the great outdoors, you will LOVE living in Sonoma County. Not only do we have amazing views of vineyards, hills and trees, but we have 11 state parks, tons of hiking trails, and pretty much every type of terrain imaginable from lakes, to rivers, and mountains, all in our backyard. And, of course there’s also miles of coast line and beautiful public beaches. You could go camping, boating, fishing, hiking, and mountain biking all in the same day! One of my personal favorite things to do is take a drive out to the coast and stop for some fresh seafood and salty air!
3. PROXIMITY TO MAJOR METROS: The third top reason to live in Sonoma County is its close proximity to major metros, like San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, just to name a few. I am a huge baseball fan, so the fact that I can live outside the big city surrounded by nature but be less than an hour to San Francisco for a Giants game after work is pretty amazing. This is also great if you travel a lot, because we are close to three international airports. SFO, SMF and OAK are all within about a two hour drive, even during commute hours. We are also home to the Sonoma County Airport which offers shorter lines, more affordable parking and has direct flights to several major metros in the US.
4. THE FOOD & BEVERAGES: Next on the list….you cant come to Sonoma county without experiencing The food and beverages…Here we have over 500 amazing world class restaurants and over 400 wineries…. we are in wine country after all. That’s enough to go to a different restaurant or winery every day for over 3 years! And if wines not your thing, we also have a super fun emerging craft beer scene and great local coffee shops.
As an agricultural community, all the things we eat are grown right here in our backyard. If you prefer to create your own meals, almost every city in Sonoma County offers its own weekly farmers markets during the spring, summer and/or fall months. These are fantastic places to find locally grown fruits and veggies, locally crafted products, and to get to know the community.
5. THE COMMUNITY: Did someone say community? The number 5 reason to move to Sonoma County are the people, schools, events, and local businesses that make up the community. What you will find is that our residents are laid back and don’t take themselves too seriously, but its also a great place for business and entrepreneurship. I have met several people who have moved here to start businesses and the residents love supporting the community and attending local events. There is definitely a neighborly feel and you can always count on someone to lend a helping hand if you are in need.
It is also are a very animal friendly community. It probably comes with the territory of being an agricultural and farm county, but you’ll see people bringing their dogs out to restaurants with them and tons of local farms with farm animals. Also, if you have ever been to the Sonoma Plaza you have probably seen the local Clydesdales. They have become Sonoma Icons! We love our animals here.
We also have great schools, like Sonoma State and the Santa Rosa Junior College (where I went) which is one of the highest rated junior colleges in the country. A lot of people are brought here by the schools and then end up staying long term because of all the reasons mentioned above!