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Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California. As of July 1, 2005, the population was approximately 156,200 residents. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Geography

Santa Rosa is located at 38°26'55" North, 122°42'17" West (38.448611, -122.704646).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 104.6 km² (40.4 mi²). 103.9 km² (40.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.62% water.

Santa Rosa lies along the U.S. Route 101 corridor approximately 55 miles north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The city lies on the Santa Rosa Plain; its eastern extremities stretch into The Valley of the Moon (Sonoma Valley), while its western edge abuts the largely-rural rolling hills of western Sonoma County. To the north and to the south, a relatively developed corridor along Highway 101 leads to neighboring town of Windsor and city of Rohnert Park, respectively.

Demographics

The population of Santa Rosa was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 153,386 residents as of July 1, 2003. That was an increase of 0.5 % from a year earlier and an increase of 3.7 % from the 2000 Census. That is a rate of increase that, if continued, would double the population in 59 years.

According to the 2000 Census, Santa Rosa's population was 147,595 residents, a 30.3 % increase from the 113,313 residents in 1990. During the previous decade, the population increased by 37.1 % from 82,658 residents in 1980.

Per the 2000 Census, the population density is 1,420.1/km² (3,678.3/mi²). There are 57,578 housing units at an average density of 554.0/km² (1,434.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 77.60% White, 2.15% African American, 1.42% Native American, 3.84% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 10.28% from other races, and 4.44% from two or more races. 19.19% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 56,036 households out of which 30.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% are married couples living together, 11.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% are non-families. 27.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.14.

In the city, the population is spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $50,931, and the median income for a family is $59,659. Males have a median income of $40,420 versus $30,597 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,495. 8.5% of the population and 5.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.5% of those under the age of 18 and 4.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Tourism

One hour north of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, Santa Rosa and Sonoma County are renowned as the heart of California's famed Wine Country, and are popular tourist destinations. Downtown Santa Rosa, which includes historic Railroad Square and the central Old Courthouse Square, is a vital shopping, restaurant, nightclub and theatre district. In addition to wineries and vineyards, Sonoma County's varied landscape includes the popular Russian River Resort Area, Annadel State Park, the Sonoma Coast along the Pacific Ocean, and the redwood trees of Northern California, particularly at Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve. Also popular with tourists are the neighboring towns of Sonoma, Petaluma, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Windsor, Calistoga, Guerneville and Bodega Bay.

Local attractions

  • Sonoma, Town of for more attractions of early California

Performing and visual arts

Santa Rosa has a strong arts scene and is home to many influential visual and performing artists. Local facilities include the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the Sonoma County Museum and numerous art galleries. The annual ARTrails event showcases local visual artists around the county, who open their private studios for two weekends in the fall.

The performing arts in Santa Rosa are represented by the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Wells Fargo Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Luther Burbank Center), and the Santa Rosa Players and the Actors Theatre, both at the 6th Street Playhouse. Santa Rosa is the home of the North Bay Theatre Group, an alliance of some 40 theatre companies, theatre departments and individual performance companies in five North Bay counties. The Arts Council of Sonoma County is also based there.

In addition, environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude chose Sonoma County for the construction of their famous 24-mile-long "Running Fence" (1976).

Santa Rosa High School also has an ArtQuest program that attracts many students outside the district and town.

Notable natives and residents

Luther Burbank

Santa Rosa was the home of horticulturalist Luther Burbank, who said of Sonoma County, "I firmly believe, from what I have seen, that this is the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned." Burbank lived in Santa Rosa for more than 50 years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, working to develop new strains of plants and toward improving the world's food supply. During that time, he introduced more than 200 varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, and ornamental flowers, most notably the Burbank Russet Potato, the Shasta daisy, and the Santa Rosa plum. The Luther Burbank Home and Gardens downtown has been designated a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark.

Robert Ripley

Santa Rosa is the birthplace of Robert Ripley, creator of Ripley's Believe It or Not!. The "Church of the One Tree", a church built entirely from the wood of a single redwood tree, and popularized by Ripley, stands on the north side of Juilliard Park in downtown Santa Rosa, across from the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. Ripley is now buried in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery.

Charles M. Schulz

For over 30 years, Santa Rosa was home to Charles M. Schulz, the world-famous cartoonist and creator of the beloved comic strip Peanuts. The Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa celebrates his life's work and the art of cartooning. A bronze statue of Charlie Brown and Snoopy stands in Depot Park at the northwest corner of 4th and Wilson Streets in downtown Santa Rosa's Railroad Square District. In 2000, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors rechristened the "Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport" in his honor. The airport's amusing logo features Snoopy with goggles and scarf, taking to the skies on top of his red doghouse.

Charles Schulz's drawings were first published by Santa Rosa's Robert Ripley in Ripley's Believe It or Not!

William Mark Felt

Since 1993, Santa Rosa has been the home of William Mark Felt, who revealed in 2005 that he had been the Washington Post's Watergate source known to the public only as "Deep Throat".

Tom Waits

Santa Rosa (and nearby Sebastopol) is the home of noted musician and actor Tom Waits. Known for his thick, raspy voice, and songs that vary from love ballad to freakish storyline, he has been considered a cult music icon for decades. It is not uncommon for locals to see him browsing the racks of The Last Record Store or at Copperfield's Books.

Levi Leipheimer

Professional cyclist Levi Leipheimer ('līp-"hī-mər) calls Santa Rosa his home when not racing in Europe. He was a member of the United States Postal Service cycling team that saw Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France. He has since been named leader of the Gerolsteiner team. Leipheimer has won the Tour of Germany and finished in the top five in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, and notched a podium finish in the Dauphine Libere. He still competes in the UCI Pro Tour, which includes the Tour, Giro, and Vuelta. On 26 February 2006, Leipheimer finished sixth overall in the inaugural Amgen Tour of California (designed to rival the Tour de France in the United States) but, true to his strength (climbing), he captured the King of the Mountain title.

Film locations

Santa Rosa has served as a location for many major films, including (courtesy of oldmovies.com):

Notable facts

Sister cities

References

Footnotes

External links

See also

Cities in California | Sonoma County, California

Санта Роза | Santa Rosa (Kalifornien) | Santa Rosa (Californië)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Santa Rosa, California".

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