Sonoma, California Sonoma City Hall in 2016 Sonoma City Hall in 2016 Location in Sonoma County and California Location in Sonoma County and California Sonoma, California is positioned in the US Sonoma, California - Sonoma, California County Sonoma Sonoma is a town/city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States, encircling its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past.
Today, Sonoma is a center of the state's wine trade for the Sonoma Valley AVA Appellation, as well as the home of the Sonoma International Film Festival.
Sonoma's populace was 10,648 as of the 2010 census, while the Sonoma urban region had a populace of 32,678. The region around what is now the City of Sonoma, California was not empty when the first Europeans arrived.
Mission San Francisco Solano was the predecessor of the Pueblo of Sonoma.
It was the only mission assembled in Alta California after Mexico attained independence from the Spanish Empire. In 1833 the Mexican Congress decided to close all of the missions in Alta California.
The Spanish missionaries were to be replaced by church priests. The commander of the Company of the National Presidio at San Francisco (Compania de Presidio Nacional de San Francisco), Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was appointed administrator (comisionado) to oversee the method of Mission San Francisco Solano. Governor Jose Figueroa's naming of Lieutenant Vallejo as the administrator to secularize the Mission was part of a larger plan.
Main article: Sonoma Barracks Figueroa's next step in implementing his instructions was to name Lieutenant Vallejo as Military Commander of the Northern Frontier, and to order the soldiers, arms and materiel at the Presidio of San Francisco moved to the site of the recently secularized Mission San Francisco Solano.
The Sonoma Barracks were assembled to home the soldiers.
The Governor granted Lieutenant Vallejo the initial lands (approximately 44,000 acres (178 km2)) of Rancho Petaluma immediately west of Sonoma.
Although Sonoma had been established as a pueblo in 1835, it remained under military control, lacking the political structures of municipal self-government of other Alta California pueblos.
In 1843, Lieutenant Colonel Vallejo wrote to the Governor recommending that a civil government be organized for Sonoma.
Before dawn on Sunday, June 14, 1846, thirty-three Americans, already in rebellion against the Alta California government, appeared in Sonoma.
As the number of immigrants arriving in California had swelled, the Mexican government barred them from buying or renting territory and threatened them with expulsion because they had entered without official permission. Mexican officials were concerned about the coming war with the United States coupled with the burgeoning influx of American immigrants into California. A group of rebellious Americans had departed from Fremont's camp on June 10 and captured a herd of 170 Mexican government-owned horses being moved by Californio soldiers from San Rafael and Sonoma to Alta California's Commandante General Jose Castro in Santa Clara. The insurgents next determined to seize the weapons and materiel stored in the Sonoma Barracks and to deny Sonoma to the Californios as a rallying point north of San Francisco Bay. Bear Flag monument in Sonoma William Ide gave an impassioned speech urging the rebels to stay in Sonoma and start a new republic. Referring to the stolen horses Ide ended his oration with "Choose ye this day what you will be! The Sonoma Barracks became the command posts for the remaining twenty-four rebels, who inside a several days created their Bear Flag.
Hearing reports that Mexican General Jose Castro was preparing to attack, Fremont left his camp near Sutter's Fort for Sonoma on June 23.
A compact was drawn up which all volunteers of the California Battalion signed or made their marks. The next day Fremont, leaving the fifty men of Company B at the Barracks to defend Sonoma, left with the rest of the Battalion for Sutter's Fort.
Navy's Pacific Squadron, had learned of Fremont's support for the Bears in Sonoma.
Sloat finally concluded on July 6 that he needed to act, "I shall be blamed for doing too little or too much - I prefer the latter." Early July 7, the United States Navy, captured Monterey, California, and raised the flag of the United States.
Navy Lieutenant Joseph Revere raised the United States flag in front of the Sonoma Barracks and sent a second flag to be raised at Sutter's Fort. Until a civilian authority was established the military decided to retain the Mexican administrative and judicial fitness of prefects for districts and alcaldes for municipalities. This continued even after California became part of the United States because Congress never did organize California as a U.
Sonoma Barracks Sonoma Barracks Main article: Sonoma Barracks Company B of the California Battalion, that had been left in Sonoma for the protection of the town, was soon placed under U.S.
Sonoma's Alcalde complained to the U.S.
Marines was assigned to the Sonoma Barracks. In March, 1847, the Marines were replaced by Company "C" of what was called Stevenson's New York Volunteers. The enlistments of the New York Volunteers ended with the war and they were replaced in May, 1849, by a 37-man business of U.S.
Dragoons) who moved into the Barracks and established Camp Sonoma. Sonoma was also the command posts of the Pacific Division of the U.S.
Sonoma lost its military populace in January, 1852, when the troops moved to Benicia and other assignments in California and Oregon. The Army continued to use part of the Barracks as a supply depot until August 1853. Sonoma's economic activeness The prosperity and optimism about Sonoma's future promoted territory speculation which was especially difficulties because of the cloudy records regarding territory ownership.
Political factions backed different Sonoma alcaldes (John H.
California propel a civilian government (albeit by military order) to organize the state before it was officially formed by the United States Congress in 1850.
Sonoma was titled the governmental center of county for Sonoma County.
Business in Sonoma moved into a recession in 1851. Surrounding suburbs such as Petaluma and Santa Rosa were developing and gaining populace faster than Sonoma.
Sonoma City Hall in the town plaza El Pueblo de Sonoma was laid out in the standard form of a Mexican town, centered around the biggest plaza in California, 8 acres (32,000 m2) in size.
This plaza is surrounded by many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solano, Captain Salvador Vallejo's Casa Grande, the Presidio of Sonoma, the Blue Wing Inn, the Sebastiani Theatre, and the Toscano Hotel.
In the middle of the plaza, Sonoma's early 20th-century town/city hall, at the plaza's center and still in use, was designed and assembled with four identical sides in order not to offend the merchants on any one side of the plaza.
Sonoma is also considered the place of birth of wine-making in California, dating back to the initial vineyards of Mission San Francisco Solano, with improvements made by Agoston Haraszthy, the father of California viticulture and credited with introduction of the Zinfandel/Primitivo grape varietal.
Many inhabitants of Sonoma are third- or fourth-generation Italian-Americans, Portuguese-Americans, Spanish-Americans, and French-Americans, descendants of immigrants who came to the region to work in wine-making.
The town/city is situated in the Sonoma Valley, with the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west, with the prominent landform Sears Point to the southwest.
Sonoma has typical Mediterranean weather with hot, dry summers (although evenings are comfortably cool) and cool, wet winters.
Climate data for Sonoma, California The principal watercourse in the town is Sonoma Creek, which flows in a southerly direction to discharge ultimately to the Napa Sonoma Marsh; Arroyo Seco Creek is a tributary to Schell Creek with a confluence in the easterly portion of the town.
The active Rodgers Fault lies to the west of Sonoma Creek; however, threat of primary damage is mitigated by the fact that most of the soils beneath the town/city consist of a slight alluvial terrace underlain by firmly cemented sedimentary and volcanic rock. To the immediate south, west and east are deeper rich, alluvial soils that support valuable agricultural cultivation.
In terms of fauna, there are a range of birds, small mammals and amphibians which reside in Sonoma.
The town of Sonoma boasts a mostly quiet setting, with California State Route 12 (called from north to south Sonoma Highway, West Napa Street, and Broadway), Fifth Street West, and Spain Street being the major noise sources.
The 2010 United States Enumeration reported that Sonoma had a populace of 10,648.
The ethnic makeup of Sonoma was 9,242 (86.8%) White, 52 (0.5%) African American, 56 (0.5%) Native American, 300 (2.8%) Asian, 23 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 711 (6.7%) from other competitions, and 264 (2.5%) from two or more competitions.
Within the Sonoma Valley, the ethnic makeup was 49.1% White, 46.3% Hispanic, and 2.7% Native American The populace was spread out with 1,920 citizens (18.0%) under the age of 18, 559 citizens (5.2%) aged 18 to 24, 2,252 citizens (21.1%) aged 25 to 44, 3,250 citizens (30.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,667 citizens (25.0%) who were 65 years of age or older.
The City of Sonoma was incorporated on September 3, 1883. It uses a council manager form of government, wherein a council sets policy and hires staff to implement it.
In addition to the official mayor, Sonoma has a tradition of naming an honorary mayor each year, titled "Alcalde/Alcaldessa". Alcalde or Alcaldessa presides over ceremonial affairs for the city.
In the California State Legislature, Sonoma is in the 3rd Senate District, represented by Democrat Bill Dodd, and in the 10th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Marc Levine. In the United States House of Representatives, Sonoma is in California's 5th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mike Thompson. The two major news sources for Sonoma are the Sonoma Index-Tribune and the Sonoma Valley Sun.
The Sonoma Index-Tribune prints twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays and has a circulation of 9,000.
The Sonoma Valley Sun prints every two weeks on Thursdays and is free.
The Sun is recognized as the alternative weekly for the Sonoma Valley.
Sonoma has a small-town airways broadcast, KSVY and a tv station, SVTV 27.
California State Route 12 in Sonoma (Broadway) California State Route 12 is the chief route in Sonoma, passing through the populated areas of the Sonoma Valley and connecting it to Santa Rosa to the north and Napa to the east.
State routes 121 and 116 run to the south of town, passing through the unincorporated region of Schellville and connecting Sonoma Valley to Napa, Petaluma to the west, and Marin County to the south.
Sonoma County Transit provides bus service from Sonoma to other points in the county.
Schulz Sonoma County Airport, about 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Sonoma.
San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport are both about 60 miles (100 km) south of Sonoma.
The chief arterial road, Arnold Drive, which runs up the west side of Sonoma Valley, is titled for him, as was Arnold Field - a Baseball field in downtown Sonoma.
He tried many locations but settled in Sonoma with General Vallejo's assistance.
Joseph Hooker, one-time politician and future American Civil War general, lived in Sonoma in the 1850s.
Lasseter and his family reside in the Sonoma Valley region of the city.
Thornton Lee (1906-1997), an All-Star pitcher in Major League Baseball, was born in Sonoma.
Professional athletes Tommy Everidge and Tony Moll were classmates, and interval up in Sonoma.
Brian Posehn, comedian and co-star on The Sarah Silverman Program, interval up in Sonoma.
Don's son, August Sebastiani, was propel to the Sonoma City Council in 2006.
They presently operate the Remick Ridge Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley.
Paula Wolfert (born 1938 in Brooklyn, New York), award-winning author of eight cookbooks, and her husband William Bayer (born 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio), award-winning crime fiction writer, have been resident in Sonoma since 1998.
Ignazio Vella (1928 2011) ran the Vella Cheese Company for many years and also served three terms on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
His residence in Sonoma was the site for a portion of the Bear Flag revolt which made California a Republic.
Sonoma can boast three of the first ten California Historical Landmarks: Mission San Francisco Solano (#3) - On July 4, 1823, Padre Jose Altamira established the northernmost of California's Franciscan missions here, the only one established in California under autonomous Mexico.
Bear Flag Monument (#7) - On June 14, 1846, the Bear Flag Party raised the Bear Flag in the Sonoma plaza and declared California no-charge from Mexican rule.
The Presidio of Sonoma, the northernmost Mexican military post, still stands facing the plaza.
Sonoma Jack Cheese: Cheese, moist to very dry light colored cheese veiled in chocolate powder and most credited to the Vella cheese making family.
The Vella Cheese factory, former Sonoma Brewing Co.
The GMC Sonoma was a compact pickup truck.
Intel's "Sonoma" series processors.
Several of Intel's processors were given names from towns, metros/cities or places in Sonoma County when Intel's CEO was Les Vadasz.
Sonoma Creek Sonoma Skatepark Sonoma Valley Sonoma Developmental Center Sonoma Train - Town Railroad - a quarter scale train in a park 1-mile (1.6 km) south of the Town Square that covers 10 acres (40,000 m2).
Sonoma Plaza Presidio of Sonoma adobe Mission San Francisco Solano, California's last Mission Sonoma Raceway The Sonoma Overlook Trail a b "California Cities by Incorporation Date" (Word).
City of Sonoma.
City of Sonoma.
"Sonoma (city) Quick - Facts".
"Sonoma titled national 'Preserve America Community'".
Sonoma Valley Sun.
"General Climate Summary Tables - Sonoma, California".
General Plan, City of Sonoma, California, prepared for the City of Sonoma by Hall and Goodhue Community Design Group, San Francisco, Ca.
"2010 Enumeration Interactive Population Search: CA - Sonoma city".
Recognizing Alcaldessa Elizabeth Kemp Of Sonoma, California Recognizing Al And Kathy Mazza Of Sonoma, California Statement Recognizing Mary Evelyn Arnold, Alcaldessa for the City of Sonoma's Sonoma Valley Legacy.
Sonoma, CA: Sonoma Valley Historical Society.
Pioneer Sonoma.
Sonoma, CA: The Sonoma Valley Historical Society.
The Sonoma Mission, San Francisco Solano de Sonoma: The Founding, Ruin and Restoration of California's 21st Mission.
"Sonoma State Historic Park - A Short History of Historical Archaeology".
"Sonoma State Historic Park - General Plan" (PDF).
Sonoma Barracks, A Military View.
Sonoma, California Municipalities and communities of Sonoma County, California, United States
Categories:
Sonoma, California - Cities in Sonoma County, California - Sonoma Valley - Spanish mission settlements in North America - Capitals of former nations - Former state capitals in the United States - Incorporated metros/cities and suburbs in California - Populated places established in 1883 - 1883 establishments in California - Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area
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