Welcome to Rohnert Park
With a population of around 41,000 people, Rohnert Park is a beloved town in between Petaluma to the south and Santa Rosa to the north. Situated right on Highway 101, residents can get anywhere in the wine country and the Bay Area quickly. With short and mild winters and long and comfortable summers, Rohnert Park is a great place to live year round.
Lay of the land
Located in wine country, Rohnert Park is also not too far from the Pacific Ocean, where it’s easy to enjoy beaches and all they have to offer. It was a planned city, which makes it easier to get around as it’s well-organized, and it was built up slowly, which is a rarity in California. In Rohnert Park you can visit Sonoma State University and campuses of California State University as they both have locations here. This means there is a lot of students, and the town has decent nightlife, even though the population is around 41,000 people.
With sufficient amounts of rain in the winter and spring, this is a green place, and you can certainly enjoy the outdoors, as well as the small reservoir, Roberts Lake. Rohnert Park is also home to plenty of creeks and streams. For a long time now, residents in the city have fought to protect the flora and fauna, and it has paid off tremendously.
Transportation
Rohnert Park is only about 20-minutes north of Petaluma, and it’s about 25 minutes south of Santa Rosa. By bus, you can reach Petaluma in about 25-minutes, and you can get to San Francisco by car in about 1 hour, or you can take a bus and get to the downtown area of San Francisco in about two hours. While not fast, it’s great to have the option if you are looking for a weekend getaway or need to get to the airport and don’t want to leave your car.
Local Highlights
Since California is home to many Native American tribes, this makes it a gambler’s paradise. Located in city limits of Rohnert Park, Graton Resort & Casino is a popular casino, and many from the Bay Area make it a weekend destination. Furthermore, people visiting wine country often go out of their way to check out the Graton Resort & Casino. With table games, slots and nightlife options, not to mention restaurants, this is a truly amazing destination, especially considering that it’s far from major cities.
If you like, you don’t ever have to leave Rohnert Park as there is plenty to do. With world-class restaurants, small wineries and plenty of outdoor activities, it’s easy to see why people move here and rarely leave the town. Not to mention, you can easily fish, kayak and hang out at the lake or one of the many creeks, which is obviously a rarity in any part of California. In addition, residents of Rohnert Park are only a short drive from Petaluma, where one can check out the local breweries including Lagunitas Brewing Company.
If you like the beach, you can take beautiful backroads and be at the Pacific Ocean in less than an hour. You have a couple of options as you can go to Point Reyes National Seashore, or you can go to Sonoma Coast State Park. Either way, you can enjoy nearly unspoiled beaches, or if you go on a weekday, you will usually have the beach to yourself. At the ocean, you can kayak, surf, fish, sunbath or even whale watch. Without a doubt, while the beach isn’t right down the street, you can easily enjoy it, and you won’t have to drive for hours.
