Welcome to The Sea Ranch
The Sea Ranch is a planned community in Sonoma County, and it is a popular vacation spot for people in the Bay Area and beyond. Located off Highway 1, it is 100-miles north of downtown San Francisco, and it is about 120-miles west of Sacramento. This makes it a popular weekend destination for many residents of Northern California.
Lay of the land
Right on the water and off Highway 1, the draw of Sea Ranch is the location as it is right next to the beautiful Pacific Ocean, in an area where you will not have to compete with views. The nearest town is Gualala, which also is not that big or imposing. Simply put, when looking to get away from it all, Sea Ranch is a great place to go.
When conjuring up images of a planned community, it is easy to think of annoying homes that all look the same and essentially ruin the landscape. This is not the case with Sea Ranch as planners were smart and wanted the homes to fit into, rather than fight against, the landscape. With simple, timber-frame structures clad in shingles or wooden siding, the homes here are unique and blend into the surrounding landscape. By using local materials, the buildings don’ take away from the landscape, and builders found it to be more environmentally friendly. For this reason, the town has won many architectural awards, and in 1991, Condominium One, which was built in 1965, won the American Institute of Architects Twenty-five Year Award.
Transportation
By living in Sea Ranch, you must have a car, and there is no way around that. Luckily, Highway 1 is right in the middle of the town, so you don’t have to take a bunch of side roads to get to the main highway. The nearest good sized city is almost 1 hour and 45 minutes to the west, which is Santa Rosa. There are other small towns and mid-size cities along the way, but you certainly will have to do some driving to reach these places. But, prepared residents, and most are, don’t have a problem with the distance.
Local Highlights
If you live in Sea Ranch, hopefully you like the ocean as it is right there. Whether you like whale watching, walking on the beach or taking your kayak into the water, Sea Ranch has it all, and most of the time, you will have the place to yourself. With the local landscape and architecture, this is a great town to relax in and enjoy the unspoiled surroundings.
An overlooked gem is Salt Point State Park. Here, you can camp, enjoy fires by the beach, and you can surf. This is a well-run place with many knowledgeable rangers who can teach you about the flora and fauna. The campground is very spread out, so you can easily find a place to sleep for the night, and you can do it in peace. Stargazing is popular here as you won’t have to deal with much light pollution that people have to deal with in other cities close to San Francisco. All in all, an unknown gem that is sure to please everyone.
If you live in Sea Ranch, you also have great opportunities to hike, hunt, bike ride and horseback ride. The surrounding areas are sparsely-populated, so you can do these activities without being bothered. It is truly a nature lover’s paradise, no matter what you like to do. And, if you like fishing, you are in luck as you can fish both in the ocean and in freshwater lakes and streams that surround the town.
