1. Don’t Mistake People In Santa Rosa For People In Napa
When it comes to wine country, there’s Sonoma County and there’s Napa Valley. Although the two places are very close in proximity, they really couldn’t be more different. And they prefer to keep it that way.
Consider Napa Valley the Las Vegas of wine country. It’s the wine city that never sleeps. Napa Valley tends to get more crowds and has a rep for being more luxurious and expensive, whereas Sonoma County’s end is calmer, with better traffic and more scenic back roads.
So logically, the folks in Santa Rosa will definitely correct you if you mistake them for someone from Napa. And if you’re from Napa, they’ll know within minutes of talking to you.
2. Everyone In Santa Rosa Has Mad Love For Peanuts
I don’t mean the roasted kind. You probably love the “Peanuts” cartoon gang, too, especially around the holidays. But take that love and multiply it by a million and you’ll come marginally closer to understanding the love that Santa Rosa folks have for everyone’s favorite boy and his dog.
Charles M. Schulz and his wife spent the better part of their lives in Santa Rosa residents, and let’s just say he (and his work) made an impression. The Sonoma County airport is named after him along with the local ice arena, there are Peanuts sculptures throughout the city, and the Charles M. Schulz museum is a beloved spot for fans of the cartoonist to visit, especially locals.
3. Santa Rosa Folks Love Crush Season More Than Christmas
Beach dwellers are big on summer. New Englanders are obsessed with fall. But here in Santa Rosa, the only season you need to know is Crush season.
September rings in every local’s favorite time of year, because it’s when the grapes are harvested in preparation for all that amazing wine. Wineries offer extended tours and tastings and you can also stop by the Sonoma County Harvest Fair to experience the World Championship Grape Stomp. Yes, it’s like that “I Love Lucy” episode, only a thousand times better.
And if you’ve ever wondered what they do with all the wine corks after the bottles are open, wait until you see the intricate designs and sculptures they make with them, including furniture, chandeliers, and cars.
4. Everyone In Santa Rosa Parties With Pliny The Younger
Wine might be a way of life to the people here, but their beer is kind of a big deal, too. If it keeps up they’re probably going to have to start building homes out of wine barrels and beer kegs. But when you’ve got drinks this good, how can you blame them?
You can’t mention Santa Rosa beer without mentioning Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger. The city of Pompeii might have been destroyed, but the two legends live on in infamy at Russian River Brewing Co. Locals wait all year for their specialty craft brews like the Plinies to get tapped, both of which are borderline beer-celebrities in the area.
But there are so many other brew options that locals take advantage of, and often. They’ve got their pick of beer festivals all throughout the year like the Santa Rosa Beer Festival, the Sonoma County Beerfest, Battle Of The Brews, or the beer fest where they can drink away their blisters after the Santa Rosa Marathon.
5. People In Santa Rosa All Take Their Big Appetites To Small Farms
So, you think your town has a great farmer’s market? That’s cool. People in Santa Rosa have so many you can find them shopping for their dinner nearly every day. The same soil that makes the wine grapes so spectacular is also responsible for filling their farmland with the most amazing produce. It’s why they refer to the area as the “land of plenty.” Farm-raised meats, fresh dairy, wild-caught seafood. They get it all.
But locals don’t just shop at the farmer’s markets for the quality of the food. That’s a big part of it, especially their beloved heirloom tomatoes. But they also do it because they believe in the importance of shopping with the little guy. Even though the little guys here happen to be some not-so-little farms that feed a huge portion of the entire country. Boom.
6. But They Never Get Used To The Sonoma Aromas
A few times a year, the breathtaking landscape of Santa Rosa begins to fill with a curious aroma. No, it’s not the robust aroma of hundreds of bottles of finely aged wines breathing simultaneously, unfortunately. It’s a distinctive smell, one which the locals know all too well. Don’t mistake their lack of reaction as a sign that they don’t smell what you’re smelling. They smell it as strongly as you do, they just know where it’s coming from.
Spoiler alert: It’s the smell of cow poop. Literally. Hey, all those farmers have to fertilize their land with something. You’d think that the locals would be used to it by now, but they’re still just as winded by it as the tourists who are passing through. They’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the finest of smells, but it’s one of those necessary evils they’re willing to live with in order keep their land and farmer markets overflowing with everything that makes Santa Rosa so great.
7. Everyone In Sonoma Is A Bunch Of Movie Buffs
Stop anyone from Santa Rosa and ask them, “Hey, have any movies ever been filmed here?” But brace yourself for longer-than-expected conversation because the answer is yes and the locals know all about each one.
There was “Cheaper By The Dozen” filmed in Railroad Square in 2003. Bruce Willis came to town to shoot Bandits at the Flamingo Resorts Hotel and Die Hard 2. “Phenomenon” used The Wagon Wheel. Peggy Sue got married there. Alfred Hitchcock worked there. “Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot” filmed there. Santa Rosa High School made a cameo in “Inventing The Abbots” and the television show “Grand Railroad.” And the same street (but different houses) were used to film parts of “Scream,” “Pollyanna,” and “Shadow Of A Doubt.” Phew.
Speaking of “Scream,” locals will also be quick to tell you all about how Santa Rosa High School pulled out of filming in the horror flick after parents complained about the content and the director of the film actually squeezed a pretty notable un-thank you line to the city at the end. These people know every one of their hometown’s claims to fame, big and small, and can’t wait to tell you all about them.
8. If You Think Everyone In Santa Rosa Is Another Free-Loving, Northern California Hippie, You’re Mostly Right
Farmer’s markets and craft fairs are filled with locals selling pickled foods and crocheted hats, organics and health foods are everywhere to be found, sporadic and brightly colored art is etched across everything from the interior of the parking garages to the benches on the streets, yarn bombers cover downtown in brightly colored street sweaters…
There’s no mistaking that the people in Santa Rosa fall into the “earthy” Northern California stereotype. But the people in Santa Rosa are the more mature hippies; those who like to keep it fun, but more subtle.
You’ll see the extreme side, too, though. Try the much beloved Harmony Festival, the Handcar Regatta and the Earth Day Festival in which all of the wonderful weirdness that makes Santa Rosa so special in unique is in full, beautiful form.
9. They’re All Small Towners At Heart
If this were a Journey song, Santa Rosa would be the small town girl. But no one here is hopping a midnight train to anywhere any time soon, because the small town feel is exactly the way the people like it.
Santa Rosa is located about an hour outside of San Francisco—which, to them, is just “The City.” You won’t find the locals venturing into the city too often, though. That’s the home of all the hustle and bustle, a speed Santa Rosans are just not interested in. The people in Santa Rosa prefer to set their own pace, get to really know their neighbors, and create a community that is close-knit and unique rather than nonstop action.
10. If By “Boring” You Mean Awesome, Then Yes, People In Santa Rosa Are Boring
Outside of town, you can sometimes find people who will tell you that Santa Rosa is boring and doesn’t really have much going on. But the people in Santa Rosa are far from boring and have no problem proving it.
They know that you can’t really say such things about Santa Rosa after you’ve actually been to Santa Rosa. There’s always something to do, somewhere to go, and something new to see in this city full of small town charm and a rich, artistic culture.
That’s why they always say that if you think there’s nothing to do in Santa Rosa, you must not get out much.
Feature Image Source: Downtown Santa Rosa Facebook
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