Santa Rosa is a hub. People from four surrounding counties come to Santa Rosa to shop, eat, receive medical treatment, and get things done. The city has a growing art scene and a burgeoning theater scene, a vibrant and inclusive community. It’s no wonder Santa Rosa has appeared on nearly a dozen “best places to live” lists in the last five years. All those honors can be found at SRCity.org.

The architectural landscape of the city is changing, which means the neighborhood soon will be a mix of buildings old and new. With the city putting significant resources behind infrastructure planning and streetscape improvements, an attractive urban hub is developing.

It’s all happening 50 miles north of San Francisco in the Center of California Wine Country.

The Downtown area is expansive and the vibe is changing. It is, for the first time in recent history, growing into a viable place to live.

There are multiple factors behind this evolution. For starters, the city has created new rules and incentives to help developers and businesses transform Downtown.

People want to live in Santa Rosa. While average home prices are declining around the Bay Area, they’re increasing in Santa Rosa – by 2.6 percent in 2022. Roughly 3,000 new homes are projected by 2030. Rental occupancy is consistently above 95% and rents are rising.

Life is good for residents of the most populous city in Sonoma County. The median hourly wage among employed city residents in 2022 was $30.81, roughly 10 percent higher than the state average. What’s more, 41 percent of the city’s households earn $100,000 or more per year. Roughly 45 percent of residents have an associate degree or better, meaning the population is well-educated. Located just miles from Sonoma State University and home to Santa Rosa Junior College, one of the top ranked junior colleges in the state, this comes as no surprise.

Downtown includes several public gathering spaces, too. The reimagined Courthouse Square provides a central location for seasonal activities, markets, music, parades and athletic events. Depot Park, next to the Santa Rosa Welcome Center, plays host to musicians, holiday events and an annual music festival. Julliard Park, one of the City’s oldest, hosts an annual summer concert series, picnic space and bocce courts.

Park spaces are receiving regular upgrades and more plans are underway for enhancing Downtown green and public spaces.

With over twenty hotels, its own dedicated tourism agency and a local airport that serves over 615,000 passengers annually, tourism in Santa Rosa is continually on the rise. In recent years, the City has emerged as a regional hotspot for food, wine, beer and culture. The extensive parks, scenic roads and surrounding natural spaces have led to Santa Rosa becoming a bucket-list destination for cyclists and outdoor adventurers of all kinds.

The city has instituted a business friendly policy on parklets and a façade improvement program that incents small businesses to upgrade and/or renovate the exteriors of their buildings.

The Santa Rosa Metro Chamber, located on Courthouse Square, has workforce development programs as well as services to help buisnesses initiate employer supported childcare.

Downtown also is home to the Small Business Development Center, which offers free consulting and funding sources to local small business owners.

Additional funding sources exists through the Small Business Development Program from Sonoma County Alliance and Hello Alice, which is based in Sonoma County.

The Santa Rosa Police Department has recently increased the size of its Enforcement Team, a committed resource for policing in the area. The Community Benefit Districts each have street teams providing a range of maintenance, sanitation, and security above and beyond the City’s services.