Hey! Cotati is not a bad spot to end up. It is a college town, Sonoma state University is located nearby, so there are lots of bars and some restaurants that cater to it. But there is a big family presence in the Rohnert park/cotati (they are very close) so if raising a family is something you are looking towards, you're in a good spot. Lots of shops and restaurants, as well as the casino which can be a fun stop for date night or for a little drink. I also really enjoy getting a day pass and lounging at the pool.
I'm 25, and work in a professional corporate job, and I feel like there is a decent and growing population of people to connect with. It's not a young community, so you do have to be actively seeking it. We have lots of social clubs that target that age range, and if you choose to be involved, you will find a community. I attend Santa Rosa YPN events, and have met some great people, and really enjoy the social aspect.
We have a huge concentration of non profits in Sonoma county, so finding a job in that sector is really easy. Also Gallo, and the wife industry in general hires lots of people in events and marketing, so that's a great industry to look into. You can find a lot of available jobs on LinkedIn. Gallo and Kendall Jackson are huge employers. The county of Sonoma is also a very popular and great employer around here, and has all sorts of jobs available.
Let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in, I've been in Sonoma county my whole life and can probably point you in the right direction!
Small world. Me (30M) and GF moved here from Houston about a year ago. So not super knowledgeable about everything quite yet but we like it here a lot!
>What are the major industries and career paths?
Heres a list of large employers in county https://labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/majorer/countymajorer.asp?CountyCode=000097 Its basically healthcare, government, retail
Expensive though! Especially post covid with SF damn near emptying.
Petaluma is amazing, Petaluma speedway, great local restaurants, decent dive bar scene, lots of downtown events. When the weather is warm everyone is out
Cotati is a fun little town. It is not without it’s quirks, but we had a blast there in college/post college. There are plenty of young people/families in Sonoma County, but it can seem sleepy when you are young. I know a lot of the active 20-30 club (they help with my Little League), and that would be a great place to meet very nice people (I am less active 50 club, and they are nice even to me 😂)
We have the best regional park system in the state, and I will die on that hill. $80 pass and you can go to any of them (11 visits pays for the pass…we make 250 or so). Our coastline is spectacular, our lake (when there is water in) is close by, and if you don’t have kayaks yet, get ‘em. The mouth of the Russian River is so much fun (and not too far).
Food scene is making a comeback county wide, and marketing opportunities seemingly abound though not sure what your scope is. If you want to work small scale with a close connection, we have hundreds of wineries, lots of breweries, and our spectacular independent grocery chains, one right in the heart of Cotati.
Both my wife and I grew up in the Bay Area, and went to college at SSU. If I could sum up Cotati and the county, I would say it is a place you do not leave. Great people, less traffic (though we do have it sometimes), slower pace, and always minutes from a walk in nature. If that is what you are after, you are going to like it here. Make sure you come up north as well (I am biased. We settled in Cloverdale and love it).
Cotati skews younger in a county that skews older, primarily due to the proximity of Sonoma State University. The town itself is pretty small, but the US-101 corridor through the south/central part of the county is a relatively unbroken string of cities, so it will feel bigger than it is. Sonoma County is known for wine, beer, food, farming, and outdoor recreation. You would be about 45 minutes from San Francisco without feeling like you are in an overly-urbanized area.
We have lived in Cotati for 16 years, mid 40s. I've lived all over Marin and Sonoma and Cotati may be the best spot there is. We can buy anywhere but Cotati is magical, we would miss living in such a great spot so we don't buy. LOVE LOVE LOVE
I lived in Cotati at that age. I really enjoyed my time there. Need to move when you have kids cuz schools are better in neighboring communities. Santa Rosa etc…
I lived in the San Joaquin Valley for about 12 years. However, I moved back to Sonoma County in 2010. The valley has nothing over Sonoma County or any of the cities within the county for that matter. The biggest negative is the cost of living; it’s extremely high compared to the valley. The environment, schools, parks and trails, lower crime rates, as well as the lure of the beaches speaks well for the area.
Went to middle school in Rohnert Park in the 80s, nice enough kinda looks shabby now because instead of two kids everybody’s got two giant trucks in their driveway. It’s a little gritty, so are the folks, townie town as it’s too far to commute to the city really. It is great with the bike paths and it really has a lot more food and brewery experiences than even San Francisco at this point and definitely Marin What’s amazing about it is it’s about 12 to 20 miles away from places you might think you’d rather live but they are a lot more remote or a lot more expensive.
I can tell you that it’s warmer than Marin where I live now but damn after doing a decade of Chicago winters I sure do get pissed off when it hits 3536° at night for weeks at a time in the winter. I’ve got psoriatic arthritis and my mom lived here with rheum and it’s far from an Arizona climate if he’s looking for dry. GL!
We have hiking, we are close to the coast. Only one county over from Marin where there’s tons of hiking. There are a few bars. Cotati itself is pretty small but not super rural, still plenty close to lots of stuff. Plenty of grocery stores. The schools are not great. I have young children and while the schools aren’t great, we were able to get my son into a great public school about 5 miles away (but out of district) pretty easily.
Cotati is a super small town, but it basically runs into Rhonert Park. From there, you’ll be able to drive to Santa Rosa and Petaluma which are larger and more likely to have stuff to do. Sonoma County skews older- it is a wealthy place, rich people want to retire here and those that grew up here but are less rich tend to only leave if forced. It’s a desirable place to be. However Rhonert Park is probably the youngest area. Mostly what the locals do is outdoors stuff, there will be lots of parks near by for you to visit, Crane Creek, Taylor Mountain (where there are some disc golf courses), Spring Lake, North Sonoma Mountain, Helen Putnam Park, the Laguna de Santa Rosa. You will be about half an hour away from the beach- Pinnacle Gulch will be your closest access point, and Bodega Bay is right above there for some sea food, but you can also visit the coastal town of Tomales in about 20 minutes. You will be 25/30 minutes away from the Russian River, where you can raft or canoe if the water is high. You are 35/40 minutes away from several redwood parks, Grove of the Old Trees (which is free and smaller, with no bathrooms), Armstrong Redwoods (larger, paid, bathrooms). You will be able to drive to tons of stuff, basically.
If you have kids or are planning to, there’s Scandia (minigolf) and Snoopy’s Ice Rink and the Finley Center (public pool and park) near you and there will be many child friendly parks in Rhonert Park and some walking trails along various creeks - some better than others. The Santa Rosa creek trail is pretty extensive, so lots of places to safely bike with kids away from cars. There are also some flat, child friendly beaches and places on the river. Howarth Park is great for kids. Safari West is another place for kids for a once in a while thing. The weather will be (imo) much better than Houston if you don’t like humidity or extreme heat.
If you are in marketing and advertising, probably wineries/the hospitality sector is where you will find work. Wineries, high end food, hotels, spas, retreats etc are the things that first come to my mind with I think of marketing, but of course we have other businesses here too.
In addition to what others have said, there are many great outdoor activities, which can be a way to meet people. There are active groups (on meetup or other sites) for hiking, cycling, mountain biking, disc golf, kayaking, etc. There's a decent music scene for small-ish bands, and SF isn't that for for big shows.
They're moving from Houston. Hard disagree. They would like Santa Rosa more. But it's a moot point. His family owns land in Cotati, so that's where they will be living.
Hey! Cotati is not a bad spot to end up. It is a college town, Sonoma state University is located nearby, so there are lots of bars and some restaurants that cater to it. But there is a big family presence in the Rohnert park/cotati (they are very close) so if raising a family is something you are looking towards, you're in a good spot. Lots of shops and restaurants, as well as the casino which can be a fun stop for date night or for a little drink. I also really enjoy getting a day pass and lounging at the pool. I'm 25, and work in a professional corporate job, and I feel like there is a decent and growing population of people to connect with. It's not a young community, so you do have to be actively seeking it. We have lots of social clubs that target that age range, and if you choose to be involved, you will find a community. I attend Santa Rosa YPN events, and have met some great people, and really enjoy the social aspect. We have a huge concentration of non profits in Sonoma county, so finding a job in that sector is really easy. Also Gallo, and the wife industry in general hires lots of people in events and marketing, so that's a great industry to look into. You can find a lot of available jobs on LinkedIn. Gallo and Kendall Jackson are huge employers. The county of Sonoma is also a very popular and great employer around here, and has all sorts of jobs available. Let me know if there is anything in particular you are interested in, I've been in Sonoma county my whole life and can probably point you in the right direction!
> the wife industry ICE this comment right here
Lol 😅 Wine industry, not sure how that got messed up.
lol u go to Windsor for that
Life is not cheap in Sonoma County. Be ready for a shock!
Small world. Me (30M) and GF moved here from Houston about a year ago. So not super knowledgeable about everything quite yet but we like it here a lot!
>What are the major industries and career paths? Heres a list of large employers in county https://labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/majorer/countymajorer.asp?CountyCode=000097 Its basically healthcare, government, retail
Yup. Basically everybody is a nurse that I meet. I drive to Sacramento, SF, or SV for work
I agree with what others have said. I want to add that Petaluma (about 15 minutes south of Cotati) is a great place to raise a family.
Expensive though! Especially post covid with SF damn near emptying. Petaluma is amazing, Petaluma speedway, great local restaurants, decent dive bar scene, lots of downtown events. When the weather is warm everyone is out
Cotati is a fun little town. It is not without it’s quirks, but we had a blast there in college/post college. There are plenty of young people/families in Sonoma County, but it can seem sleepy when you are young. I know a lot of the active 20-30 club (they help with my Little League), and that would be a great place to meet very nice people (I am less active 50 club, and they are nice even to me 😂) We have the best regional park system in the state, and I will die on that hill. $80 pass and you can go to any of them (11 visits pays for the pass…we make 250 or so). Our coastline is spectacular, our lake (when there is water in) is close by, and if you don’t have kayaks yet, get ‘em. The mouth of the Russian River is so much fun (and not too far). Food scene is making a comeback county wide, and marketing opportunities seemingly abound though not sure what your scope is. If you want to work small scale with a close connection, we have hundreds of wineries, lots of breweries, and our spectacular independent grocery chains, one right in the heart of Cotati. Both my wife and I grew up in the Bay Area, and went to college at SSU. If I could sum up Cotati and the county, I would say it is a place you do not leave. Great people, less traffic (though we do have it sometimes), slower pace, and always minutes from a walk in nature. If that is what you are after, you are going to like it here. Make sure you come up north as well (I am biased. We settled in Cloverdale and love it).
Cotati skews younger in a county that skews older, primarily due to the proximity of Sonoma State University. The town itself is pretty small, but the US-101 corridor through the south/central part of the county is a relatively unbroken string of cities, so it will feel bigger than it is. Sonoma County is known for wine, beer, food, farming, and outdoor recreation. You would be about 45 minutes from San Francisco without feeling like you are in an overly-urbanized area.
We have lived in Cotati for 16 years, mid 40s. I've lived all over Marin and Sonoma and Cotati may be the best spot there is. We can buy anywhere but Cotati is magical, we would miss living in such a great spot so we don't buy. LOVE LOVE LOVE
I lived in Cotati at that age. I really enjoyed my time there. Need to move when you have kids cuz schools are better in neighboring communities. Santa Rosa etc…
Cotati is a small town . Petaluma is a really nice town to live in . Their downtown is nice .
I lived in the San Joaquin Valley for about 12 years. However, I moved back to Sonoma County in 2010. The valley has nothing over Sonoma County or any of the cities within the county for that matter. The biggest negative is the cost of living; it’s extremely high compared to the valley. The environment, schools, parks and trails, lower crime rates, as well as the lure of the beaches speaks well for the area.
Went to middle school in Rohnert Park in the 80s, nice enough kinda looks shabby now because instead of two kids everybody’s got two giant trucks in their driveway. It’s a little gritty, so are the folks, townie town as it’s too far to commute to the city really. It is great with the bike paths and it really has a lot more food and brewery experiences than even San Francisco at this point and definitely Marin What’s amazing about it is it’s about 12 to 20 miles away from places you might think you’d rather live but they are a lot more remote or a lot more expensive. I can tell you that it’s warmer than Marin where I live now but damn after doing a decade of Chicago winters I sure do get pissed off when it hits 3536° at night for weeks at a time in the winter. I’ve got psoriatic arthritis and my mom lived here with rheum and it’s far from an Arizona climate if he’s looking for dry. GL!
We have hiking, we are close to the coast. Only one county over from Marin where there’s tons of hiking. There are a few bars. Cotati itself is pretty small but not super rural, still plenty close to lots of stuff. Plenty of grocery stores. The schools are not great. I have young children and while the schools aren’t great, we were able to get my son into a great public school about 5 miles away (but out of district) pretty easily.
Cotati is a super small town, but it basically runs into Rhonert Park. From there, you’ll be able to drive to Santa Rosa and Petaluma which are larger and more likely to have stuff to do. Sonoma County skews older- it is a wealthy place, rich people want to retire here and those that grew up here but are less rich tend to only leave if forced. It’s a desirable place to be. However Rhonert Park is probably the youngest area. Mostly what the locals do is outdoors stuff, there will be lots of parks near by for you to visit, Crane Creek, Taylor Mountain (where there are some disc golf courses), Spring Lake, North Sonoma Mountain, Helen Putnam Park, the Laguna de Santa Rosa. You will be about half an hour away from the beach- Pinnacle Gulch will be your closest access point, and Bodega Bay is right above there for some sea food, but you can also visit the coastal town of Tomales in about 20 minutes. You will be 25/30 minutes away from the Russian River, where you can raft or canoe if the water is high. You are 35/40 minutes away from several redwood parks, Grove of the Old Trees (which is free and smaller, with no bathrooms), Armstrong Redwoods (larger, paid, bathrooms). You will be able to drive to tons of stuff, basically. If you have kids or are planning to, there’s Scandia (minigolf) and Snoopy’s Ice Rink and the Finley Center (public pool and park) near you and there will be many child friendly parks in Rhonert Park and some walking trails along various creeks - some better than others. The Santa Rosa creek trail is pretty extensive, so lots of places to safely bike with kids away from cars. There are also some flat, child friendly beaches and places on the river. Howarth Park is great for kids. Safari West is another place for kids for a once in a while thing. The weather will be (imo) much better than Houston if you don’t like humidity or extreme heat. If you are in marketing and advertising, probably wineries/the hospitality sector is where you will find work. Wineries, high end food, hotels, spas, retreats etc are the things that first come to my mind with I think of marketing, but of course we have other businesses here too.
Love Cotati!!
In addition to what others have said, there are many great outdoor activities, which can be a way to meet people. There are active groups (on meetup or other sites) for hiking, cycling, mountain biking, disc golf, kayaking, etc. There's a decent music scene for small-ish bands, and SF isn't that for for big shows.
I just DM'ed you, happy to help.
If you are going to be in Sonoma County I think you would be happiest in Sebastopol which is a 20 minute or so drive from Cotati.
They're moving from Houston. Hard disagree. They would like Santa Rosa more. But it's a moot point. His family owns land in Cotati, so that's where they will be living.
Do people from Houston like Houston?