The pandemic has changed so many aspects of our lives - one of the biggest is the ability for Bay Area families to work-from-home—enabling many to move outside of the city - including mine! We purchased our dream home, just 45 minutes from The Golden Gate Bridge in Sebastopol, California - aka West County, Sonoma. West County includes Sebastopol, Occidental, Graton, Forestville, and Guerneville. We’ve met many families who’ve also moved here and with their input I’ve compiled the 10 Best Reasons to Consider West County, Sonoma.

#1 Affordability - The median single family home is $915K (as of Nov 1, 2022). This example offers a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom updated single level home with a backyard across from a park and close to downtown Sebastopol — compare that to the median single family home in San Francisco which is currently tracking at $1.7M (as of Nov 1, 2022).

#2 Schools - This is one of the main reasons we moved here. Private school tuition in San Francisco for us was about $30K per year, per child (and went up each year). This was a huge expense for our family. West County public schools are highly rated. There’s also a wide array of charter, and private school options. There’s a large public Waldorf education community along with alternative options like Forest schools and home school support groups. STEM based Technology High in Rohnert Park is free, and consistently rated in the top 5% in the state. There’s also Santa Rosa Community College and Sonoma State for higher education nearby.

#3 Proximity - 1-hour to the Golden Gate Bridge, 25 minutes to Bodega Bay and The Russian River, and 30 minutes to Healdsburg. West County is also close to neighboring towns including Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Cotati/Rohnert Park.

#4 Lifestyle - Life is a bit slower in Sonoma and West County residents are proud to be multi-generational. When we first moved here I can’t tell you how many people said, “Welcome to Sonoma!” There’s a unique blend of country sensibility and value towards the land and agriculture. People seem to linger a bit longer whether it be in coffee shops or bookstores and there’s a friendliness that’s felt at all the local shops and restaurants. There is also definitely an interest and appreciation for the alternative. People keep bees (including us!), animals, grow their own food and spend a lot of time outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and generally communing with nature.

#5 Food & Wine - West County is situated in the world-renowned Russian River Valley - known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The best fish tacos can be found at Handline in Sebastopol, and brunch is a breeze with no lines (take that ALL breakfast places in SF!) at Willow Wood Market Cafe in Graton. 3 Michelin Star Single Thread is located in nearby Healdsburg along with the most amazing sandwiches at Troubadour which is currently hosting a French pop up by night dubbed The Hottest new restaurant in Sonoma. and The Barlow is home to Golden State Cider, Acre Pizza, Taylor Lane Coffee and more. Enough said? Hungry for more? There’s great oysters, crab, and local halibut in Bodega Bay, and the best sushi in Sonoma is in Rohnert Park at Hana Japanese (same family that owns Pabu Izakaya in SF). I have a list of 7 must have’s and that’s just from the appetizer menu - start with the tofu! Sebastopol is home to the Gravenstein Apple - and the town pays homage to it every year at the annual festival. Trust me - there is no shortage of amazing food!

Sonoma Magazine’s 10 new restaurants to try - the majority are in West County!

#6 The Arts - Sonoma County is home to more than two dozen performing arts companies, a multitude of music and performance venues, and over 100 museums and galleries. The Sebastopol Center for the Arts hosts Art Trails and Art at the Source each year which invites the public to visit artists at their studios and extends all across Sonoma. They also offer along classes, events and exhibitions throughout the year. Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in nearby Santa Rosa, is world renowned hosting performances in music, art, and speaker events.

#7 Healthcare - Live in the country with access to world-class healthcare options. From Providence and Kaiser, to more alternative options such as Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, homeopathy, and Reiki. The California School of Herbal Medicine located in Forestville, offers classes to the public such as Harvesting Medicinal Roots and Handcrafted Herbalism.

#8 Community - From festivals, farmer’s markets, concerts and and pop up shops - there’s always something happening. The Barlow in Sebastopol, is a popular gathering spot with great food, drinks and shopping in an open-air setting. You’re bound to run into your friends and neighbors in town - so building community feels natural.

#9 Safety - This is a pretty simple one. Compared to San Francisco County Sonoma is safer in all categories of crime. In Sebastopol for example, a crime is committed every 12 hours vs. SF which is every 2 minutes.

Photo by Ann and Ben Harris, Coldwell Banker

#10 Types of Properties - Looking for a 40-acre working dairy farm? How about a 3-acre hobby vineyard with a modern farmhouse complete with a she shed? Or a Victorian close to town? We’ve got it—there’s a huge diversity of properties in Sonoma to fit your lifestyle.