1. A Regional Profile of Sonoma County, California
John D. Breen
University of San Francisco
April 1997
What follows is a description of characteristics and features of Sonoma County,
California, to be utilized primarily for economic analysis. As a thorough comprehension
and useful application of the traditional economic information cannot be attained without
an appreciation for the area to which they apply, I have not confined the study
exclusively to that of industries, incomes, and output, but have supplemented those data
with others respecting the physical, historical, and demographic nature of the region.
1. A Description of County Boundaries, Geology, and Topography
Located in Northern California at approximate latitude 38, longitude 122, Sonoma
County comprises 1,604 square miles of mountains, wetland, coastal bluffs and fertile
farmland between the northern arc of San Pablo Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the
Mayacamas Range. Elevations within the county range from sea-level to in excess of
2,500 feet in the Mayacamas.
The predominant geologic feature of the region is the San Andreas Fault and its
tributaries, among them the Hayward Fault which extends southward through Oakland
and the East Bay and northward into Healdsburg at which point it assumes the name of
that town, and the Rogers Creek Fault in the vicinity of Petaluma. The San Andreas
coincides with the coast line, coming ashore at Bodega Head and extending south through
Tomales Bay (which is itself an offspring of the fault) in Marin County, from which point
it returns to the ocean before again encroaching upon land to the south of San Francisco.
Each fault produces temblors of primarily minimal to moderate Richter readings, though
structural damage is sometimes accompanies stronger quakes. Though the Loma Prieta
quake of 1989 imposed relatively minor effects on the county, the great San Francisco
quake of 1906 almost destroyed the town of Santa Rosa which then possessed not a tenth
the population it now claims.
The San Andreas itself constitutes the point at which the Pacific plate submerges
beneath the North American, forcing sea floor basalt under the continental crust till

2. extreme heat ejects the granite magma that constitutes the coast ranges in Sonoma and
the Sierra Nevadas 150 miles to the east. Erosion eventually returns the material to the
ocean so the process may begin anew, in a manner similar to that of the atmospheric
cycle of precipitation. 1 By this sequence was the state of California formed. Volcanic
eruptions within the last 10 million years has produced volcanic ash on and beneath the
surface. The effect of surface ash is evident in the petrified forests between Santa Rosa
and the Napa County town of Calistoga, while that of subsurface ash is characterized by
the hot springs and geysers that are the consequence of groundwater percolating to the
surface after intermixing with hot ash. Four rock sequences comprise the coast range: the
Franciscan formation, the Great Valley sequence, serpentinite, and a sand and mudstone
formation atop the range. The first two sequences are fertile and appear to have derived
from sea-floor basalt, while the serpentinite is a soapstone of sundry shades of green
which constitutes a band of perhaps a mile width among the Franciscan and great valley
sequences. At Bodega Head to the west of the fault is the Salinian Block, a rock
formation found to the east of the fault only in the Tehachapi Mountains 350 miles
southeast, thereby lending credence to the theory that this land mass once lay near what is
now Bakersfield.2
Though possessing 62 miles of Pacific shoreline, Sonoma contains few ports, and
those it does contain at Bodega Bay, Petaluma, and Port Sonoma are marinas for fishing
or recreational purposes. The principle waterway through the county is the Russian River
which descends from the Mayacamas near Cloverdale before meandering through
Healdsburg and Guerneville en route to its mouth at Jenner on the Pacific. The Russian is
not only navigable, but is the primary source of drinking water for county residence north
of Petaluma. Those of that town and south obtain water from the San Pablo and San
Francisco Bays. Though a life-sustaining and a recreational commodity, the Russian
River is susceptible to severe winter flooding to a degree which has prompted
consideration of relocating such towns as Guerneville to eliminate reconstruction to the
extent necessary following floods in 1993 and 1995. The other notable river of navigation
is the Petaluma, the source of which lies immediately north of its namesake town, from
whence it flows approximately 15 miles to the San Pablo Bay.

3. 2. Climate and Weather Patterns
The county’s climate is a natural derivative of its topography. The coast range in Sonoma
County subdivides into three separate branches that separate two fertile valleys. The
coastal branch separates the cool, moist Pacific air from the often stifling summer heat of
the easterly valleys. The Sonoma range bisects the county from north to south, thereby
buffering the Santa Rosa Valley from the Sonoma Valley, while the Mayacamas range
forms the eastern border at Napa County. From the San Francisco Bay to the south, the
Santa Rosa and Sonoma Valleys proceed into the Redwood Empire, far beyond the
northern extent of the county. As the valleys distance themselves from the moderating
influences of the bay, summer temperatures climb to such an extent that variations of
thirty degrees are not uncommon at locations separated by mere miles. Winter
temperatures are moderate throughout, with intracounty variations less extreme than
during the summer months.
Table 1
Average Temperatures and Precipitation at Santa Rosa and Bodega Bay
(1986-1996)
Period Santa Rosa
Max. Temp.
Bodega Bay
Max. Temp.
Santa Rosa
Rainfall (in.)
Bodega Bay
Rainfall (in.)
January 58 58 6.45 7.36
April 70 66 1.86 1.83
July 84 69 0.06 0.06
October 77 68 1.98 1.86
Year 72 64 30.3 35.12
Source: Western Regional Climate Center, University of Nevada Research Institute
Precipitation confines itself to the winter months and consists of rain almost
exclusively, with rare examples of snow being confined to the upper elevations. Though
infrequent, precipitation can be intense and accompanied by severe flooding along the
banks and tributaries of the Russian River. Much as does the temperature in the summer,
rainfall exhibits notable intracounty variations in winter. While coastal and northern
regions receive a mean of approximately 45 inches a year, the southern county absorbs
approximately half that quantity.3 Such meteorological diversity has induced a
corresponding variation with respect to the county’s significant agricultural output. Table

4. 1 above contrasts average annual and selected monthly temperatures and precipitation at
Santa Rosa near the county center with those 21 miles west, on the coast at Bodega Bay.
3. A Brief History of the County
The initial inhabitants of Sonoma County were the Coast Miwok Indians who are
supposed to have descended from Siberian races and arrived in northern California five to
ten thousand years ago. A people of gentle disposition and inconsequential technology
who were isolated from outside influence, the Miwok settlement was devoid even of such
contemporary raw materials as metals and of such capital equipment as the wheel.
Animal labor was not utilized and controlled burns constituted the only noticeable
inclination toward agricultural advancement. Hunting, gathering, and fishing constituted
the means of subsistence, with the division of labor such that men performed those duties
while women cooked and fabricated baskets. Experience with warfare was likewise
wanting, thus precipitating the demise of the tribe upon arrival of the Spanish in the 16th
century.
Although Juan Cabrillo in 1542 inaugurated European exploration of the
California coast and Spain would during the ensuing centuries send numerous explorers
north from Mexico, Sir Francis Drake under the crown of England was the first European
to strike land north of San Francisco Bay. Drake landed at what is now Drake’s Bay in
Marin County, several miles south of the Sonoma County line. Russian fur trappers
settled along the coast near Fort Ross and inland at Sebastopol. Spanish missionaries
proceeded along El Camino Real from Mexico, establishing the northernmost mission at
San Francisco de Solano in the town of Sonoma during 1821, the year of Mexican
independence. The Mexican authorities soon thereafter parceled lands to Californios -
soldiers and government agents - who proceeded to establish ranchos which were
essentially large cattle plantations. The most significant of the Californios was General
Mariano Vallejo, a man instrumental in the early north and east bay land development.
The demise of the ranchos followed the 1848 discovery of gold at Sutter’s Fort on
the American River near Sacramento, and the 1850 raising of the Bear Flag at Sonoma.
The Bear Flag Rebellion was an uprising of the recent settlers from the states against the
Mexicans who till then had dominated the region. The independent California Republic

5. was proclaimed in Sonoma, though immediately thereafter, and unbeknownst to Bear-
Flaggers, statehood was declared in San Francisco. The gold rush affected Sonoma only
to the extent that mining processes were developed and initiated to draw from the coastal
serpentinite the mercury used for separation in the gold panning process. Vapors elicited
from the mercury proved deleterious to the health of those who handled it, however, and
the serpentinite mining of the metal was soon abandoned in favor of manganese and
jade.4
Agriculture remained the prominent means of subsistence, and during the mid-
19th century the first grape vines were imported from France and Italy.5 The climate and
soil rendered the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and livestock a substantial percentage
of the county’s output. To this day, poultry, sheep, and cattle dot the landscape, as do
fields of mustard, apple trees, and grape vines.
4. Demographics
The 1996 population of Sonoma County was 421,459, of which 7.8% arrived since 1990,
a pace approximately a third that of the previous decade. The total is 40% higher than
that of 1980 and 106% greater than that of 1970. Eighty-four percent of all residents have
lived in the county at least 5 years, and the majority of those that have not are recent
arrivals from other counties in the Bay Area. The Association of Bay Area Governments
projects the year 2000 population at 476,900, and the year 2010 total at 541,100,
corresponding to a growth rate of 39.4% since 1990. Of the total, 49% were male, 83%
were white, and 56.9% were between the ages of 18 and 64. Table 2 presents county
population trends in comparison to those of the state and the combined United States.
Table 2
Relative Population Growth of Sonoma County6
Year Sonoma County California Combined United
States
1970 204,885 19,971,069 203,302,031
1980 299,681 23,667,764 226,542,203
1990 388,222 29,760,021 248,709,873
1996 421,459 31,430,697 260,340,990
% change (1990-96) 8.56 5.6 4.7

6. The table reveals a rate of growth that is not only rapid, but in excess of that of
the state and of the combined states. That the net immigration comprises educated and
relatively wealthy individuals and families is evinced by the following statistics, and
attests to the potential for continued economic development: Married persons represent
60% of the population, home-owners 71%, and those with college degrees or some
college education 58%, implying a productive labor pool. Though only 62% of the
population is employed, a relatively large population of retirees (21% of the total) rather
than a high unemployment rate (3.9%) is the apparent cause. Indeed, a median household
income of $61,3927 implies a relatively prosperous population, the high cost of living
notwithstanding.
The proportion of retirees also explains the fact that 30% of residence earn an
annual income in excess of $95,400 and that the mean value of a home for resale is
$227,500, relatively inexpensive in contrast to neighboring Marin County at $421,000
and San Francisco at $353,400 (see Appendix C).8 The immigration from nearby counties
is therefore caused as much by the cost of housing as it is by the desire to replace a hectic
urban lifestyle with a more relaxed rural one. Though still predominantly rural with most
of its space undeveloped, Sonoma County has recently experienced urban growth,
particularly along Santa Rosa-Rohnert Park-Petaluma corridor. The population of these
and other towns is presented in Table 3, which also reveals that since 1980 the majority
of growth within the county has accrued to relatively urban regions of the county.
Table 3
Population of Selected Sonoma County Cities
Location Population - 1980 Population - 1996 Pct. Change
Santa Rosa 82,658 122,100 47.7
Petaluma 33,834 49,500 46.3
Rohnert Park 22,965 40,326 75.6
Sebastopol 5,595 9,122 63.0
Bodega Bay, CDP 750 1,127 50.2
Sonoma County 299,681 421,459 40.6
Source: World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997
Note: Bodega Bay is not incorporated, and is therefore a Census Designated Place (CDP)
5. Transportation Systems

7. Accommodation of the increased growth described in the foregoing section is provided
by several intracounty and intercounty transportation systems, most of which utilize U.S.
101, the principle north-south freeway which binds the county with San Francisco to the
south and the Redwood Empire and the Pacific Coast logging regions to the north. The
only highway that affords easy access to points east is state route 37, which skirts the San
Pablo Bay and is therefore accessible only to those in the southern region of the county.
The coast range inhibits rapid passage east from points further north, including Santa
Rosa, thereby restricting travel to slow, winding mountain roads. Most development
within the county has therefore concentrated along the U.S. 101 corridor in the towns of
Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Petaluma.
To alleviate traffic density which inevitably accompanies growth, numerous
transit agencies are established to carry passengers within Sonoma County and to others.
Among these are Sonoma County Transit, Mendocino Transit, Santa Rosa Municipal
Transit, and Golden Gate Transit which links Sonoma to Marin and San Francisco via
bus and ferry service. Approximately 15% of Sonoma County commuters utilize one of
these services on a regular basis, particularly those traveling to San Francisco.9 The
Northwest Pacific Railroad carries freight through the county on tracks which have been
purchased by Golden Gate Transit for the purpose of instituting commuter rail service in
the future. Moreover, the county has agreed to widen U.S. 101 from Santa Rosa to the
Marin border, though the reluctance of Marin County to do likewise jeopardizes the
project. A light rail system has also been proposed within the median of the highway, yet
the planning may best be described as preliminary.
6. Economy and Industry
While Sonoma County has throughout its history claimed agriculture as its primary
source of output, the industrial mix has been altered by the influx of professional persons
from the immediate Bay Area. Peter Drucker once noted that ‘the modern big city is a
creation of the 19th century ability to move people’, and that as the movement of people is
transplanted by the movement of information ‘office work, rather than office workers,
will do the traveling’.10 Sonoma County has witnessed firsthand the effects of this
transformation as those for whom a commute to San Francisco 50 miles south or Silicon

8. Valley 50 miles further would once have been prohibitive now can reside in the county
while ‘telecommuting’ to work. Several Silicon Valley high technology firms have
moved not just the office work, but actual offices to Sonoma County in response to
employee preference. Prominent among these is Hewlett-Packard Company, the largest
manufacturing employer in the county.11
Santa Rosa and Petaluma constitute a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) distinct
from that of San Francisco, though several agencies, among them the Association of Bay
Area Governments and most agencies of the state of California, marry Sonoma County to
the greater Bay Area. Within the Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA is a civilian labor force of
205,300, of which 197,300 are employed, yielding a 3.9% unemployment rate.12 The
industries into which most employees go are services, retail trade, government, and
manufacturing. Approximately 27% of all employees in the county are unionized, a rate
that is quite high by comparison with other regions, though not with those in the San
Francisco Bay Area. Typical union employees are those engaged in construction, metal
works, food checking and processing, and meat cutting.13 Table 4 lists the number of
employees within each industry of size in the county, while Tables 5 and 6 document the
largest employers within and outside the manufacturing sector.
Table 4
Sonoma County Employment by Industry
Industry Number of
Employees
Services 33,400
Retail Trade 30,100
Government: Federal, State, County, City 24,100
Manufacturing 20,800
Construction 9,300
Finance/Real Estate/Insurance 8,400
Wholesale Trade 6,600
Transportation/Communications/Utilities 6,100
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing 5,600
Mining 500
Source: Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce

9. Table 5
Largest Manufacturing Employers in Sonoma County
Name of Company Employment Product
Hewlett-Packard Company 3,600 Electronic Test Instruments
Sola Optical 950 Hard Resin RX Lenses
Optical Coating
Laboratories, Inc
943 Optical Products
Press Democrat Publishing 439 Newspaper
KOMAG 279 Computer Hard Drives
Standard Structures 277 Engineered Wood Products
Klein Family Vintners 227 Winery
Korbel Champagne Cellars 260 Champagne
Tegal Corporation 260 Electronic Equipment and
Components
Vacu-Dry Corporation 250 Dehydrated Fruit Products
Source: Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce
Table 6
Non-Manufacturing Employment in Sonoma County
Name of Company Employment Product
County of Sonoma 4,321 County Government
Santa Rosa Junior College 1,931 Community College
Santa Rosa School District 1,580 Government Schools
Kaiser Permanente 1,400 Medical Care
Sonoma State University 1,126 State University
City of Santa Rosa 1,105 City Government
Santa Rosa Memorial
Hospital
1,100 Medical Care
Pacific Gas & Electric 720 Gas & Electricity
Pacific Bell 450 Communications Utility
Source: Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce
Agriculture does not comprise the share of total industries one might anticipate,
yet the proportion of such work in the county is substantial when compared to that of the
United States. This relative proportion is determined by way of a location quotient that
compares the percentage of total employment an industry possesses within a region to
that industry’s share of national employment:
LQ = (industry % of total regional employment) / (industry % of total U.S. employment)

10. The resultant regional quotient indicates the extent to which an industry’s employment is
adequate or deficient within a specific region. A location quotient of 1.0 implies an
industry proportion which is just sufficient to supply the county, while quotients less or
greater than that indicate deficiencies or quantities available for export. Therefore, while
total manufacturing employment is 20,800 and that for agriculture is only 5,600, the
location quotient of the latter is almost triple that of the former. Furthermore, the
location quotient for manufacturing is but 0.843, implying an insufficient quantity of
manufacturing employment despite its impressive growth. Moreover, the production of
wines, brandy, and distilled spirits, which many might associate with agriculture, is
instead included within the manufacturing industry and claims a location quotient of
111.9, the highest of any industry in the county, as illustrated in Table 7 below.
Table 7
Location Quotients and Excess Employment for Selected Industries14
SIC Area
Emplymnt
U.S.
Emplymnt
SIC Titles Location
Quotient
Excess
Employment
2084 2,353 15,473 Wines, Brandy and
Spirits
111.986 2,332
3827 1,332 16,751 Optical Instruments
& Lenses
58.557 1,309
3596 283 5,400 Scales and Balances,
except laboratory
38.593 276
2034 373 10,407 Dehydrated Fruits
and Vegetables
26.394 359
0762 169 4,915 Farm Management
Services
25.321 162
3850 914 29,113 Ophthalmic Goods 23.119 874
3463 159 6,816 Nonferrous Forgings 17.178 150
2386 39 2,150 Leather and Sheep
Lined Clothing
13.358 36
3820 4,560 261,839 Measuring and
Controlling Devices
12.825 4,204
2080 2,397 144,125 Beverages 12.247 2,201
2092 690 42,616 Fresh or Frozen
Prepared Fish
11.923 632
0760 169 11,797 Farm Labor and
Mgt. Services
10.550 153

11. That wine constitutes the most significant export from the county should therefore
surprise nobody, and while shipments are adversely affected by restrictions shackled
upon them by states such as Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida, export growth elsewhere,
particularly within California, nullifies the impact of such prohibitions. The northern
wine regions of the warm, fertile Alexander and Sonoma Valleys produce world-
renowned varietals, including, but not exclusively, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay,
while the southern and therefore cooler Carneros region features pinot noir as the
predominant yield. The microclimates exemplified by these regions underscore how
important topography and climate are to the Sonoma County wine industry. The hills
surrounding the valleys support sundry varietals depending upon the direction they face
in relation to prevailing sunlight, while the interior of the hills have been utilized as
storage caves to protect and enhance aging bottles. Furthermore, the degree of
temperature and amount of precipitation a region receives during the growing season
determines to a remarkable extent the success a vintage might expect. The intersection of
mountain, valley, and coastal fog which exemplifies Sonoma County produces a
marvelous location from which to produce and export wine.
The industries listed are those with the highest propensity to export. While the
presence on this list of the wine industry would surprise few, perhaps that of optical and
ophthalmic goods elicits curiosity. These industries are relatively new to Sonoma, having
relocated from San Francisco to acquire less expensive land and labor. These industries
supply many of the medical care companies such as Kaiser Permanente which have
followed clients from San Francisco to Sonoma County. Large new HMOs in Petaluma
and Santa Rosa attest to the growth of this industry. The preponderance of those
industries remaining in Table 7 are related directly or otherwise to the traditional farming
and animal raising industries upon which the county has relied since its initial settlement.
By ‘excess employment’ in the last column of Table 7 is meant the number an
industry employs in excess of that which would be expected were the proportion of
county industry employees to total county employment equal to the national proportion,
rather than any evaluation of the number of employees an industry ‘should’ have from the
perspective of an outside agency or individual. Indeed, assuming an unhampered
market, industries employ workers in correlation with their expectations of future

12. consumer demand, and therefore whatever quantity of workers is absorbed by an industry
is that which ‘should’ prevail (whether the location quotient exceeds, equals, or lags 1.0)
according to the opinions of those best able to render judgement. Should time prove
employment decisions errant, employees will shift to industries better able to succeed
within the circumstances of the region. This quantity can be determined on a free market
not by economists or government officials, but only by entrepreneurs.
Sonoma County has been relatively successful resisting the urge of governments
to ‘promote’ one industry with the coercively acquired tax dollars of another.15 The
prospects for industries to develop themselves in Sonoma in accordance with its natural
comparative advantages are therefore promising. While the wine industry is of course an
obvious example, high technology may be less so. Nevertheless, the proximity of the
county to San Francisco and to the research centers of Stanford and Berkeley, a well-
educated population, and a quality of life which is not unlike that of Silicon Valley a
generation ago render Sonoma a county in which a high technology industry might
prosper. That notwithstanding, the county government should refrain from involving
itself in the expansion of this or any other industry, for to do so would be to forcibly
withdraw resources from those industries that consumers have by their actions
determined to be necessary to Sonoma County. The consequent distortions of
intervention would benefit the targeted industry to the detriment of everyone else in the
county, while an unhampered market would produce industries that by definition benefit
all concerned. Should the county allow the free actions of market participants to proceed
without constraint, the natural advantages of geography, climate, and demographics the
county possesses will provide the environment necessary for optimal industry allocation.
1 David D. Alt and Donald W. Altman, Roadside Geology of Northern California (Missoula: Mountain
Press, 1975), pp. 4-7.
2 ibid.,pp. 13-23.
3 Western Regional Climate Center, University of Nevada research Institute.
4 Rand Richards, Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide (San Francisco: Heritage House,
1991), pp. 3-65.
5 Hugh Johnson, Wine (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), pp. 18-20.
6 Sonoma County data obtained from the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, County Economic Profile,
1997. California and U.S. statistics obtained from The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1997.
7 David Savageau and Richard Boyer, Places Rated Almanac (New York: Simon and Schuster,1993), p.
44.
8 ibid.,pp. 91-2.
9 United States Census,Commuting Patterns 1996.

13. 10 Peter F. Drucker, Managing for the Future: The 1990s and Beyond (New York: Truman Talley Books,
1992), pp. 125-6.
11 Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, Community Economic Profile, 1997.
12 ibid.
13 ibid.
14 United States Census,County Business Patterns
15 This is not to suggest that the state of California does not lavish subsidies on industries in general, and
the wine industry in particular.