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When I first moved to Sonoma County I noticed two big things. 1. People here are DUMB. Just one example off the top of my head, look at the railroad crossings, you'll see ridiculous measures being taken up prevent drivers from going around the crossing gates. 2. People here complain about traffic and homelessness. However they have no clue how lucky they really are.
It does seem crazy that several people have got hit by a train in Santa Rosa. Yes, homelessness and traffic are common complaints for locals. I remember reading a comment recently that compared the conditions of Santa Rosa to that of a 3rd world country. My guess is that they haven't actually spent time living in a 3rd world country.
I was born and raised in Santa Rosa. You did a good job covering all of the positive parts of this city and, at the same time, while covering a few of the areas of concern. My dislike of Santa Rosa has been the occasional racism my family and I have encountered. It is slowly changing for the better, but that is another factor to consider.
Thank you for your feedback Dennis. I agree. I have experienced a few situations like this as well. My step-mom's dad lived in Petaluma/Penngrove most of his life. I met him for the first time when I was 17 years old at a home my dad and step-mom were purchasing in Cotati. Within the first 10 minutes of meeting him, he asked me if I was going to sit on the floor to eat dinner. As I have gotten older, I have realized that people are not born racist/bigots. These thoughts and opinions are learned. So when someone says something offensive, it is really not their own thought or opinion, but rather someone else's that they adopted (oftentimes parents). This has helped me not take these comments as personally. Additionally, with increasing diversity, younger generations are recognizing they don't have to embrace the same opinions or values of their parents. It may be a difficult to change a lifetime's worth of conditioning of our parents/grandparents, but children/young adults are malleable. I believe it is our responsibility to help educate them to always look for good in people and judge someone not based on the color of their, but on their character. If we want change, we can't wait for it to happen, it starts with us.
Been here a year, this state has so much money from all of us over paying in taxes and the roads here in Santa Rosa are horrendous. You need a full on mountain bike just to ride on the sidewalks.
Thank you for your feedback Eugene! I definitely agree that there are many roads in need of repair. There is good news on the horizon: Santa Rosa is planning repairs to 33 miles of residential streets over the next 2 years. Additionally, City Council approved funding from $11 to $15.5 million towards pavement maintenance. This will definitely not be enough to address all 512 miles of residential road networks in Santa Rosa, but it will be a step in the right direction.
@@alexchavez9083 Thank you for sharing. I agree, not all the roads are terrible. According to the Press Democrat, only 4% of the 512 miles of residential roads in Santa Rosa are considered to be currently in failed condition. Do you still live in Roseland?
Hell no I’ve been there for 30 years, daily drugs and firearms busts, gang related activities, and the homeless, Santa Rosa is a hot mess!!!!! Wouldn’t suggest to move there!!! This guy is trying to sugarcoat it, he’s a realtor 🙄
Thank you for your feedback Kim. I am not sure if you listened to the entire video but I communicated that in our next video I would be sharing the negatives about living in Santa Rosa. The point of this video was to share many of the positive things Santa Rosa has to offer because often times they only hear the experience that you shared and then think that no matter where you live in Santa Rosa, it will be the same experience. Do you currently live in Santa Rosa? If so, what area do you live in?
Thank you for your feedback! There are over 40 schools in the Santa Rosa County District. When you say the schools suck, is it your opinion that applies to all schools in Santa Rosa?
It’s predominantly Hispanic here now with a bunch of liberal teachers so if you have white kids they will have a harder time unless we are talking Maria Carrillo. I myself went to Burbank, cook and Elsie Allen so u can imagine what those places are like for little white kids lol
@@Albertriverra1981 Thank you for your feedback. Out of Santa Rosa nearly 180,000 residents, approximately 32.7% are Hispanic. How do you feel this is impacting the city?
@@MichaelFerl well coming from someone who grew up in south west Santa Rosa being a minority is nothing I’m not used to. I embrace Hispanic culture especially Mexican culture here it’s been a huge part of my life but it’s sad to see hard working folks come here and a see a large percent of their offspring be way more entitled, many idolizing gang life, car drifting hip hop culture and so on. With little to no core traditional Mexican values besides maybe occasional hanging with their fam drinking tequila and listening to banda.
I gotta give it to the Hispanic community in these crazy expensive areas in CA they keep many family living at home or sometimes in crowded two/three bedroom homes where everyone can pitch in to make it. “White folks” tend to have smaller families, aren’t able to get many under the table jobs to avoid the tax man and huddle in with their own families to afford staying here so they wind up moving because lack of support……usually. This is all observation from growing up in southwest Santa Rosa.
Live here in Santa Rosa now. If you're making over 75 thousand a year you'll be fine. Anything less welcome to the struggle life where everything is over priced.
@@kylerupp4378 You have definitely see a lot of changes in the area! What part of Santa Rosa do you live in? From your perspective, what are the top 1-2 biggest issues?
Regarding malls, you neglected Montgomery Village. Great video, and like your energy. FYI, funniest park is Triangle park in SR. As we are both R.E. wonks, I think you'll find the reason for it interesting. Also SR are one of few cities that has park where you gaze and walk by old tombstones (Rural cemetery).
Check out 2.55 minutes in regards to Montgomery Village 😉 Triangle Park is funny...I think calling it a park might be a bit of a stretch. McDonald District is one of my favorite areas of Santa Rosa though. What is one area of Santa Rosa that you might want to learn more about?
Thank you for your question Khalil! Rohnert Park has experienced significant changes over the last 10 years. Between Graton, University District, Willowglen, and prospective development of a downtown, home prices has surged to record highs. In fact, we just sold a home in D section for over a $1 million! It is honestly hard to believe. I think that many of buyers that want to live in Petaluma who are priced out, consider Rohnert Park and Cotati. Rohnert Park has experienced some notable growing pains in the process though. The homeless camp off of the freeway has become an unfortunate eye sore for example. I personally don't love Rohnert Park as it currently does not offer any formal downtown area, Outback Steakhouse is your fine dining option, and offers no character in terms of the scenery. What are your thoughts?
Wow. Way to sell Santa Rosa! How about a balanced view? Businesses are also dead/dying. Just walk thru our 2 malls to see that, or drive down a main thoroughfare. City does NOT take care of its city-very trashy, horrible roads that feel like you’re traveling in a covered wagon, graffiti and homelessness abound, but don’t hesitate to charge outrageously high taxes…maybe the city population overall would have more pride in ownership if the city took care of its responsibility. High home prices and general cost of living keep poverty flourishing. I’ve lived here a long time and seen the direction the city is moving and it’s sad because this area is gorgeous and has so much potential that is overlooked.
Thank you for your feedback Patty! I'm not sure if you listened to the entire video but the point of this video was to highlight specifically the positives that Santa Rosa has to offer because often times, people only hear one side of the conversation. This includes many of the points you highlighted. I think that people think that areas such as Roseland or Southpark represent what life is like living in all areas of Santa Rosa. I stated in the video that in our next video, we would be discussing the some of the challenges of living in Santa Rosa so that individuals can hear both sides of the conversation. It sounds like you are currently living in Santa Rosa, just curious, what part are you currently living in?
@@willowandluka5302 Just curious, what is it specifically about Coddingtown that makes you feel this way? I am genuinely curious because this was my previous impression of Coddingtown about 5-6 years ago before the Codding family repurchased back it's 50% ownership from the Simon Property Group. It is now 100% locally owned again by the Codding Family. It previously felt desolate and there was no reason to go there. Since then, many new businesses have come in: Nordstrom Rack, Target, Whole Foods, Ulta, Sea Noodle Bar, Orange Theory Fitness, Old Navy, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nick the Greek, Chipotle, BJ's, Crunch Fitness, Verizon, Yoga Six, and many others. There has never been this many options available. I don't think I've been to Coddingtown recently and not seen the parking lot full. I don't think they have ever had this many businesses as they do now. My biggest complaint today is probably the traffic off of HWY 101 to Guerneville Rd. However, it is my impression the the Codding Family has been managing the property well as they added electric car charging stations, the property seems to always be clean and well maintained, and they have brought many more businesses that all seem to be thriving.
@@willowandluka5302 Coddington is the old mall, it's a dead mall, been that way a long time. However the Internet is killing malls all over the country
Thank you for sharing your feedback Walter. I agree. I think that because the homeless camps tend to form in high traffic areas, such as along the Joe Rodota trail, the appalling visual conditions are more prominently highlighted. This causes the homeless camps to overshadow the positive features of Santa Rosa has to offer. There is good news though. Santa Rosa recently laid out a 39 page strategic plan to address homelessness. They have a goal to reduce homelessness to "functional zero" by 2027. This is a lofty goal, but even if they were able to reduce it by 50-75% over the next 5 years, that would have a significant impact on the city.
Moved to SR last year but had to move to Rohnert Park to be closer to my new job. Definitely moving back to Santa Rosa once I’m able to transfer to SR Kaiser next year. Unexpectedly loved it there but it is expensive.
Sadly this is biased to sell SR! I am leaving this county/state after living here for over 40 years. The appalling care of the city and care of the crappy roads, the school system ranks 49/50 nationwide, housing/taxes is off the charts expensive. The 5 year drought has caused several devasting wildfires statewide, especially Sonoma County, and tremendous loss of homes/property. However the weather is lovely.
Thank you for your feedback Nancy! The goal of this video was to specifically share some of the positives that Santa Rosa has to offer because sometimes people only hear one side of the conversation, including many of the points you highlighted. We will be discussing some of the issues living in Santa Rosa on our next video. What part of Santa Rosa do you live in? And curious, when you communicated that the school system ranks 49/50 nationwide, what publication are you referencing that stated this?
Thank you for your feedback Sully. The goal of this video was to discuss some of the positives about Santa Rosa as it is my experience that many people think that areas such as South Park or Roseland reflect what life is like across the entire city. However, there are negatives about living in the area and we will be making a video to discuss those points as well. Do you live in Santa Rosa? What has been your experience?
We love Windsor and also have property there! What are your top pros/cons about living in Windsor? We are going to be discussing Windsor in an upcoming video.
Exceptionally good information from a guy trying to make a buck. No guilt no condemnation. He left out some stuff though. A half an hour drive to the Sonoma County coast line. Half an hour the hundreds of elite and cheap but fun wineries. Nice people since we are Northern California. Northern California starting we’re Petaluma ends. I love Sonoma County snobbery but I love it here I’ve been landscaping in the area since 1979, met a lot of realtors. I have some as friends. I don’t know this guy but if his real estate is as down to earth as his honest observations, he won’t do bad by using him
Appreciate your feedback and insight Dan. What city are you currently located in? Also, please share your contact information so we can promote your landscaping company. We are always looking to support local businesses.
The road infrastructure is hilarious in Santa Rosa. Not just the pot holes and decayed roads, the way the roadways are all designed is terrible. Highway 101 runs parallel right next to Santa Rosa Ave. so driving anywhere around there is stupid. You have to spend 10 minutes sitting at several street lights just to get to a freeway on ramp that’s 0.1 miles away. During rush hour, it’s nearly un-driveable. There’s also multiple cases where they put on ramps merging on the freeway before the off ramps, which causes most of the traffic. I don’t know what was going on when they built that freeway, but they did a terrible job. Maybe it worked 50 years ago, I don’t know.
Thank you for your feedback! I agree that throughout Santa Rosa and Sonoma County there are a number of roads that are in desperate need of repairs. There are also multiple intersections off of Santa Rosa Avenue that can be challenging to navigate during rush hours. To help navigate this, we try to avoid these areas during rush hours as much as possible and use back roads if possible. For example, we almost never cross over on Hearn from Santa Rosa Avenue to access HWY 101 because that is one of the busiest intersections in the entire city. There is good news on the horizon regards the roads conditions: Santa Rosa is planning repairs to 33 miles of residential streets over the next 2 years. Additionally, City Council approved funding from $11 to $15.5 million towards pavement maintenance. This will definitely not be enough to address all 512 miles of residential road networks in Santa Rosa, but it will be a step in the right direction. Do you currently live in Santa Rosa? If so, what area are you located in?
@@MichaelFerl Currently living in Forestville, but I work in Santa Rosa and I’ve spent a few years living there before. Glad to hear the city is at least planning to do something
@@willowandluka5302 Agreed! Forestville has also had a lot of changes over the last several years. In your opinion, what are the pro/cons living out there?
@@MichaelFerl beautiful weather and not far from town while still having that “small town” feel. And there’s lots of beautiful spots by the Russian river in the towns surrounding as well.
@@willowandluka5302 Forestville is a beautiful area. We have received feedback from some of our clients that for families, it can be a bit more challenging due to accessibility to schools. However, it definitely has that small town feel that you don't get with Santa Rosa.
That depends who you ask. Santa Rosa is generally considered a safe city, with crime rates slightly lower than the national average. According to recent data, the violent crime rate in Santa Rosa is around 3.0 per 1,000 residents, compared to the national average of 4.0 per 1,000. Property crime rates are also lower, making it a relatively safe place to live. However, as with any city, there is going to be crime. Are you thinking about moving to the area?
Don’t move here. The gentrification is bad enough as it is. Rising prices are ruining small, poorer, communities in and around Santa Rosa and the residents who have been established here for decades can’t afford it anymore. The homeless situation is sad enough, and the city is pumping money into “luxury” condos and apartments downtown when it should be addressing the needs of the people who live here.
Thank you for your feedback Victor. I agree, housing is a significant issue not only in Santa Rosa but throughout California. There are currently multiple projects throughout Sonoma County that are focused on exactly what you suggested, building more affordable apartment buildings. Kawana Springs Apartments for example is a 5 story, 151-unit, 100% affordable, multi-family rental housing project on a 3.73 acre site. In addition, there is a 13.3 acre property where a 422 rental apartment building going up on Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa. There is also a 162 apartment complex for low-income seniors that will be completed in 2023. Since 2016 there have been 778 housing permits that have been applied in just down town Santa Rosa, 358 are currently in construction, and 131 have been finalized. There are over 30 large active projects just in Santa Rosa (www.srcity.org/2970/Developments). What many people don't talk about as a procuring issue surrounding all of this is us, the people that live here. Everyone says they want homelessness to be addressed for example but when a new project to provide housing for homeless or low income is suggested, the residents that live nearby do everything they can to shut it down. The general public opinion tends to be, "Fix the issue, I just don't want to pay for it or have it near me." Many people are tied to the area due to family, friends, or employment. If someone is committed to stay in Sonoma County, is there another location besides Santa Rosa that you feel does a better job addressing the issues you identified?
Santa Rosa is fine and I lived there for 10 years. I moved to Sebastopol. Much much better. Small town atmosphere better weather ….. no side shows and almost zero crime. And, it’s only 10 miles east of Santa Rosa…..so easy access to all the shopping rec activities you mentioned and unique shopping of its own. Yes, it’s a little more expensive but you can find bargains if you keep your eyes open…..like the gotta move situations. These happen more during off markets. In the better neighborhoods of Santa Rosa houses can also be very expensive as well. Cheers and good luck to all !
Thank you for your feedback! We definitely love Sebastopol. Our kids constantly make requests to visit Screamin' Mimi's. I think it also important to put things in context though. Sebastopol only has approximately 7,500 residents, Santa Rosa is nearly 24 times larger with approximately 178,000 residents. Side shows and areas of crime tend to manifest in specific areas of Santa Rosa and don't necessarily reflect the entire city. I haven't heard of a side show in Grace Tract or Fountaingrove for example. However, South Park and Roseland are repeat offenders for these issues. To your point, there are many people that would prefer to live in a small town like Sebastopol. However, did you know that over the last 2 years Sebastopol has become one of the most expensive cities to live in Sonoma County? The median sale price over the last year was $1,100,000 versus $800,000 in Santa Rosa. Hopefully you had the opportunity to move before prices surged.
@@MichaelFerl Screaming Mimi’s 😄 it’s great place for kids ! And, yes I found a great bargain in 2002. Decent house on 1/2 acre for $390,000. Last time I checked it’s est. value was close to $900,000. Location location location! 😄 cheers ! Thanks for your vid and glad to see you’re your doing well…I know your business is highly competitive….
Sebastopol is west of Santa rosa. I think you meant to say that but it just looks dumb that you said east. 😂 I lived in Sebastopol briefly. About a year and a half. The thing is there's so much more to do in Santa Rosa and there's more work opportunities and just more fun in general. Sebastopol you end up having to travel to do things. There are nice parks in Sebastopol at least but aside from that yeah I don't really care that much for Sebastopol honestly. Especially with how awful traffic control is there. The main road there almost always has a damn traffic jam and it's because it's two lanes. Whoever designed that is an idiot because people are constantly traveling through that road to go to Bodega Bay or to go to Santa rosa.
@@Sly88Frye Thank you for your attention to detail. I hope that you can forgive my verbal blunder. Sebastopol is a beautiful city but has its pro and cons as you highlights. I agree that the traffic can be a bit cumbersome getting into town.
@@Sneaky-Sneaky Wow! I am incredibly happy for you. That was an incredible purchase! And yes, with over 4,500 agents in Sonoma County, it is highly competitive. Do you happen to know anyone that might be looking to buy or sell over the next 6-12 months?
I agree, there are definitely some areas to avoid in Santa Rosa which we we are going to cover in our next video. Do you live in Santa Rosa? Just curious, what have you experienced that caused you to feel this way about Santa Rosa?
Couldn't agree more Gareth! It is definitely a significant concern that the city needs to address. There is good news though. Santa Rosa just released a 39 page strategic plan to get homeless to "functional zero" by 2027. While this is an ambitious goal, even if they only reduce it by 50-75%, that would make a significant impact to the city. What part of Santa Rosa do you currently live in?
Ton of homeless, not many good restaurants, downtown is lame compared to others. No nightlife, 80k a year and you can afford a 1 bedroom…..kinda. Prices are crazy for just about everything, be ready to give pge a ton of money. Hardcore liberals with some conservatives sprinkled it but we keep our opinions to us and ourselves. On the plus side, good Mexican food, good shopping, ton of breweries, close to everything. Great weather, although that includes yearly fires 🔥 (we have been lucky lately) gang activity died out (90’s early 2000’s was dif) wine country is all around us.
Thank you for your feedback Ryan. Relative to other locations specifically in Sonoma County, what cities do you feel offer better nightlife, restaurants, downtown, less homeless and with a lower cost of housing compared to what Santa Rosa offers?
@@MichaelFerl hands down Petaluma for all of those things Healdsburg is up and coming too. Sebastopol has a good daytime scene and right there with sonoma. Rohnert park has the casino for a little action and indoor bars but not much else than that.
Cost wise everything is relatively the same in the north bay with marin county being the most expensive as well as Healdsburg. Southwest Santa Rosa is slightly cheaper but for a a reason.
@@Albertriverra1981 I agree that Petaluma and Healdsburg have a more lively downtown scene and homelessness is a significantly less prominent issues in both cities. However, it is important to keep in context, Petaluma is only 1/3rd the size of Santa Rosa and Healdsburg is 15 times smaller than Santa Rosa (in terms of population). It should be expected that the homeless population would higher just as the number of homes, cars, businesses, etc. would also be higher as a result of the difference in population.
@@Albertriverra1981 While the cost of most goods and services are fairly consistent throughout Sonoma County, the cost for housing varies significantly. The average price point in Healdsburg is $1,100,000, Petaluma is approximately $940,000, and Santa Rosa is $750,000.
Been hear since 86. Just love this place. Yes I got burned out. And moved to Guerneville. Got flooded out there in 2018. Move to Menifee. The next step to hell. Then moved back in 2020. Cried when I drove up the 580 to the North Bay. I printed wine label hear for 30 years. Just beautiful scenery. Some great people live hear. It’s my home. And really never want to leave. I love Spring Lake. Lake Sonoma. And Russian River. Come visit us for food,drink,and sports. AT THE FINAL
I'm sorry to hear about the natural disasters that forced you to move a few times, that is an incredibly challenging experience. It is good to hear you are back and enjoying the area. What do you do for work in the area?
@@MichaelFerl Home Maintenance Specialist. After leaving Safari West after the fires. I could not travel Markwest Rd any more. Seeing the destruction everyday. Like driving through a war zone. I started my Painting and Home Maintenance Business. The Fine Art of House Painting and Home Maintenance. I did before working at Safari West.
@@bigsidable We love Safari West! One of our friends Sammy worked as a tour guide there. We are looking for great trades professionals to do work in preparing homes for market! Do you have a website or contact information we can reach you at?
Look if you grew up in Petaluma and now you've been living in Santa Rosa for 20 years you've almost basically been living in Santa Rosa your whole life. Petaluma is actually less than a 20 minute drive from Santa rosa. Really it's way less than that it's only 20 minutes depending on where in Santa Rosa you're coming from to get to petaluma. I would especially know because I work doordash and while I prefer to continue working in my hometown of Santa Rosa sometimes I end up going down to Petaluma and yeah it's not a 20 minute drive. It's only 20 minutes depending on where you're going from Santa Rosa and where you're going into in Petaluma but no it's way less than that. Anyways I'm 34 years old and I've lived here my whole life. At least in Sonoma county. I grew up in Santa Rosa in the Bennett valley area and absolutely love the Bennett valley area but unfortunately financial problems happened and things have changed a lot. It is nice that housing is not as expensive in Santa Rosa compared to other parts of Sonoma County but unfortunately housing is still considered expensive here. I mean come on over $700,000 is still very expensive. Rent is ridiculously high in apartments here as well. The average rent in Santa Rosa is around $2,000 per month. Rohnert Park and Petaluma is more expensive, but still nevertheless Santa Rosa is very expensive. I managed to land and affordable housing complex and what's considered affordable here is 1,254 per month. That used to be around the average rent like 10 years ago. Now it's considered cheap. I have briefly lived in Rohnert Park for a total of 7 months. I lived in Windsor for 4 years, and I lived in Sebastopol for about a year and a half. But yeah I mostly just been living in Santa Rosa just in different parts of Santa Rosa because it's hard to hold on to a place cuz of how expensive it is. But I can't help but want to stay here because I think Santa Rosa is a very beautiful city and there is a lot to do even just in Santa Rosa and Heck if I want to I can still just drive less than 10 minutes south actually from where I currently live in Santa Rosa it's probably about 10 minutes south to get to run a park now, but nevertheless they got Scandia there which is a lot of fun. Of course here in Santa Rosa like you said we got the epicenter. Spring lake Park and Howarth Park or places I went to a lot since I grew up in Bennett valley. I also liked lake elsango. Far fewer people go to that lake so it's a lot more private and secluded compared to spring lake Park which has that Big lagoon right by it where there's a bunch of families playing in the water. And yeah I got some fond memories of my childhood at Howarth park. That playground at Howarth Park has changed a lot. Sebastopol used to have the biggest best playground in all of some accounting. It's a park called the Sebastopol super playground. It was just really massive playground and there would always be tons of kids every kind of how big it was and how much there was to do there. Unfortunately I guess because of some law and this happened to other parks and cinema county every park that had its playgrounds made out of wood was taken down and replaced by one man of metal or plastic or whatever. I mean if they're going to take down that super playground may out of wood they could have at least rebuilt it the same way with the new material so it would be as awesome as it was before but now nobody really goes there because it's so small compared to what it used to be.
Thank you for your insight! It is great to hear about your experience after living your entire life. I agree, the cost of housing in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County is expensive. Relative to the area, Santa Rosa tends to be less expensive than some of neighboring cities. What is your experience of Rohnert Park after living there for 7 months when compared to Santa Rosa?
Sonoma county is probably the safest place in ca but it's going down hill like the rest of California vote red guys do your own research please save sonoma county
Thank you for your feedback Eleazar! Yes, it is definitely starting to get cold during this time of year but compared to some of our neighbors in Oregon or Washington, our winters here are fairly mild. How long have you been in the area?
Thank you for your feedback Francisco. I agree that housing needs to be one of the first steps taken towards addressing these individuals. The City of Santa Rosa just released a 40 page action plan to address homelessness with the goal of reaching "net zero homeless" by 2027. This is an ambitious goal but there are multiple projects currently being constructed that will help towards this goal. Do you current live in Santa Rosa? If so, what area?
@@MichaelFerl south wright area am about to be homeless again am not from this country and am legally blind i do a volunteer job at Petaluma street team witch comes out of my own money to get $100 a week of gift cards i went to fill out my intake application at cots in Petaluma hopefully they contact me asap i have nobody else here but ill be ok
@@franciscoaparicio113 I'm sorry to hear about that challenges you are currently going through. Do you have any plans on how you will generate an income?
Noo with my disability is really hard to keep a job and because am not from this country i can’t get any help either i have a son to take care of as well i manage to provide i send him all my cards i get from the volunteer program is all i have
@@franciscoaparicio113 There is no question that is a challenging set of circumstances. Just curious, with the cost of living so expensive in Sonoma County, have you explored less expensive areas to live to help provide some financial relief?
This is true. However, it is important to put things into context. Petaluma for example had no homicides last year but there has been 2 this year. Based on this, one could say that the homicide rate in Petaluma has increased 200%. The reality is though, 2 homicides is still incredibly low and that Petaluma is still an incredibly safe place to live. In Santa Rosa, there has been a total of 9 homicides in Santa Rosa in 2022. Comparatively, Santa Rosa had 6 last year. Santa Rosa is also the largest city in Sonoma County with 176,938 residents so it also expected that the total number of homicides are higher in Santa Rosa because there are simply significantly more people that live here. So while is accurate to say that the homicide rate is increasing, Santa Rosa and Sonoma County still remain an incredibly safe place to live.
Thank you for your insightful feedback. I'm not sure if you watched the entire video but the purpose of this video was discuss some of the positives of Santa Rosa because oftentimes people only hear about what life is like in Southpark or Roseland and they think that represents all of Santa Rosa. To make sure the audience hears both sides of the conversation, I made a second video to discuss the top negatives about living in Santa Rosa: ua-cam.com/video/rp9DTyQR4eE/v-deo.html Hope this helps.
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When I first moved to Sonoma County I noticed two big things.
1. People here are DUMB. Just one example off the top of my head, look at the railroad crossings, you'll see ridiculous measures being taken up prevent drivers from going around the crossing gates.
2. People here complain about traffic and homelessness. However they have no clue how lucky they really are.
It does seem crazy that several people have got hit by a train in Santa Rosa.
Yes, homelessness and traffic are common complaints for locals. I remember reading a comment recently that compared the conditions of Santa Rosa to that of a 3rd world country. My guess is that they haven't actually spent time living in a 3rd world country.
I was born and raised in Santa Rosa. You did a good job covering all of the positive parts of this city and, at the same time, while covering a few of the areas of concern. My dislike of Santa Rosa has been the occasional racism my family and I have encountered. It is slowly changing for the better, but that is another factor to consider.
Thank you for your feedback Dennis.
I agree. I have experienced a few situations like this as well. My step-mom's dad lived in Petaluma/Penngrove most of his life. I met him for the first time when I was 17 years old at a home my dad and step-mom were purchasing in Cotati. Within the first 10 minutes of meeting him, he asked me if I was going to sit on the floor to eat dinner.
As I have gotten older, I have realized that people are not born racist/bigots. These thoughts and opinions are learned. So when someone says something offensive, it is really not their own thought or opinion, but rather someone else's that they adopted (oftentimes parents).
This has helped me not take these comments as personally.
Additionally, with increasing diversity, younger generations are recognizing they don't have to embrace the same opinions or values of their parents.
It may be a difficult to change a lifetime's worth of conditioning of our parents/grandparents, but children/young adults are malleable. I believe it is our responsibility to help educate them to always look for good in people and judge someone not based on the color of their, but on their character. If we want change, we can't wait for it to happen, it starts with us.
Sorry for the racism you are getting here. As a fellow SR citizen, I can't help but feel diminished as well. Hope it never happens to you again.
@@paulclinton2326 A little empathy goes a long way. Thank you for your care and benevolence towards our fellow Santa Rosan 🙂
Been here a year, this state has so much money from all of us over paying in taxes and the roads here in Santa Rosa are horrendous. You need a full on mountain bike just to ride on the sidewalks.
Thank you for your feedback Eugene! I definitely agree that there are many roads in need of repair.
There is good news on the horizon: Santa Rosa is planning repairs to 33 miles of residential streets over the next 2 years.
Additionally, City Council approved funding from $11 to $15.5 million towards pavement maintenance. This will definitely not be enough to address all 512 miles of residential road networks in Santa Rosa, but it will be a step in the right direction.
I was born and raised here and only rosland has those roads aka little Mexico
@@alexchavez9083 Thank you for sharing. I agree, not all the roads are terrible.
According to the Press Democrat, only 4% of the 512 miles of residential roads in Santa Rosa are considered to be currently in failed condition.
Do you still live in Roseland?
Spot on
Hell no I’ve been there for 30 years, daily drugs and firearms busts, gang related activities, and the homeless, Santa Rosa is a hot mess!!!!! Wouldn’t suggest to move there!!! This guy is trying to sugarcoat it, he’s a realtor 🙄
Thank you for your feedback Kim. I am not sure if you listened to the entire video but I communicated that in our next video I would be sharing the negatives about living in Santa Rosa.
The point of this video was to share many of the positive things Santa Rosa has to offer because often times they only hear the experience that you shared and then think that no matter where you live in Santa Rosa, it will be the same experience.
Do you currently live in Santa Rosa? If so, what area do you live in?
Unfortunately I have lived here all my life and I have seen it now quickly turning to shit, and the schools suck
Thank you for your feedback! There are over 40 schools in the Santa Rosa County District. When you say the schools suck, is it your opinion that applies to all schools in Santa Rosa?
It’s predominantly Hispanic here now with a bunch of liberal teachers so if you have white kids they will have a harder time unless we are talking Maria Carrillo. I myself went to Burbank, cook and Elsie Allen so u can imagine what those places are like for little white kids lol
@@Albertriverra1981 Thank you for your feedback. Out of Santa Rosa nearly 180,000 residents, approximately 32.7% are Hispanic. How do you feel this is impacting the city?
@@MichaelFerl well coming from someone who grew up in south west Santa Rosa being a minority is nothing I’m not used to. I embrace Hispanic culture especially Mexican culture here it’s been a huge part of my life but it’s sad to see hard working folks come here and a see a large percent of their offspring be way more entitled, many idolizing gang life, car drifting hip hop culture and so on. With little to no core traditional Mexican values besides maybe occasional hanging with their fam drinking tequila and listening to banda.
I gotta give it to the Hispanic community in these crazy expensive areas in CA they keep many family living at home or sometimes in crowded two/three bedroom homes where everyone can pitch in to make it. “White folks” tend to have smaller families, aren’t able to get many under the table jobs to avoid the tax man and huddle in with their own families to afford staying here so they wind up moving because lack of support……usually. This is all observation from growing up in southwest Santa Rosa.
Live here in Santa Rosa now. If you're making over 75 thousand a year you'll be fine. Anything less welcome to the struggle life where everything is over priced.
Thank you for your feedback! Just curious, what part of Santa Rosa are you located in?
@@MichaelFerl West Side
@@BTMaverick707 North West or South West?
I call santa rosa the new ghetto
Thank you for your feedback Kyle! Just curious, what caused you to feel that way towards Santa Rosa?
Lived here for 40 years and it is not even close to what it used to be
@@kylerupp4378 You have definitely see a lot of changes in the area! What part of Santa Rosa do you live in? From your perspective, what are the top 1-2 biggest issues?
Excellent video! Thanks so much! 🙏
Been here for like 13 years and it’s Awesome I love town green I love the malls like the Santa Rosa plaza
That is great to hear! What part of Santa Rosa are you located in?
@@MichaelFerl windsor
Land values will keep rising for the foreseeably bright future
Beautiful place to live
Yes, this is true. Do you currently live in Santa Rosa?
Regarding malls, you neglected Montgomery Village. Great video, and like your energy. FYI, funniest park is Triangle park in SR. As we are both R.E. wonks, I think you'll find the reason for it interesting. Also SR are one of few cities that has park where you gaze and walk by old tombstones (Rural cemetery).
Check out 2.55 minutes in regards to Montgomery Village 😉
Triangle Park is funny...I think calling it a park might be a bit of a stretch. McDonald District is one of my favorite areas of Santa Rosa though.
What is one area of Santa Rosa that you might want to learn more about?
What’s your thoughts on rohnnet park?
Thank you for your question Khalil! Rohnert Park has experienced significant changes over the last 10 years. Between Graton, University District, Willowglen, and prospective development of a downtown, home prices has surged to record highs.
In fact, we just sold a home in D section for over a $1 million! It is honestly hard to believe. I think that many of buyers that want to live in Petaluma who are priced out, consider Rohnert Park and Cotati.
Rohnert Park has experienced some notable growing pains in the process though. The homeless camp off of the freeway has become an unfortunate eye sore for example.
I personally don't love Rohnert Park as it currently does not offer any formal downtown area, Outback Steakhouse is your fine dining option, and offers no character in terms of the scenery.
What are your thoughts?
Wow. Way to sell Santa Rosa! How about a balanced view? Businesses are also dead/dying. Just walk thru our 2 malls to see that, or drive down a main thoroughfare. City does NOT take care of its city-very trashy, horrible roads that feel like you’re traveling in a covered wagon, graffiti and homelessness abound, but don’t hesitate to charge outrageously high taxes…maybe the city population overall would have more pride in ownership if the city took care of its responsibility. High home prices and general cost of living keep poverty flourishing. I’ve lived here a long time and seen the direction the city is moving and it’s sad because this area is gorgeous and has so much potential that is overlooked.
Thank you for your feedback Patty! I'm not sure if you listened to the entire video but the point of this video was to highlight specifically the positives that Santa Rosa has to offer because often times, people only hear one side of the conversation. This includes many of the points you highlighted. I think that people think that areas such as Roseland or Southpark represent what life is like living in all areas of Santa Rosa. I stated in the video that in our next video, we would be discussing the some of the challenges of living in Santa Rosa so that individuals can hear both sides of the conversation.
It sounds like you are currently living in Santa Rosa, just curious, what part are you currently living in?
Coddingtown Mall gives me crippling depression
@@willowandluka5302 Just curious, what is it specifically about Coddingtown that makes you feel this way?
I am genuinely curious because this was my previous impression of Coddingtown about 5-6 years ago before the Codding family repurchased back it's 50% ownership from the Simon Property Group. It is now 100% locally owned again by the Codding Family. It previously felt desolate and there was no reason to go there.
Since then, many new businesses have come in: Nordstrom Rack, Target, Whole Foods, Ulta, Sea Noodle Bar, Orange Theory Fitness, Old Navy, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nick the Greek, Chipotle, BJ's, Crunch Fitness, Verizon, Yoga Six, and many others.
There has never been this many options available. I don't think I've been to Coddingtown recently and not seen the parking lot full. I don't think they have ever had this many businesses as they do now.
My biggest complaint today is probably the traffic off of HWY 101 to Guerneville Rd.
However, it is my impression the the Codding Family has been managing the property well as they added electric car charging stations, the property seems to always be clean and well maintained, and they have brought many more businesses that all seem to be thriving.
@@willowandluka5302 Coddington is the old mall, it's a dead mall, been that way a long time.
However the Internet is killing malls all over the country
I live there and I mean it’s kind a good but I hate the homeless problem here
Thank you for sharing your feedback Walter. I agree. I think that because the homeless camps tend to form in high traffic areas, such as along the Joe Rodota trail, the appalling visual conditions are more prominently highlighted. This causes the homeless camps to overshadow the positive features of Santa Rosa has to offer.
There is good news though. Santa Rosa recently laid out a 39 page strategic plan to address homelessness. They have a goal to reduce homelessness to "functional zero" by 2027. This is a lofty goal, but even if they were able to reduce it by 50-75% over the next 5 years, that would have a significant impact on the city.
Moved to SR last year but had to move to Rohnert Park to be closer to my new job. Definitely moving back to Santa Rosa once I’m able to transfer to SR Kaiser next year. Unexpectedly loved it there but it is expensive.
Thank you for sharing your feedback Kamille! What part of Santa Rosa were you located in?
Sadly this is biased to sell SR! I am leaving this county/state after living here for over 40 years. The appalling care of the city and care of the crappy roads, the school system ranks 49/50 nationwide, housing/taxes is off the charts expensive. The 5 year drought has caused several devasting wildfires statewide, especially Sonoma County, and tremendous loss of homes/property.
However the weather is lovely.
Thank you for your feedback Nancy! The goal of this video was to specifically share some of the positives that Santa Rosa has to offer because sometimes people only hear one side of the conversation, including many of the points you highlighted. We will be discussing some of the issues living in Santa Rosa on our next video.
What part of Santa Rosa do you live in? And curious, when you communicated that the school system ranks 49/50 nationwide, what publication are you referencing that stated this?
I did a good job of saying what is an Santa Rosa I mean I live in Santa Rosa so hi
Thanks for saying hello! What area of Santa Rosa are you located in?
this sounds like ur convincing urself that you love living in Santa Rosa
Thank you for your feedback Sully. The goal of this video was to discuss some of the positives about Santa Rosa as it is my experience that many people think that areas such as South Park or Roseland reflect what life is like across the entire city. However, there are negatives about living in the area and we will be making a video to discuss those points as well.
Do you live in Santa Rosa? What has been your experience?
For real
@@Perunicholas3 Do you currently live in Santa Rosa? What has been your experience?
I live in Windsor!
We love Windsor and also have property there! What are your top pros/cons about living in Windsor? We are going to be discussing Windsor in an upcoming video.
I mean I lived my life here in Santa Rosa I’d still say it’s mid
Thank you for sharing! What parts of Santa Rosa do you live in now? What are your top pros and cons about living here?
Exceptionally good information from a guy trying to make a buck. No guilt no condemnation. He left out some stuff though. A half an hour drive to the Sonoma County coast line. Half an hour the hundreds of elite and cheap but fun wineries. Nice people since we are Northern California. Northern California starting we’re Petaluma ends. I love Sonoma County snobbery but I love it here I’ve been landscaping in the area since 1979, met a lot of realtors. I have some as friends. I don’t know this guy but if his real estate is as down to earth as his honest observations, he won’t do bad by using him
Appreciate your feedback and insight Dan.
What city are you currently located in? Also, please share your contact information so we can promote your landscaping company. We are always looking to support local businesses.
The road infrastructure is hilarious in Santa Rosa. Not just the pot holes and decayed roads, the way the roadways are all designed is terrible. Highway 101 runs parallel right next to Santa Rosa Ave. so driving anywhere around there is stupid. You have to spend 10 minutes sitting at several street lights just to get to a freeway on ramp that’s 0.1 miles away. During rush hour, it’s nearly un-driveable. There’s also multiple cases where they put on ramps merging on the freeway before the off ramps, which causes most of the traffic. I don’t know what was going on when they built that freeway, but they did a terrible job. Maybe it worked 50 years ago, I don’t know.
Thank you for your feedback! I agree that throughout Santa Rosa and Sonoma County there are a number of roads that are in desperate need of repairs. There are also multiple intersections off of Santa Rosa Avenue that can be challenging to navigate during rush hours. To help navigate this, we try to avoid these areas during rush hours as much as possible and use back roads if possible. For example, we almost never cross over on Hearn from Santa Rosa Avenue to access HWY 101 because that is one of the busiest intersections in the entire city.
There is good news on the horizon regards the roads conditions: Santa Rosa is planning repairs to 33 miles of residential streets over the next 2 years.
Additionally, City Council approved funding from $11 to $15.5 million towards pavement maintenance. This will definitely not be enough to address all 512 miles of residential road networks in Santa Rosa, but it will be a step in the right direction.
Do you currently live in Santa Rosa? If so, what area are you located in?
@@MichaelFerl Currently living in Forestville, but I work in Santa Rosa and I’ve spent a few years living there before. Glad to hear the city is at least planning to do something
@@willowandluka5302 Agreed! Forestville has also had a lot of changes over the last several years. In your opinion, what are the pro/cons living out there?
@@MichaelFerl beautiful weather and not far from town while still having that “small town” feel. And there’s lots of beautiful spots by the Russian river in the towns surrounding as well.
@@willowandluka5302 Forestville is a beautiful area. We have received feedback from some of our clients that for families, it can be a bit more challenging due to accessibility to schools. However, it definitely has that small town feel that you don't get with Santa Rosa.
The rental prices are obscene
Rental rates are high in Santa Rosa but tend to be more competitive when compared to neighboring cities. Where are you located?
I live a half hour from Santa Rosa!
What city are you located in?
Is Santa Rosa safe or not
That depends who you ask. Santa Rosa is generally considered a safe city, with crime rates slightly lower than the national average. According to recent data, the violent crime rate in Santa Rosa is around 3.0 per 1,000 residents, compared to the national average of 4.0 per 1,000. Property crime rates are also lower, making it a relatively safe place to live. However, as with any city, there is going to be crime. Are you thinking about moving to the area?
You forgot to mention the 1000 taco trucks on sebastopol rd 🤣🤣🤣
This is true! Ok...important question: What is the best Mexican restaurant in Santa Rosa?
Don’t move here. The gentrification is bad enough as it is. Rising prices are ruining small, poorer, communities in and around Santa Rosa and the residents who have been established here for decades can’t afford it anymore. The homeless situation is sad enough, and the city is pumping money into “luxury” condos and apartments downtown when it should be addressing the needs of the people who live here.
Thank you for your feedback Victor.
I agree, housing is a significant issue not only in Santa Rosa but throughout California.
There are currently multiple projects throughout Sonoma County that are focused on exactly what you suggested, building more affordable apartment buildings. Kawana Springs Apartments for example is a 5 story, 151-unit, 100% affordable, multi-family rental housing project on a 3.73 acre site. In addition, there is a 13.3 acre property where a 422 rental apartment building going up on Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa. There is also a 162 apartment complex for low-income seniors that will be completed in 2023. Since 2016 there have been 778 housing permits that have been applied in just down town Santa Rosa, 358 are currently in construction, and 131 have been finalized. There are over 30 large active projects just in Santa Rosa (www.srcity.org/2970/Developments).
What many people don't talk about as a procuring issue surrounding all of this is us, the people that live here. Everyone says they want homelessness to be addressed for example but when a new project to provide housing for homeless or low income is suggested, the residents that live nearby do everything they can to shut it down.
The general public opinion tends to be, "Fix the issue, I just don't want to pay for it or have it near me."
Many people are tied to the area due to family, friends, or employment. If someone is committed to stay in Sonoma County, is there another location besides Santa Rosa that you feel does a better job addressing the issues you identified?
Santa Rosa is fine and I lived there for 10 years. I moved to Sebastopol. Much much better. Small town atmosphere better weather ….. no side shows and almost zero crime. And, it’s only 10 miles east of Santa Rosa…..so easy access to all the shopping rec activities you mentioned and unique shopping of its own. Yes, it’s a little more expensive but you can find bargains if you keep your eyes open…..like the gotta move situations. These happen more during off markets. In the better neighborhoods of Santa Rosa houses can also be very expensive as well. Cheers and good luck to all !
Thank you for your feedback! We definitely love Sebastopol. Our kids constantly make requests to visit Screamin' Mimi's.
I think it also important to put things in context though. Sebastopol only has approximately 7,500 residents, Santa Rosa is nearly 24 times larger with approximately 178,000 residents. Side shows and areas of crime tend to manifest in specific areas of Santa Rosa and don't necessarily reflect the entire city. I haven't heard of a side show in Grace Tract or Fountaingrove for example. However, South Park and Roseland are repeat offenders for these issues.
To your point, there are many people that would prefer to live in a small town like Sebastopol. However, did you know that over the last 2 years Sebastopol has become one of the most expensive cities to live in Sonoma County? The median sale price over the last year was $1,100,000 versus $800,000 in Santa Rosa. Hopefully you had the opportunity to move before prices surged.
@@MichaelFerl
Screaming Mimi’s 😄 it’s great place for kids ! And, yes I found a great bargain in 2002. Decent house on 1/2 acre for $390,000. Last time I checked it’s est. value was close to $900,000. Location location location! 😄 cheers ! Thanks for your vid and glad to see you’re your doing well…I know your business is highly competitive….
Sebastopol is west of Santa rosa. I think you meant to say that but it just looks dumb that you said east. 😂 I lived in Sebastopol briefly. About a year and a half. The thing is there's so much more to do in Santa Rosa and there's more work opportunities and just more fun in general. Sebastopol you end up having to travel to do things. There are nice parks in Sebastopol at least but aside from that yeah I don't really care that much for Sebastopol honestly. Especially with how awful traffic control is there. The main road there almost always has a damn traffic jam and it's because it's two lanes. Whoever designed that is an idiot because people are constantly traveling through that road to go to Bodega Bay or to go to Santa rosa.
@@Sly88Frye Thank you for your attention to detail. I hope that you can forgive my verbal blunder.
Sebastopol is a beautiful city but has its pro and cons as you highlights. I agree that the traffic can be a bit cumbersome getting into town.
@@Sneaky-Sneaky Wow! I am incredibly happy for you. That was an incredible purchase!
And yes, with over 4,500 agents in Sonoma County, it is highly competitive. Do you happen to know anyone that might be looking to buy or sell over the next 6-12 months?
Santa Rosa is trash.
I agree, there are definitely some areas to avoid in Santa Rosa which we we are going to cover in our next video. Do you live in Santa Rosa? Just curious, what have you experienced that caused you to feel this way about Santa Rosa?
You live in Santa Rosa to make other people rich, not VFM
@@senaeco Could you clarify what you mean?
The Homeless population is something that needs to be fixed
Couldn't agree more Gareth! It is definitely a significant concern that the city needs to address.
There is good news though. Santa Rosa just released a 39 page strategic plan to get homeless to "functional zero" by 2027. While this is an ambitious goal, even if they only reduce it by 50-75%, that would make a significant impact to the city.
What part of Santa Rosa do you currently live in?
Ton of homeless, not many good restaurants, downtown is lame compared to others. No nightlife, 80k a year and you can afford a 1 bedroom…..kinda. Prices are crazy for just about everything, be ready to give pge a ton of money. Hardcore liberals with some conservatives sprinkled it but we keep our opinions to us and ourselves. On the plus side, good Mexican food, good shopping, ton of breweries, close to everything. Great weather, although that includes yearly fires 🔥 (we have been lucky lately) gang activity died out (90’s early 2000’s was dif) wine country is all around us.
Thank you for your feedback Ryan. Relative to other locations specifically in Sonoma County, what cities do you feel offer better nightlife, restaurants, downtown, less homeless and with a lower cost of housing compared to what Santa Rosa offers?
@@MichaelFerl hands down Petaluma for all of those things Healdsburg is up and coming too. Sebastopol has a good daytime scene and right there with sonoma. Rohnert park has the casino for a little action and indoor bars but not much else than that.
Cost wise everything is relatively the same in the north bay with marin county being the most expensive as well as Healdsburg. Southwest Santa Rosa is slightly cheaper but for a a reason.
@@Albertriverra1981 I agree that Petaluma and Healdsburg have a more lively downtown scene and homelessness is a significantly less prominent issues in both cities.
However, it is important to keep in context, Petaluma is only 1/3rd the size of Santa Rosa and Healdsburg is 15 times smaller than Santa Rosa (in terms of population). It should be expected that the homeless population would higher just as the number of homes, cars, businesses, etc. would also be higher as a result of the difference in population.
@@Albertriverra1981 While the cost of most goods and services are fairly consistent throughout Sonoma County, the cost for housing varies significantly.
The average price point in Healdsburg is $1,100,000, Petaluma is approximately $940,000, and Santa Rosa is $750,000.
Been hear since 86. Just love this place. Yes I got burned out. And moved to Guerneville. Got flooded out there in 2018. Move to Menifee. The next step to hell. Then moved back in 2020. Cried when I drove up the 580 to the North Bay. I printed wine label hear for 30 years. Just beautiful scenery. Some great people live hear. It’s my home. And really never want to leave. I love Spring Lake. Lake Sonoma. And Russian River. Come visit us for food,drink,and sports. AT THE FINAL
I'm sorry to hear about the natural disasters that forced you to move a few times, that is an incredibly challenging experience. It is good to hear you are back and enjoying the area. What do you do for work in the area?
@@MichaelFerl Home Maintenance Specialist. After leaving Safari West after the fires. I could not travel Markwest Rd any more. Seeing the destruction everyday. Like driving through a war zone. I started my Painting and Home Maintenance Business. The Fine Art of House Painting and Home Maintenance. I did before working at Safari West.
@@bigsidable We love Safari West! One of our friends Sammy worked as a tour guide there. We are looking for great trades professionals to do work in preparing homes for market! Do you have a website or contact information we can reach you at?
. Been here since 1960. You covered everything in this video. Great job!!
Thank you Bella! I am confident you have seen significant changes since then. What has been your favorite thing about Santa Rosa?
I live in winsor
We also have property in Windsor and will be covering this area in an upcoming video! What are your top pros/cons in regards to living in Windsor?
Graton, in Sebastopol
Graton is a beautiful area! How long have you been there?
5 years, I love it
You know sherry fink?
I don't believe I do. Is she local?
Sonoma Aroma does exist in Santa Rosa
I agree. Definitely a one-up when compared to Petaluma!
Look if you grew up in Petaluma and now you've been living in Santa Rosa for 20 years you've almost basically been living in Santa Rosa your whole life. Petaluma is actually less than a 20 minute drive from Santa rosa. Really it's way less than that it's only 20 minutes depending on where in Santa Rosa you're coming from to get to petaluma.
I would especially know because I work doordash and while I prefer to continue working in my hometown of Santa Rosa sometimes I end up going down to Petaluma and yeah it's not a 20 minute drive. It's only 20 minutes depending on where you're going from Santa Rosa and where you're going into in Petaluma but no it's way less than that.
Anyways I'm 34 years old and I've lived here my whole life. At least in Sonoma county. I grew up in Santa Rosa in the Bennett valley area and absolutely love the Bennett valley area but unfortunately financial problems happened and things have changed a lot. It is nice that housing is not as expensive in Santa Rosa compared to other parts of Sonoma County but unfortunately housing is still considered expensive here. I mean come on over $700,000 is still very expensive.
Rent is ridiculously high in apartments here as well. The average rent in Santa Rosa is around $2,000 per month. Rohnert Park and Petaluma is more expensive, but still nevertheless Santa Rosa is very expensive. I managed to land and affordable housing complex and what's considered affordable here is 1,254 per month. That used to be around the average rent like 10 years ago. Now it's considered cheap.
I have briefly lived in Rohnert Park for a total of 7 months. I lived in Windsor for 4 years, and I lived in Sebastopol for about a year and a half. But yeah I mostly just been living in Santa Rosa just in different parts of Santa Rosa because it's hard to hold on to a place cuz of how expensive it is.
But I can't help but want to stay here because I think Santa Rosa is a very beautiful city and there is a lot to do even just in Santa Rosa and Heck if I want to I can still just drive less than 10 minutes south actually from where I currently live in Santa Rosa it's probably about 10 minutes south to get to run a park now, but nevertheless they got Scandia there which is a lot of fun. Of course here in Santa Rosa like you said we got the epicenter.
Spring lake Park and Howarth Park or places I went to a lot since I grew up in Bennett valley. I also liked lake elsango. Far fewer people go to that lake so it's a lot more private and secluded compared to spring lake Park which has that Big lagoon right by it where there's a bunch of families playing in the water. And yeah I got some fond memories of my childhood at Howarth park. That playground at Howarth Park has changed a lot.
Sebastopol used to have the biggest best playground in all of some accounting. It's a park called the Sebastopol super playground. It was just really massive playground and there would always be tons of kids every kind of how big it was and how much there was to do there. Unfortunately I guess because of some law and this happened to other parks and cinema county every park that had its playgrounds made out of wood was taken down and replaced by one man of metal or plastic or whatever. I mean if they're going to take down that super playground may out of wood they could have at least rebuilt it the same way with the new material so it would be as awesome as it was before but now nobody really goes there because it's so small compared to what it used to be.
Thank you for your insight! It is great to hear about your experience after living your entire life.
I agree, the cost of housing in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County is expensive. Relative to the area, Santa Rosa tends to be less expensive than some of neighboring cities.
What is your experience of Rohnert Park after living there for 7 months when compared to Santa Rosa?
Sonoma county is probably the safest place in ca but it's going down hill like the rest of California vote red guys do your own research please save sonoma county
Agreed. While Sonoma County is still overall a safe place to live, there is much work needed to keep it that way.
Sebastopol solos Rosa. Seb town litty ong
Thank you for your feedback CJ. We love Sebastopol! I think more people would live there if it wasn't significantly more expensive than Santa Rosa.
Come see me at Mattress Firm for a fantastic nights sleep!
It’s a very good place it is safe beautiful but freezing in winter there is no crime there welp there is but rarely and I live there✨😇
Thank you for your feedback Eleazar! Yes, it is definitely starting to get cold during this time of year but compared to some of our neighbors in Oregon or Washington, our winters here are fairly mild.
How long have you been in the area?
Help the homeless people make living affordable
Thank you for your feedback Francisco. I agree that housing needs to be one of the first steps taken towards addressing these individuals.
The City of Santa Rosa just released a 40 page action plan to address homelessness with the goal of reaching "net zero homeless" by 2027. This is an ambitious goal but there are multiple projects currently being constructed that will help towards this goal.
Do you current live in Santa Rosa? If so, what area?
@@MichaelFerl south wright area am about to be homeless again am not from this country and am legally blind i do a volunteer job at Petaluma street team witch comes out of my own money to get $100 a week of gift cards i went to fill out my intake application at cots in Petaluma hopefully they contact me asap i have nobody else here but ill be ok
@@franciscoaparicio113 I'm sorry to hear about that challenges you are currently going through. Do you have any plans on how you will generate an income?
Noo with my disability is really hard to keep a job and because am not from this country i can’t get any help either i have a son to take care of as well i manage to provide i send him all my cards i get from the volunteer program is all i have
@@franciscoaparicio113 There is no question that is a challenging set of circumstances. Just curious, with the cost of living so expensive in Sonoma County, have you explored less expensive areas to live to help provide some financial relief?
Murder rate is climbing
This is true. However, it is important to put things into context.
Petaluma for example had no homicides last year but there has been 2 this year. Based on this, one could say that the homicide rate in Petaluma has increased 200%. The reality is though, 2 homicides is still incredibly low and that Petaluma is still an incredibly safe place to live.
In Santa Rosa, there has been a total of 9 homicides in Santa Rosa in 2022. Comparatively, Santa Rosa had 6 last year. Santa Rosa is also the largest city in Sonoma County with 176,938 residents so it also expected that the total number of homicides are higher in Santa Rosa because there are simply significantly more people that live here.
So while is accurate to say that the homicide rate is increasing, Santa Rosa and Sonoma County still remain an incredibly safe place to live.
Yes it's nice but California rentisnt
Thank you for your feedback! Do you live in Santa Rosa now?
Another real estate grift artist! They will say anything or do anything to make a sale! Real estate salespeople are just bad actors!
Thank you for your insightful feedback.
I'm not sure if you watched the entire video but the purpose of this video was discuss some of the positives of Santa Rosa because oftentimes people only hear about what life is like in Southpark or Roseland and they think that represents all of Santa Rosa.
To make sure the audience hears both sides of the conversation, I made a second video to discuss the top negatives about living in Santa Rosa: ua-cam.com/video/rp9DTyQR4eE/v-deo.html
Hope this helps.
no it’s not safw
Thank you for your feedback Andres! Do you currently live in Santa Rosa? In your opinion, why do you feel Santa Rosa is not safe?
No please stay away ❤
Thank you for sharing? Do you currently live in Santa Rosa?
your a goat king
*You're