Rohnert Park
Your local guide to one of America's first master-planned communities — the businesses, parks, dining, events, and everyday life of a city built for good living, midway between the vineyards and the Sonoma Coast since 1962.
A City Drawn on Paper Before It Was Built
Rohnert Park is unlike any other city in California, because it was planned on paper before a single home went up. Long before the curving streets, this was Coast Miwok land, and in 1844 it became part of Rancho Cotate, a 17,238-acre Mexican land grant to Captain Juan Castañeda. In 1929, Detroit-born seed grower Waldo Emerson Rohnert bought the property and tamed its flood-prone adobe soil into one of the county's most celebrated farms — famous above all for its sweet peas, which still bloom on the city's signs today. The farm gave the future city its name.
In July 1955, Sonoma County attorneys Paul Golis and Maurice Fredericks purchased the 2,700-acre Rohnert Seed Farm from the family for $540,000 with an audacious idea: build a complete city from scratch. Modeled on the “neighborhood unit” concept of Levittown, Pennsylvania, their master plan called for lettered sections, each with its own park, pool, and school. The first homes rose in the summer of 1957, and the Golis family moved in as the community's very first residents that Thanksgiving.
On August 28, 1962, residents voted to incorporate — choosing the name Rohnert Park over “Cotati Park” — and Sonoma County had its seventh city, the first new one in six decades. The founders' nickname stuck too: The Friendly City. Their plan still shows everywhere you look, from Seed Farm Drive to the sections lettered A through W, where street and park names begin with the letter of their neighborhood.
City Timeline
Why People Love It Here
Heart of Wine Country
Hundreds of Sonoma County wineries surround the city, with the Russian River, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Petaluma Gap wine regions all within an easy drive. Plan a tasting day at sonomacounty.com.
30 Minutes to the Coast
The dramatic Sonoma Coast — rugged cliffs, state beaches, and tidepools — is about half an hour west. Bodega Bay and Doran Beach are the classic local day trips.
A True College Town
Sonoma State University anchors the city's east side, a 269-acre campus whose Green Music Center brings world-class performers to town and whose students keep the city young.
A Park in Every Neighborhood
The original plan put a park in every lettered section, and it worked: over 473 acres of parks and open space, plus creekside bike and walking paths along Copeland and Hinebaugh creeks that stitch the whole city together.
Graton Resort & Casino
Northern California's premier gaming resort just opened the newest phase of its $1 billion expansion: a 144,000 sq ft smoke-free casino wing, about 2,000 new slots, rooftop dining, and a hotel tower on the way. Details at gratonresortcasino.com.
Arts & Performance
Between the Green Music Center at SSU and the city's own Spreckels Performing Arts Center, Rohnert Park punches far above its weight for live music, theatre, and dance year-round.
Local Favorites
The Friendly City has quietly become Sonoma County's family fun capital, with more recreation per capita than just about anywhere in the North Bay. Here's where locals actually go.
Scandia Family Fun Center
Two 18-hole mini golf courses, Lil' Indy go-karts, the Vertical Boom drop tower, batting cages, Blaster Boats, and a 100+ game arcade. 5301 Redwood Dr, right off the 101.
Cal Skate
A locally owned, family-run roller rink with all-ages sessions, adult skate nights with guest DJs, and North Bay Roller Derby. 6100 Commerce Blvd, a short roll from the SMART station.
Double Decker Lanes
Rohnert Park's classic two-story bowling center, with league nights, cosmic bowling, an arcade, and a full snack bar. A Golf Course Drive institution.
Foxtail Golf Club
36 holes of public golf on the North and South courses beside Roberts Lake, plus a driving range, lessons, and an event pavilion.
Reading Cinemas Rohnert Park
The city's big multiplex on Rohnert Park Expressway West, with first-run films, premium large-format screens, and bargain matinees.
Green Music Center
Sonoma State's acoustically stunning concert hall hosts symphonies, jazz greats, and big-name touring acts, with lawn seating under the stars in summer.
Spreckels Performing Arts Center
The city-run theatre on Snyder Lane stages musicals, plays, dance, and community productions in its Nellie W. Codding and Bette Condiotti theatres.
Crane Creek Regional Park
128 acres of oak-dotted hills just east of the SSU campus, with miles of hiking trails, wildflower springs, picnic spots, and views to Sonoma Mountain.
Roberts Lake
The little reservoir at the city's north end, ringed by a paved walking loop and busy with ducks, joggers, anglers, and picnicking families.
Amy's Drive Thru
The world's first Amy's Kitchen drive-thru opened right here in 2015: organic, vegetarian fast food from the beloved Sonoma County brand, on Golf Course Drive West.
Graton's New Dining District
New in 2026: the AYA rooftop restaurant with Sonoma Mountain views, the screen-packed Playbook Sports Bar, and SoCo Dough Co.'s artisan doughnuts and gelato.
Oliver's Market
The homegrown Sonoma County grocer on Commerce Blvd, loved for its produce, deli, and local products — small-town service in the middle of the city.
Getting Around
🚆 SMART Train
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit line stops right in town at the Rohnert Park station on Rohnert Park Expressway. Ride north to Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Airport area, or south to Petaluma, San Rafael, and the Larkspur ferry to San Francisco. Schedules & fares →
🚘 US Highway 101
The 101 runs straight through the city with interchanges at Rohnert Park Expressway and Wilfred Ave. Santa Rosa and Petaluma are about 10 minutes away, San Francisco roughly an hour south, and Bodega Bay around 35 minutes west via Highway 116.
✈️ Sonoma County Airport
The Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) is about 15 miles north, with nonstop flights to major West Coast hubs and beyond — the easy alternative to SFO and Oakland. Flights & info →
🚌 Local Transit
Sonoma County Transit buses connect Rohnert Park's neighborhoods with Sonoma State, Cotati, Santa Rosa, and the rest of the county. Routes & schedules →
The Lettered Sections
Rohnert Park's most distinctive feature is its alphabet of neighborhoods, a signature of the original master plan. Sections east of Highway 101 run A through W, and in most of them the street and park names begin with the section's letter: Alicia Park in A Section, Benicia in B, Golis in G, Honeybee in H, Ladybug in L, Magnolia in M. No other California city has anything like it.
Around the Year
🥕 Farmers' Market & Party on the Plaza
Friday evenings, 5 to 8 PM with live music until 9, June through August. For the 2026 season (June 2 to August 28) the fun moves to the Community Center Complex at 5401 Snyder Ln while City Center Plaza gets new solar canopies.
🎊 Founder's Day
The city's birthday celebration and a hometown tradition dating back to 1962, held each fall with community festivities honoring the founders' vision.
🎵 Cotati Accordion Festival
The world-famous squeezebox celebration takes over La Plaza Park each August, just across the city line in next-door Cotati.
🎢 Sonoma County Fair
Santa Rosa's classic midsummer fair, with carnival rides, horse racing, flower shows, and fair food, is a quick hop north on the 101 in late July and early August.
🎤 Live at Graton
Headliners, comedy, and boxing year-round at the resort, with a 3,800-seat entertainment venue slated to join the lineup in 2028 as the expansion's grand finale.
Event dates, times, and locations can change. Always confirm details with the organizers before making plans.
City Services & Community
🏛️ City Hall
130 Avram AveRohnert Park, CA 94928
Phone: (707) 588-2226
Hours: Mon to Fri, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Official City Website →
🛡️ Department of Public Safety
500 City Center DrRohnert Park, CA 94928
Emergency: 911
One of California's few combined police and fire departments, protecting the city since 1962.
Learn More →
🎓 Sonoma State University
1801 East Cotati AveRohnert Park, CA 94928
Phone: (707) 664-2880
A 269-acre CSU campus, home of the Green Music Center
Visit Sonoma State →
🎰 Graton Resort & Casino
288 Golf Course Dr WRohnert Park, CA 94928
Phone: (707) 588-7100
Hours: Open 24 hours, every day
Now featuring the new smoke-free casino wing
Visit Graton Resort →
📚 Regional Library
Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library6250 Lynne Conde Way
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Part of the Sonoma County Library system
Library Hours & Catalog →
🏫 Public Schools
Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School DistrictHome of Rancho Cotate High and Technology High, a National Blue Ribbon School on the SSU campus
District Info & Enrollment →
🤝 Chamber of Commerce
The Rohnert Park Chamber champions local business, hosts networking events, and publishes community resources for the Friendly City.Chamber of Commerce →
🏊 Community Center Complex
5401 Snyder LnRohnert Park, CA 94928
Community Center, Callinan Sports & Fitness Center, Senior Center, and the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, plus city pools in the lettered sections
Recreation & Programs →
Your Local Card Shop — Right Here in Rohnert Park
5800 Redwood Dr Suite B, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Mon to Sat 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM · (707) 584-4001
Sports cards, TCG, signed memorabilia & more — in-store and worldwide on eBay.
50,000+ items sold · 100% Positive Feedback
The Inventor's Velocity
Professional WordPress development, local SEO, and digital marketing. Helping Sonoma County businesses grow and thrive online since 2008.
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