5 Less Famous Sonoma County Towns Where You Can Find Your Dream Wine Country Home
The Sebastopol countryside, off Burnside Road
Yesterday I wrote about a conversation I had with clients about their experience finding the right country home for them. They pointed out that many country property buyers who might not be aware that they have many towns in Sonoma County that they can consider for their wine country homes, not just the most famous ones. Here is a little closer look at some nice Sonoma County communities that haven’t received all the hype (yet.)
Santa Rosa
As the 4th largest city in Northern California, Santa Rosa is more than a town but it also contains some of the most gorgeous countryside, where you can find classic country retreats, grand estates and horse properties large and small. Santa Rosa is divided in to four quadrants, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. The terrain AND climate vary widely as it stretches for miles. Here is a link to the newest country property listings in Santa Rosa (2 acres or more) Santa Rosa Country Property Listings (NOTE: These listings are displayed with acres in square feet, so it is a little confusing. FYI, 87,120 sf is two acres!)
Sebastopol
Sebastopol is a much smaller community than Santa Rosa, but it also stretches for miles, from the windy southern edge bordering Petaluma which is nice and close for southbound commutes, to the gorgeous wine country estates of the Vine Hill Road area to the north and to the redwood forests of Occidental to the west. Graton is also part of West County and it stretches to Forestville on its northern border. Many of my clients have found country properties here and would have equally considered others from Santa Rosa to Healdsburg and east to the Valley of the Moon. Here are some current Sebastopol Country Property LIstings (87,120 sf equals two acres.)
Forestville
Forestville is probably filled with the greatest contrast in terrain. On the western side it becomes very wooded and increasingly hilly as it merges into Guerneville and the Russian River area. This part of Forestville has many tiny river cabins, some in the flood and many country properties, many of them very wooded and shady. But the southern and eastern part of Forestville, surrounding the town with the same name, is as wine country as it gets, with vineyards and orchards expanding in all directions, often bordered by redwoods. There may not be a lot of country property inventory here but it is worth adding to your search list. I leaned that lesson a few years ago with clients from Berkeley looking for a weekend home. We could not find just the right property for them–it was all about the setting and ideally a home needing work but with some style and views. On a Sunday drive, I found the perfect property for them, just over the border from Healdsburg in, you guessed it, Forestville. Here are a few Forestville Country Property Listings (87,120 sf equals two acres.)
Windsor
When people think of Windsor, they generally think of the expanse of tract homes on the east side of 101 as you go north from Santa Rosa. In recent years, they also think of the bustling town green with its shops, restaurants and farmers markets.
But people looking for country estates, equestrian property and vineyard property would do well to include Windsor in their search. Again the inventory can be limited but there are some beautiful stretches of rolling hillsides and expansive vineyards in Windsor. Earlier this year i listed and sold a twenty acre west Windsor home and horse property which never hit the open market. A neighbor bought the property to plant pinot noir. (Alas, another horse property bites the dust, but that is another story.) On the west side of town there are some magnificent estate properties as well as some smaller country properties. On the east side of town there is the Shiloh Estates development of large country properties with high end homes on larger lots. There are also a number of country properties along the eastern ridge of the hills wich make their way up to the southern Healdsburg border. Here are some Windsor Country Property Listings
Graton and Occidental
I could have gone in a variety of directions with this fifth offering. Technically I already covered Graton and Occidental in the Sebastopol paragraph. But I thought I would mention them separately as well, as I have seen how clients who discover them for the first time are drawn to them. Often I will have people tell me that they have narrowed their search to either Healdsburg or Graton! They may have heard of Healdsburg before but not necessarily Graton. Like Occidental, it has a charming one street downtown. Also like Occidental, it has a number of really good restaurants and pubs, and its own markets and galleries. Not only do people like the scenic beauty of the area, but they like (I like!) to congregate in the small villages. The best of both worlds would be to have a country property and also be able to walk or bike to town. It isn’t always easy to find but it is not impossible! Here are some Graton and Occidental Country Property Listings
