Healthy and vibrant economy goes hand in hand with a solid real estate market and Sonoma County is a good example of such an economic phenomenon as it offers a variety of industries and proudly sustains a low unemployment rate. In fact, Sonoma County has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the entire State of California and its housing market has always been counted among the most stable.
The topography in Sonoma County features a wealth of scenery ranging from beachfront views of the calming blue Pacific Ocean to the regal mountain ranges and a wide assortment of lush farmlands; picturesque ranches; green pastures; vineyards which are lovely year round but most particularly during the fall when their leaves turn from shades of green to red, gold, purple and orange; and sprawling valleys; in addition to lowland swamps; wooded areas of large redwoods, walnuts, oaks and eucalyptus; and a varied mixture of bodies of water are all found in abundance between the two extremes.
All this natural beauty is home and breeding grounds for multitudes of indigenous wildlife of the land, water and air as well as providing welcoming hosting sites for migratory land and water birds of many kinds. And as if all that is not enough, Sonoma County is also well endowed with a climate that is seasonally diverse yet temperate all year round and the fertility of its soil is to be envied.
With such ideal environmental conditions provided by mother-nature and with the region’s rich cultural and ethnic history inherited from its early inhabitants dating back to 8000 BC, it is no wonder that so many diverse industries such as agriculture and viticulture, high-tech, telecommunication, hospitality, internationally recognized gourmet and organic food industries and an assortment services which include retirement communities, bed-and-breakfast establishments, cozy inns, 5-star hotels and all kinds of eateries have deeply embedded their roots in Sonoma County.
To supplement life and livelihood in the cities of Sonoma County, many world-class restaurants, homey coffeehouses and mouthwatering bakeries; elegant theaters and entertainment centers; spacious shopping malls containing modern boutiques, antique shops, department stores and so on; stately museums and hubs of the arts; city parks, plazas and squares and award winning centers for learning such as libraries, colleges and universities have all sprouted like wild weeds. And to top it all off, Sonoma County is home to the annual Hot Air Balloon Classic, a Jazz Festival, a Blues Festival, and the countless wineries open to the public for unmatched wine tasting experiences.
In spite of the fact that Sonoma County is thriving economically and the demand for housing is ever growing and in an attempt to forestall or delay over crowding, the local government and its citizens have voted to preserve the county’s wide open spaces by putting a freeze on urban growth and expansion of city and town limits for the next twenty years. For the time being, Sonoma County still features pristine hiking and walking trails, picnic and camping sites, national parks and wildlife reserves, horseback riding, swimming, fishing, hunting and simple sightseeing in the heart and soul of pure nature.