The population was 7,774 at the
2000 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions
of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people, per the town's
website. It is about a 20 minute drive from the Pacific Ocean, between
Santa Rosa and Bodega Bay, and is known for its progressive politics
and small-town charm. It was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing
region; wine grapes are now predominant, and almost all ex-orchards
are now vineyards. World-famous horticulturist Luther Burbank had
gardens in this fertile region. The city hosts an annual Apple Blossom
Festival and Gravenstein Apple Fair.
Continued...As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of
54,548. As of 2006, Petaluma's population is 56,727. Petaluma Adobe State
Historic Park contains the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark.
It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then
Commandant of the San Francisco Presidio. It was the center of a vast 66,000
acre ranch stretching from Petaluma Creek to Sonoma Creek. The adobe is
considered one of the best preserved buildings of its era in Northern
California. Petaluma is a transliteration of the Coast Miwok phrase péta lúuma
which means hill backside and probably refers to Petaluma's proximity to Sonoma
Mountain.
Continued...
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