ROOTED HERE
The places behind the name.
A whole city’s story.
Old Courthouse Square, the storefronts of Railroad Square and neighborhood kitchens across Sonoma County’s largest city. Santa Rosa is a place to connect museums, local shopping and a meal with a sense of the surrounding region.
People made the city.
Downtown and Old Courthouse Square offer restaurants and shops along Fourth Street. Railroad Square lies west of Highway 101 around the historic station area. Roseland’s Sebastopol Road corridor has its own kitchens and markets; Montgomery Village is a separate shopping destination east of downtown. Read the local history.
- Before incorporation
A longer regional story
The human history of the Santa Rosa area predates the modern city. Local museums provide routes into Indigenous, agricultural and community histories.
Historical source ↗ - 1868
City incorporation
The State Legislature incorporated Santa Rosa on March 16, 1868.
Historical source ↗ - Civic life
A center for local government
Municipal records trace the decisions, public institutions and development that shaped the city.
Historical source ↗ - Today
Explore through local institutions
The Charles M. Schulz Museum, historic places and neighborhood businesses each reveal a different part of Santa Rosa.
Historical source ↗
See the history for yourself.
Explore the city through its museums and historic places. Confirm opening days and tour arrangements. Local history and visitor information.
For deeper research, the Santa Rosa libraries is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.