County Past
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Sonoma County, California

Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.

—newspaper titles
—digitized titles
82historic places
—earliest paper
1850formed
488,863pop. 2020
58cemeteries
—CW battlefields

At a glance

Summary

The National Register of Historic Places includes 82 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1966; 7 are also National Historic Landmarks. Most listings are in or near Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Petaluma.

Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.

Newspapers

Library of Congress

Newspaper directory data for California is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Sonoma titles at the Library of Congress.

National Register of Historic Places

NPS NRHP

49 of 82 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.

82 listed properties
PropertyCityTypeListed
Baker HouseThe Sea RanchBuilding2018
Belden-Birkhofer HouseGuernevilleBuilding2024
Bodega BayBodega BayDistrict1973
Buena Vista Vineyards-Buena Vista Vinicultural SocietySonomaBuilding1986
Burbank, Luther, House and Garden NHLSanta RosaBuilding1966
Carriger, Nicholas, EstateSonomaBuilding2001
Cloverdale Railroad StationCloverdaleBuilding1976
Cnopius HouseSanta RosaBuilding1982
Comstock HouseSanta RosaBuilding2012
Condominium 1The Sea RanchBuilding2005
Cunningham-Hembree EstateWindsorBuilding2018
De Turk Round BarnSanta RosaBuilding2004
Dry Creek-Warm Springs Valleys Archeological DistrictHealdsburgDistrict1977
Duncan's Landing SiteJennerSite1971
Ellis-Martin HousePetalumaBuilding2006
Fisk’s Mill Landing Historical and Archaeological DistrictJennerDistrict2025
Flamingo HotelSanta RosaBuilding2021
Fort Ross NHLFort RossBuilding1966
Fort Ross Commander's House NHLFort RossBuilding1970
Fort Ross Landing Historical and Archaeological DistrictJennerDistrict2023
Free Public Library of PetalumaPetalumaBuilding1988
Freestone StoreFreestoneBuilding2022
Gables, TheSanta RosaBuilding1984
Geyserville Union SchoolGeyservilleBuilding1979
Glen Oaks RanchGlen EllenDistrict1994
Gold Ridge FarmSebastopolSite1978
Gould-Shaw HouseCloverdaleBuilding1992
Guerneville BridgeGuernevilleStructure1989
Healdsburg Carnegie LibraryHealdsburgBuilding1988
Healdsburg Memorial BridgeHealdsburgStructure2011
Hicks HouseGratonBuilding1987
Hinds HotelFreestoneBuilding1979
Hines HouseSea RanchBuilding2021
Hood, William, HouseSanta RosaBuilding1998
Hotel ChauvetGlen EllenBuilding1990
Hotel La RoseSanta RosaBuilding1978
Ives Dental OfficeCloverdaleBuilding2026
Knipp and Stengel Ranch BarnSea RanchBuilding1987
Laughlin, James H. and Frances E., HouseWindsorBuilding1979
Llano Road RoadhouseSebastopolBuilding1978
London, Jack, Ranch NHLGlen EllenBuilding1966
Lumsden, W. H., HouseSanta RosaBuilding1983
Madrona Knoll Rancho DistrictHealdsburgDistrict1987
McDonald MansionSanta RosaBuilding1974
Mini-Mod #3The Sea RanchBuilding2026
NORLINA (shipwreck and remains)JennerSite2022
Old Petaluma Opera HousePetalumaBuilding1978
Old Post OfficeSanta RosaBuilding1979
Orange LawnSonomaBuilding2008
Park ApartmentsSanta RosaBuilding1979
Petaluma Adobe NHLPetalumaBuilding1970
Petaluma Historic Commercial DistrictPetalumaDistrict1995
Petaluma Silk MillPetalumaBuilding1986
Petaluma Woman’s ClubPetalumaBuilding2024
Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway PowerhouseSepbastopolBuilding1991
Pinschower, Simon, HouseCloverdaleBuilding1982
Pond Farm Pottery NHLGuernevilleDistrict
Pond Farm Pottery Historic DistrictGuernevilleDistrict2014
Railroad Square District (Additional Documentation)Santa RosaDistrict1979
Railroad Square District (Boundary Decrease)Santa RosaDistrict2025
Ranch Site, TheBodega BaySite1971
Rosenburg's Department StoreSanta RosaBuilding1994
SS POMONA (Shipwreck)JennerSite2008
Salt Point Landing Historical and Archaeological DistrictJennerDistrict2022
Salt Point State Park Archeological DistrictStewarts PointDistrict1971
Sebastopol Depot of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa RailwaySebastopolBuilding1996
Shaw, Isaac E., BuildingCloverdaleBuilding1991
Sonoma DepotSonomaBuilding1975
Sonoma Grammar SchoolSonomaBuilding1980
Sonoma Plaza NHLSonomaDistrict1975
Sonoma Plaza (Boundary Increase)SonomaDistrict1992
Sonoma State Home-Main BuildingEldridgeBuilding2000
Sonoma Valley Woman's ClubSonomaBuilding2015
Strout, George A., HouseSebastopolBuilding1980
Sweed, Philip, HousePetalumaBuilding1992
Sweet HouseSanta RosaBuilding1988
TemelecSonomaBuilding2006
US Post Office-PetalumaPetalumaBuilding1985
Vallejo EstateSonomaBuilding1972
Walters RanchHealdsburgDistrict1977
Wasserman HouseSanta RosaBuilding1979
Watson SchoolBodegaBuilding1978

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.

County formation

Newberry AHCB

Sonoma was formed in 1850 (1850-02-18) from unknown / original county.

SONOMA created from non-county area. MARIN and MENDOCINO not fully organized, both attached to SONOMA "for judicial purposes."

Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Population by decade

Census

Sonoma County population from 1850 to 2020 (Census historical series).

489k245k5601850188019201940196020002020
18501860188019001920194019501960198020002020
56011,86725,92638,48052,09069,052103,405147,375299,681458,614488,863

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.

National Park Service sites nearby

NPS

Park units within about 40 km of the county centroid (from NPS Public POIs; no API key).

SiteTypeDist.
Point Reyes National SeashorePark unit53.5 km

Source: NPS National Datasets / Public POIs. The NPS Developer API requires a free key and was not used.

Cemeteries & historical places

USGS GNIS

58 cemeteries and 18 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.

Cemeteries — 58 of 58 listed
NameLatLon
Annapolis Church Cemetery38.71824-123.36027
B'nai Israel Cemetery38.24547-122.64915
Beeson Cemetery38.68102-122.83333
Benitz Ranch Cemetery38.53019-123.26917
Bennett Valley Cemetery38.41575-122.66137
Beth Ami Cemetery38.45786-122.70693
Bloomfield Cemetery38.31353-122.85888
Bodega Bay Cemetery38.31742-123.02556
Bodega Calvary Cemetery38.34186-122.97555
Bridgehaven Cemetery38.43384-123.10786
Buckeye Creek Cemetery38.73147-123.43065
Calvary Catholic Cemetery38.43118-122.68573
Canfield Cemetery38.35157-122.81526
Chanate Cemetery38.46698-122.70829
Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery38.4142-122.71499
Cloverdale Cemetery38.80876-123.01009
Cooper Cemetery38.61268-123.27666
Cypress Hill Memorial Park38.24673-122.65196
Cyrus Alexander Family Cemetery38.65685-122.78638
Druids Occidental Cemetery38.40952-122.94258
Duncans Mills Cemetery38.45908-123.055
Eldridge Cemetery38.3438-122.52025
Evergreen Cemetery38.63602-122.68026
Faught Cemetery38.51862-122.75737
Forestview Cemetery38.46825-122.88333
Fulkerson Cemetery38.4558-122.70511
Fulton Cemetery38.4888-122.7786
Gilliam Cemetery38.4315-122.8813
Green Valley Cemetery38.44222-122.88651
Hall Cemetery38.66102-122.85999
Liberty Cemetery38.27855-122.70496
Long Ranch Family Cemetery38.67255-122.88164
Macedonia Cemetery38.35936-122.77277
McPeak Cemetery38.50972-122.92814
Moke Cemetery38.45588-122.7052
Mountain Cemetery38.30012-122.4561
Oak Mound Cemetery38.6163-122.85888
Olive Hill Cemetery38.70824-122.92417
Petaluma Calvary Cemetery38.24549-122.64985
Pleasant Hills Cemetery38.37966-122.83501
Pythian Home Cemetery38.44336-122.58069
Redwood Memorial Gardens38.50773-122.99269
Ruoff - Thomas Cemetery38.54046-123.28611
Saint Catherines Catholic Cemetery38.46948-123.01034
Saint Francis Solano Catholic Cemetery38.29103-122.44609
Santa Rosa Memorial Park38.4598-122.7059
Santa Rosa Odd Fellows Cemetery38.45703-122.70618
Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery38.45562-122.70472
Seaview Cemetery38.54336-123.22418
Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery38.39738-122.83732
Shiloh Cemetery38.52547-122.81527
Spring Hill Cemetery38.39685-122.86415
Stanley Cemetery38.45577-122.70494
Steele Family Cemetery38.45224-122.80653
Stewarts Point Cemetery38.64991-123.39638
Sugarloaf Cemetery38.6538-123.26472
Two Rock Presbyterian Church Cemetery38.25666-122.77958
Valley Cemetery38.28335-122.4506
Historical populated places — 18 of 18
NameLatLon
Beltaine38.38797-122.52276
Cherry38.28519-122.74749
Corona38.26353-122.65943
Denman38.27269-122.67582
Donahue38.18936-122.54193
Ely38.27908-122.66554
Felice38.39075-122.53332
Greenwood38.1327-122.46081
Harbine38.46464-122.88611
Hopyard38.42991-122.8686
Lacresta38.45575-122.88416
Madrone38.34019-122.50581
Makahmo38.81796-123.00944
McCauley38.42825-122.76166
Rose38.12047-122.49109
Wildwood38.40352-122.5397
Williams38.45047-122.87888
Yulupa38.34158-122.50554

Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.

Historical markers

HMdb link

Marker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.

Search HMdb for Sonoma County, California

Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.