Petaluma, California
Petaluma /pɛtəˈluːmə/ is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It is estimated that in 2006 the population was 54,660. The current population is closer to 60,000 people within the city limits. According to sonoma-county.org, the population of Petaluma including all unincorporated areas is about 70,000 people.Located in Petaluma is 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 (270-km²) ranch stretching from Petaluma River 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.Petaluma has a well preserved, historic city center which includes many buildings that survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 54,548 people, 19,932 households, and 14,012 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,953 people per square mile (1,526/km²). There were 20,304 housing units at an average density of 1,471/sq mi (568/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.16% White, 1.16% African American, 0.54% Native American, 3.91% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 6.08% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. 14.64% of the population were Hispanic. There were 19,932 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.16. The age distribution is: 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.The median income for a household in the city was $61,679, and the median income for a family was $71,158 (these figures had risen to $68,949 and $85,513 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,232 versus $36,413 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,087. About 3.3% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
History
The Coast Miwok Indians resided in southern Sonoma County, and Petaluma was originally the name of a Miwok village east of the Petaluma River. A number of other Coast Miwok villages were also located in and around what is now Petaluma; Wotoki, immediately to the south of the village of Petaluma, on the opposite side of the river, Etem, Likatiut, and Tuchayalin, near downtown Petaluma, and Tulme and Susuli, just north of what are now the city limits of Petaluma.Pioneered by the Spanish in 1776, the Petaluma area was part of a 66,000 acre (270-km²) Mexican land grant of 1834 by Governor Jose Figueroa to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo called Rancho Petaluma. In 1836, Vallejo began construction of his Rancho Petaluma Adobe a ranch house in Petaluma, which his family often used as a summer home, while he resided in the neighboring town of Sonoma. Vallejo's influence and Mexican control in the region began to decline after Vallejo's arrest during the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846.Pioneers flocked into Petaluma from the eastern United States after the discovery of gold in California in 1849. The town's position on the Petaluma River in the heart of productive farmland was critical to its growth during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sailing scows, such as the scow schooner Alma (1892), and steamers plied the river between Petaluma and San Francisco, carrying agricultural produce and raw materials to the burgeoning city of San Francisco during the California Gold Rush.Volpi's is an old speakeasy that now operates as a bar and restaurant. There were also brothels, one of which is now Old Chicago Pizza on Petaluma Boulevard North, which used to be the main thoroughfare until U.S. Highway 101 was constructed in the 1950s.Petaluma soon became known for its grain milling and chicken processing industries, which continue to the present as a smaller fraction of its commerce. At one time, Petaluma was known as the 'Egg Capital of the World,' sparking such nicknames as 'Chickaluma'. Petaluma hosted the only known Poultry drugstore and is the place where the egg incubator was invented by Lyman Byce in 1879.In fact one of the largest historic chicken processing plants still stands in the central area of town; this 1930s brick building is no longer used for the chicken industry, but is being evaluated for preservation and change of use. Even though it is no longer known as the Egg Capital of the World, Petaluma maintains a strong agricultural base today with dairy farms, olive groves, vineyards, berry and vegetable farms. The city is proud to protect its Greenbelt of farmland.According to the Army Museum at the Presidio, San Francisco, Petaluma was relatively unharmed during the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, due to significant investment of stable bedrock underlying the region. As one of the few communities in the region left standing after the earthquake, Petaluma was the staging point for most Sonoma County rescue and relief efforts.Petaluma is today the location of many distinguished, well-preserved pre-1906 buildings and Victorian homes on the western side of the river. The downtown has suffered many river floods over the years and during the Depression commerce declined. A lack of funds prevented the demolition of the old homes and buildings. In the 1960s there was a counter-culture migration out of San Francisco into Marin County and southern Sonoma County, looking for inexpensive housing in a less urban environment. The old Victorian, Queen Anne and Eastlake houses were dusty gems waiting to be discovered and restored. Historic iron-front buildings in the downtown commercial district were also rescued. Traffic and new home development for the most part was rerouted to the east of downtown by the construction of the 101 freeway.With its large stock of historic buildings, Petaluma has been used as the filming location for numerous movies set in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s (see list of movies below). The historic McNear Building is a common film location.Petaluma pioneered the time-controlled approach to development. After Highway 101 opened in 1969, residential development permits tripled, from 300 in 1969 to 900 in 1971. Because of the region's soaring population in the sixties, the city enacted the “Petaluma Plan” in 1971. This plan limited the number of building permits to 500 annually for a five year period beginning in 1972. At the same time Petaluma created a redbelt around the town as a boundary for urban expansion for a stated number of years. Similar to Ramapo, New York, a Residential Development Control System was created to distribute the building permits based on a point system conforming to the city's general plan to provide for low and moderate income housing and divide development somewhat equally between east and west and single family and multi-family housing.The stated objectives of Petaluma's time controlled growth management were to ensure orderly growth; to protect the city's small town character and surrounding green space; to provide a variety of housing choices; and to maintain adequate water supply and sewage treatment facilities.The controlled development plan attracted national attention in 1975 when the city was taken to court by the Construction Industry Association. The city's restriction was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court in 1975 and the Supreme Court denied a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in 1976. This court ruling still forms the foundation for most local growth management ordinances in California.Despite this proud history of planned development, the Petaluma City Council voted on April 13, 2009, to eliminate the entire planning department and lay off the whole planning staff. Planning Division responsibilities were subsequently contracted out to the consulting firm Metropolitan Planning Group, which re-hired some of the former planning staff and continues to maintain planning services for the city.In the late 1990s, Petaluma was also known as Telecom Valley due to the telecom startup companies that seemed to multiply from one another, and offer great riches for early stockholders and employees. One success story was that of the employees of Advanced Fibre Communications (AFC) (now Tellabs), or Cerent, which was purchased by Cisco. Some Cerent employees went on to purchase the Phoenix Theater, a local entertainment venue, which was once an opera house.Petaluma has been notable in the tech world again recently, due to technology broadcaster Leo Laporte hosting his TWiT.tv podcast network (including a national radio program syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks) from a small cottage in the city, where he also lives.
Geography and environmental factors
Petaluma is located at 38°14′45″N 122°37′53″W / 38.245849°N 122.631276°W / 38.245849; -122.631276. It has a total area of 13.9 sq mi (36.0 km2). 13.8 sq mi (35.7 km2) of that is land and the remaining 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) is water. Water is 0.72% of the total area.Petaluma enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate.The National Weather Service's cooperative station in Petaluma had a record high temperature of 110 °F (43 °C) on June 2, 1960. The record low temperature of 16 °F (−9 °C) was recorded on November 14, 1916, and December 14, 1932. The wettest year was 1998 with 45.93 inches (1,167 mm) and the dryest year was 1976 with 8.29 inches (211 mm). The wettest month was February 1998 with 19.59 inches (498 mm). The most rainfall in 24 hours was 4.29 inches (109 mm) on December 27, 2004. Although snow is rare in Petaluma, 1.5 inches fell in January 1916, as well as about 3 inches in January 2002.Petaluma is situated at the northernmost navigable end of the Petaluma River, a tidal estuary that snakes southward to San Pablo Bay. Pollution levels in the river, once considerable, have improved in recent years. A significant amount of the city is in the river's flood plain, which overflows its banks every few years, particularly in the Payran neighborhood.Principal environmental noise sources are U.S. Route 101, Petaluma Boulevard, Washington Street and other major arteries. The number of residents that live in a zone of noise exposure greater than 60 CNEL is approximately 4,000.Immediately to the southwest is Helen Putnam Regional Park, accessible from Chileno Valley Road. This park of 216 acres (0.9 km2) has trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding and is one of two parks named in honor of former mayor Helen Putnam who served from 1965–1979; the other is Putnam Plaza on Petaluma Boulevard. Lying above the city of Petaluma on the northwest flank of Sonoma Mountain is the Fairfield Osborn Preserve, a nature reserve with a diversity of native flora and fauna. Nearby to the southeast is Tolay Lake, the site of prehistoric seasonal settlement by Miwok and Pomo tribes. It is flanked by the unincorporated communities of Penngrove to the north and Lakeville to the south.
Film locations
Petaluma has served as a location for many major films, including:American Graffiti(1973) - Sonoma shooting was at Old Adobe Road, Frates Road, Petaluma Blvd., Gilardi's Baitshop on Bodega Avenue for the liquor store scene, Petaluma High School, and the downtown parking lot for the police car scene, (alsoSan Rafaeland Tamalpais High School inMarin County).
Heroes(1977) - Locations include Petaluma, California Petaluma Raceway.
Cujo(1983) - Locations include Petaluma,Santa RosaandMendocino.
Explorers(1985) - Locations include Petaluma.
Howard the Duck(1986)
Peggy Sue Got Married(1986) - Locations at Santa Rosa High School and Petaluma.
Basic Instinct(1992) - Three-day shoot in Petaluma andRohnert Park, with other scenes inCarmeland San Francisco.
Merlin's Shop of Mystic Wonder(1996) - Exterior of the titular shop is on Kentucky Street. This film is mostly known for being featured onMystery Science Theater 3000.
Phenomenon(1996)
Scream(1996) - Locations include Santa Rosa and Petaluma.
Max, 13(1997) - Four-day shoot in Petaluma and 10-day shoot inTomales.
Inventing the Abbotts(1997)
Flubber(1997) - Church scene filmed partially at Open Door Christian church in Petaluma.
Lolita(1997)
Videoplasty(1998) - Concert footage of thefunk-metaloutfitPrimus, shot at the Phoenix Theatre.
Pleasantville(1998) - Filmed at intersection of Petaluma Boulevard and Western Avenue.
Mumford(1999)
Cheaper by the Dozen(2003)
The Hamiltons(2005)
Molotov Alva(2007)
The Tree of Life(2010)
U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard operates the Chief Petty Officer Academy at Training Center Petaluma just outside Petaluma, near Two Rock. The Academy trains senior non-commissioned officers (Chief Petty Officers) for both the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force.
California National Guard
The California National Guard operates an armed forces facility in Petaluma, at 580 Vallejo Street.
Local
The mayor of Petaluma is Pamela Torliatt, a former City Councilwoman. The vice mayor is David Glass. The other five council members are Teresa Barrett, Mike Harris, Michael Healy, David Rabbitt, and Tiffany Renée.
State and federal
In the state legislature Petaluma is located in the 3rd Senate District, represented by Democrat Mark Leno, and in the 6th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman. Federally, Petaluma is located in California's 6th congressional district, represented by Democrat Lynn Woolsey.
Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Education
Public schools are managed by the Petaluma City School District. There are two comprehensive high schools in Petaluma. These are Petaluma High School and Casa Grande High School. Casa Grande High School has a notable Academic Decathlon team, which has represented Sonoma County for the last 23 years in the state-level competition. There is an annual football game between the two schools' teams known as the 'Egg Bowl'. The middle schools are the Kenilworth Junior High School and Petaluma Junior High School.Santa Rosa Junior College has a rapidly growing second campus on the Sonoma Mountain Parkway, on the east side of town. There is also a Roman Catholic high school, St. Vincent de Paul High School. The campus of the unaccredited Institute of Noetic Sciences is also located in Petaluma.
Transportation
Highway 101 is the main freeway through town. State Route 116 also runs through town as Lakeville Highway. Other major streets include East Washington Street, North and South McDowell Boulevards, and Petaluma Boulevard.Petaluma is served by Petaluma Transit, Golden Gate Transit and by Sonoma County Transit bus services.The nearest major airports are San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport. General aviation is served by the Petaluma Municipal Airport. Also the Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport located north of Santa Rosa.
Notable events
Petaluma held the worldarm-wrestlingchampionships from 1952 to 2003. (The championships were moved toReno, Nevadain 2004 due to a lack of sponsorship; the 2007 finals were held inBulgaria.) In the comic stripPeanuts,Snoopyaspired to be a champion arm-wrestler (or 'wrist-wrestler,' as they were then called) and was shown in a series of 1968 comic strips headed for Petaluma. (He was disqualified, as he had no thumb.)
Petaluma received national attention when 12-year-oldPolly Klaaswas kidnapped from her home atknifepointon October 1, 1993, and laterrapedandmurderedbyRichard Allen Davis. The community pulled quickly together to publicize the disappearance and to form thePolly Klaas Foundationfor missing and exploited children.
The annual summer Sonoma-Marin Fair held in Petaluma plays host to theWorld's Ugliest Dog Contest. Photos and results of the contest are typically reported worldwide.
Petaluma hosts a 'Butter and Egg Days Parade' in April of each year, celebrating its heritage as the 'Egg Basket to the World' and dairy production.
'The terror in Petaluma, Officials under attack'.
Notable residents
Clark Coolidge, poet
Joe Enochs, soccer player forVfL Osnabrück
Jonny Gomes, baseball player for theCincinnati Reds
Norman Greenbaum, singer songwriter
Brainerd Jones, architect
Pauline Kael, movie critic, born in Petaluma
John Mark Karr, falsely confessed to killingJonBenét Ramsey
Polly Klaas, murder victim
Gabby La La, musician
Leo Laporte, radio host, television personality and author
The Mommies, comedy duo
Richard A. Penry,Medal of Honorrecipient
Winona Ryder, actress
Christina Hoff Sommers,authorandequity feminist
Silver Tree, film writer and producer
Lynn Woolsey, U.S. Representative from California
Petaluma in popular culture
The song 'Petaluma Afternoons' appeared on album Time Between Trains by the folk singer Susan Werner.In the computer game Sim City 2000, 'Petaluma' is frequently a neighbor to the city the player builds.The 2007 Michael Ondaatje novel Divisadero is partly set on a farm situated near Petaluma.Petaluma City Ballet was established in 1981 and is the only regional ballet company in the City of Petaluma and the Sonoma County area.A musical piece called And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma, inspired by a garden in Petaluma, was created by Harry Partch in 1963.Petaluma is briefly mentioned by a suitor in Harold and Maude.In the episode of the television show M*A*S*H 'The Topper', character B.J. Hunnicutt mentions a 'Petaluma lumberjack festival.'In Nickelodeon's The Mighty B! a freeway overpass has a Petaluma sign on it.In Peanuts, Snoopy trains and loses at an wrist wrestling event at Petaluma.Popular Punk Rock band, AFI makes reference to the Phoenix Theater on East Washington St in downtown Petaluma, a venue the band used to play on a regular basis, in their song entitled 'Days of the Phoenix' from their September, 2000 album The Art Of Drowning (album).
