CommunityNeighborhoods| Schools | Parks

Neighborhoods of the Sonoma Valley

By Gerald Hill

When we moved here more than thirty years ago, we were told by friends who beat us here, and natives, that we should be sure to find a house on the “prestigious east side” of Sonoma. It no longer matters, one little bit, if it even did then. There are no “bad” neighborhoods in Sonoma Valley. The “east side” was everything east of The Cheese Factory on Spain Street, and the “west wide” was everything west of it.

Way back then, all of the east side phone numbers started with the prefix WE, which stood for “Webster.” As Ig Vella of Vella’s Cheese says, “There was a real b…. around here when they brought in the name, ‘cause what did Daniel have to do with Sonoma?” When all the WE numbers got taken, the phone company added WY for “Wyman.” Bob Nicholas of the Nicholas Turkey family who is now Chairman of the Board of Sonoma Valley Bank, said, “WE was used for the west side, as it developed, and any new phones.”

Eventually the numbers were changed to 938- and 996- to much local objection, and now several other numeric prefixes and unidentifiable cell phone numbers have been added and we can hardly tell where anyone lives by their telephone anymore!

More has changed than phone numbers though. The entire Sonoma Valley has gone through a giant upgrade. Let’s explore the neighborhoods from east to west.

On the east side we have rural mini-ranches and vineyards, new large homes, redone old farmhouses, some developments undergoing gradual updating, Steve Ledson’s newish Armstrong Estates with palatial homes built with character to look old, smaller new developments with small gardens for commuters and young families, and the prized small houses between Broadway and Fifth Street East, many of which are renovated with new additions with the latest sophisticated kitchens and professional landscaping. Many of the deep lots between Broadway and Second Street East were said to have been laid out by General Mariano Vallejo himself.

The most distinctive feature of the east side was, and still is, the age of the trees which date back as much as a century between Broadway and Fifth Street East.

The Ranch, atop Seventh Street East, features large 10-acre lots, creative architecture and strict requirements such as dark wood exteriors. Also in the hills over-looking the valley are the large homes with extensive views in Mission Highlands, up from First Street West which lines the west side of Sonoma Plaza. In much of the west side beyond the first block west from Broadway are modest family homes built immediately World War II to meet the pent-up demand for affordable housing. In the years since there has been considerable “in-fill” of larger homes and condominiums projects developed in the 1970s and more recently. Some of the most affordable homes are located within the Sonoma city limits on the west side. Over the years, gardens, tree planting and remodels have made the area evermore family friendly.

As we move on out to Boyes Hot Springs, we encounter what were once summer homes to which big city folks took the train to reach their vacation and summer cabins and the hot springs in the neighborhood. Many of these homes are still owned by those families, but are quickly being picked up by people who see renovation potential. As a result there are both long-time homeowners and newcomers residing along the curly curvy narrow little streets that wind through Boyes and Agua Caliente, and even behind the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn.

On the west side of Arnold Drive, named for Hap Arnold, the Five-Star Air Force General who retired here, whose family ranch is off Arnold Drive just north of Hanna Boys Center, Temelec, Creekside, and Chanterelle developments all cater to people 50 or better, with similarly designed homes, community with privacy, and proximity to services, and all now surrounded by vineyards. Temelec was the first of these developments, with its clubhouse the old mansion built for gold rush millionaire Granville Swift in 1858, which has withstood several earthquakes, and has great historical significance.

In the hills overlooking the west side and occasionally the East Bay and San Francisco are Diamond A and George Ranch, both of which include homes of substantial size and acreage to feel privacy, keep horses, or just let the kids take care of their animals.

As we progress north on Arnold Drive, there are loads of older homes being “upgraded” to home wineries and vineyard estates. Sobre Vista enjoys some building controls and a lovely seemingly natural lake, and emanates from the old Spreckels estate.

Glen Ellen has more hidden people and homes than any part of the valley as well as a small town quasi-intellectual appeal, perhaps stemming from writer Jack London having lived here, to say nothing of the Benziger family and many other fascinating characters. One can truly bury oneself in oak forests in Glen Ellen and hardly ever leave, thanks to Glen Ellen Village Market and the “town’s” own version of a gourmet gulch.

The rural homes in our little hills, which look like mountains to people outside the west, link Glen Ellen to Kenwood, with even more famous and interesting folks hiding out, from Danny Glover to Tom Smothers, but you will never find Sonoma residents looking for anyone to know they are here. It’s our little secret!

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