Sonoma County : Cotati

Cotati ( ) is an incorporated city in Sonoma County, California, U.S.A.. Located about 45 mi north of San Francisco, it is in the 101 corridor between between Rohnert Park and Petaluma. Like all of Sonoma County, Cotati is included in both the San Francisco Bay Area and the Redwood Empire.

Located in the Sonoma Coast AVA, Cotati can also be considered part of the Wine Country. E & J Gallo Winery operates a 400 acre vineyard called Two Rock Vineyard in the hills outside of town.

Cotati's estimated 2006 population was 7,170, making it the smallest incorporated community in Sonoma County.

Cotati's hexagonal downtown plaza, one of only two hexagonal town layouts in the United States, is California Historical Landmark number 879. The other U.S. city with a hexagonal layout is Detroit, Michigan.

Geography and environment

Cotati is located at (38.328247, -122.706713) . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 0.53% of which is water.

The city is about 17 mi from the Pacific Ocean. It lies entirely in the drainage basin of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The Petaluma River watershed begins just south of town. To the west is the Stemple Creek watershed. The sources of all three watercourses lie in the hilly area between Stony Point Road and U.S. 101, just west of town.

A gap in the coastal ridges near Petaluma often allows coastal fog to reach Cotati in the summer, giving it a marine climate that is noticeably cooler and less sunny than the "coastal" climates of nearby Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. Cotati averages fewer than 800 hours per growing season in the 70-90 Â°F (21-32 Â°C) range.

The soils of the Cotati area are characterized by Quaternary (recent) alluvial materials, explicitly those areas bordering Laguna de Santa Rosa and its tributary Washoe Creek. This material consists largely of stream and valley alluvium as well as artificial fill in certain areas.

Active earthquake faults near Cotati include the Rodgers Creek Fault (5 mi east) and the Tolay Fault (2 mi west).

To the west of Cotati are wetland habitat for Sebastopol meadowfoam, Limnanthes vinculans, Pitkin Marsh lily, Lilium pardolinum ssp Pitkinense, Showy Indian clover and several other endangered species.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,471 people, 2,532 households, and 1,607 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,444/sq mi (1,329/kmÂ²). There were 2,585 housing units at an average density of 1,376/sq mi (531/kmÂ²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.56% White, 2.33% African American, 0.90% Native American, 3.60% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 4.40% from other races, and 4.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.52% of the population.

There were 2,532 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05.

The population was distributed with 25.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. The median income for a household was $52,808, and the median income for a family was $62,419. Males had a median income of $44,771 versus $35,779 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,206. About 5.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those over age 64.

History

The Coast Miwok civilization thrived in the Cotati area since at least 2000 BC, with principal villages built near major streams. Documented villages in the area included Lumen-takala (northeast of present-day Cotati), Payinecha (west of present-day Cotati), and Kotati.

In 1827, an Irishman named John Thomas Reed ventured into Miwok territory and built a cabin near Crane Creek. After the natives burned it, he retreated south to Mill Valley.

Rancho Cotate

In July 1844, the Mexican government granted Rancho Cotate (encompassing present-day towns of Cotati, Penngrove and Rohnert Park, and home to Coast Miwok people) to Captain Juan Castenada, a Mexican military commander from Texas, in payment for his service as a soldier under General Vallejo. The grant took its name from the Coast Miwok village of Kotati. However, a legend arose that Rancho Cotate was named after a Pomo chief named Cotati, and in 1973 the state perpetuated this legend on the historical marker it placed in the plaza.

Rancho Cotate consisted of . ref name="downtown plan" /> U.S. 101 still bisects Cotati, and the former route is called Old Redwood Highway.

In February 1921, the old schoolhouse at 201 West Sierra burned down. A new school built on the same site opened in 1922. This building has served as City Hall since 1971. The rear of this building housed the Cotati Police Department until September 3, 2003 when the department moved into a new building next door.

The Cotati Speedway, a wooden oval track for automobile racing, was built near the depot around 1921. It was about in circumference. World records were set there, but it failed in its first season and was torn down in 1922.

In 1927, the Cotati Volunteer Fire Department was organized. Since 1993, Cotati has been part of the [http://www.rancho-adobe-fire.org/ Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District].

Incorporation, growth, and rent control

{| align="left" border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse" |+ Cotati population growth |- bgcolor=lightgrey ! Year ! Population |- ||1965 ||1,382 |- ||1975 ||2,860 |- ||1990 ||5,714 ref name ="factfinder"/> |- ||2006 ||7,170 ref name="code19" /> At the present time, eight of the nine incorporated areas in Sonoma County have rent control for mobile home parks, the exception being Healdsburg.

Government

Cotati is governed by a [http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/council/ city council] with five members, who annually elect a mayor and vice mayor among themselves. Municipal election are held in November during even-numbered years.

Federally, Cotati is in California's 6th congressional district.

Since 2002, Cotati has been part of California State Senate district 03. Carole Migden represents this district in the California State Senate.

Cotati is in California's 6th Assembly District.

Education

The city is served by Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Thomas Page Elementary School is the only public school actually located in Cotati. The main high school serving Cotati is Rancho Cotate High School, which is in neighboring Rohnert Park.

Sonoma State University, a public college about 1 mi east of the city limits, has an influence on Cotati.

Private schools located in Cotati include:

Cotati-Rohnert Park Co-Op Nursery School
Rancho Bodega School (grades 6-12)
Rainbow Bridge Montessori School (Kindergarten only)
Training Wheels Preschool

Cotati is served by the [http://www.sonomalibrary.org/ Sonoma County Library], a public library with branches in Rohnert Park and Petaluma.

Transportation

Cotati is served by bus routes operated by Golden Gate Transit and Sonoma County Transit.

The nearest major airports are San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport. The Santa Rosa airport, which is closer, also offers passenger service.

From the south, U.S. Route 101 North and State Route 116 West approach Cotati on a multilane lane freeway alignment which Caltrans calls the Cotati Grade, with exits at Railroad Avenue and West Sierra Avenue. From the west, State Route 116 East approaches on the two-lane Gravenstein Highway. From the north, U.S. Route 101 South approaches Cotati as a multilane freeway with a single exit at Gravenstein Highway.

Parks and recreation

As of 1995, Cotati had of parks. Cotati parks include:

Cator Field (along School Street, where the tennis courts are located)
Helen Putnam Park (along Myrtle Avenue, where the dog park and soccer field are located)
Kotate Park (playground)
La Plaza Park (along Old Redwood Highway in the center of town, where the bandstand is located and many annual events are held)

Entertainment

Cotati has numerous annual events, many of them organized by its [http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/council/comm-env.cfm Community and Environment Commission]:

Pasta Feed and Bingo Night, a fundraising event, usually held in late February or early March
Farmers' Market, weekly from June to September
Cotati Jazz Festival, since 1981, usually in mid-June
Cotati Earth Day, around the end of June
Kids Day Parade and Festival, for more than 12 years, usually in mid-July
[http://www.cotatifest.com/ Accordion Festival], since 1991, usually in mid-August
Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, usually in early December

Cotati offers one of Sonoma County's vibrant nightlife scenes. A number of nightspots offer live entertainment, including:

Cotati Yacht Club
[http://www.spanckysbar.com/ Spancky's Cabaret]
[http://www.tradewindsbar.com/ Tradewinds]
8-Ball
[http://www.redsrecoveryroom.com/ Reds Recovery Room]
[http://friartuckspub.com/ Friar Tucks]
[http://www.buffalo-billiards.com/billiard_parlour.aspx Buffalo Billiards]