The Santa Rosa Neighborhoods To Know About

Heather Thurber is an experienced Realtor in Sonoma County and a member of the California.com Recommended Business Program, which highlights only the best businesses in the Golden State. To be featured, each business must be highly regarded, have a unique California story, and make a positive impact in their community. 

The lovely Santa Rosa is located in the Santa Rosa Plain, surrounded by gorgeous, verdant hills and vineyards. Santa Rosa is approximately a 30-minute drive to the coast, one hour to San Francisco, and three to four hours to Lake Tahoe. Recreation opportunities abound surrounding the city—it’s a diverse cultural area with lots of shopping, art, restaurants, parks, the local favorite Snoopy’s Home Ice, and many other desirable features. 

Where do you want to be? Santa Rosa is divided into four quadrants by Highway 101, which runs north-south, and Highway 12 which runs roughly east-west. Within those quadrants, there are several appealing neighborhoods to choose from—each with its own benefits, downsides, and personality. 

Northeast Neighborhoods

Proctor Terrace/Grace Tract

Home to the popular Proctor Terrace Elementary School, this area is highly sought after. Older homes can be found on large lots, while wide streets and established landscaping make this an enchanting neighborhood. 

McDonald 

McDonald is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Santa Rosa. The historic McDonald Mansion anchors the district, which is a delightful place to walk and talk with neighbors. You’ll find gorgeous older homes with a lot of period charm.

Junior College 

The Junior College neighborhood is conveniently situated to the Santa Rosa Junior College—it’s filled with lots of older homes. This location is bisected by the Humbolt Street Bike Boulevard, where cyclists are welcome to pedal all day.  

Rincon Valley

Rincon Valley describes the largest area of the northeast section of town. Located north of Highway 12 and east of Brush Creek Road, Rincon Valley has a variety of homes—you’ll come across everything from large older houses to duplexes and apartments. It’s home to the well-regarded Maria Carrillo High School, RV Library, and Oliver’s Market (which just so happens to be my favorite grocery store).

Montecito Heights

Montecito Heights is a hilly neighborhood where you’ll see streets lined with high-end homes. While providing homeowner privacy and spectacular views, most of the district has no sidewalks. Large lots and diverse home styles make this a wonderful place to move to. 

Skyhawk 

Skyhawk has been called the “quintessential suburbia” of Santa Rosa. A large development of approximately 500 homes mostly built in the early 2000s, the neighborhood is located on the east end of town, just north of Highway 12. Austin Creek Elementary school, one of the highest-rated in Sonoma County, is located in Skyhawk. 

Fountaingrove 

Another hillside community of large homes, Fountaingrove features houses that boast views of the surrounding town. Unfortunately, most homes in Fountaingrove burned in the 2017 Tubbs fire, and the community is currently being rebuilt. Plenty of custom homes have been completed, some are in the process, but many lots remain empty. 

Larkfield-Wikiup 

Larkfield-Wikiup is located in the northernmost section of Santa Rosa. This wonderful small neighborhood is composed mostly of custom homes with plenty of allure and privacy. Certain parts of Larkfield-Wikiup are also in the midst of rebuilding. 

Memorial Hospital 

The Memorial Hospital district includes the neighborhoods of Sherwood Forest, Doyle Park, and Brookwood. This is an older district, which originally consisted of smaller homes. Memorial Hospital is conveniently located next to Downtown Santa Rosa, where you’ll have access to an abundance of amenities—in short, Memorial Hospital is a favorite location for folks who lead an active lifestyle. 

Burbank Gardens

Burbank Gardens is a quaint neighborhood located just south of Luther Burbank’s former home, filled with delightful older houses and friendly neighbors. Burbank Gardens boasts plenty of recreational opportunities such as swimming, golfing, and a slew of other activities for seniors as well. Many homeowners here enjoy walking to Downtown Santa Rosa for dinner and a movie. 

Northwest Neighborhoods

Coffey Park

Coffey Park is a much-beloved community that unfortunately faced setbacks in the past—much of it was burned in 2017. Many homeowners feel a strong sense of solidarity and worked together to overcome the challenges they encountered during rebuilding. The neighborhood is dotted with small parks and was designed to accommodate all residents. 

The Orchard 

The Orchard is a terrific mobile home park for seniors and the only one with homes that have garages. 

Vista Verde

Vista Verde is the only mobile home park in Santa Rosa where homeownership includes the land. With sections accommodating people of all ages, this is a desirable park for many. 

Vintage Oaks and Copperfield

These developments feature mostly midsize homes with good size lots. They are convenient to Highway 12 and include community play areas.

Southeast Neighborhoods 

Bennett Valley

Bennett Valley is named after the valley just southeast of town, where you’ll encounter rural homes and vineyards. This place is famous for its highly ranked schools and Bennett Valley Golf Course, making it a popular neighborhood in Santa Rosa. Bennett Valley makes up a large portion of the southeast section of town and includes the following smaller areas:

1. State Streets is situated in the heart of Bennett Valley filled with older, charming single-family homes on large lots.

2. Summerfield East is highly regarded, includes many custom homes, and has access to great schools. A large number of homes are found just east of Summerfield Road, close to the south entrance of Spring Lake Park and Trione-Annadel State Park.

3. Fairway View Estates is a quiet and convenient area filled with higher-end custom homes.

4. Montgomery Village, a local favorite shopping center, is surrounded by older quaint homes with easy access to restaurants, shopping, and live music. This spot features what were originally smaller homes on large lots. Many of the homes here have been enlarged—you’ll now see a mix of sizes.

5. Holland Heights is a hilly section of Bennett Valley, where you’ll find lots encompassing half-to-one-acre. A highly desirable neighborhood, Holland Heights is actually situated outside of the city limits and has its own water district and no sidewalks.

Kiwanis Springs and Cooper/Gordon

These are two lovely neighborhoods located further south with convenient freeway access. Most people don’t know about these hidden gems. These feature a mix of newer houses, some with attached granny units, older ranch homes, as well as townhouses. Kiwanis Springs houses the highly ranked Sonoma Academy High School and has easy access to Taylor Mountain Regional Park. 

Southwest Neighborhoods 

Roseland

Roseland is a diverse and culturally rich district—it used to be an unincorporated area until 2017 when it was annexed into the city of Santa Rosa. While it is still in transition, Roseland encompasses most of the southwest section; Elsie Allen High School is located here. 

Bellevue Ranch

This neighborhood is named after the 3.5-acre Bellevue Ranch Park, where you’ll find a playground, picnic tables, and a large grassy spot often featuring soccer games. Good size homes dot Bellevue Ranch.

Surrounding Rural Areas

The city of Santa Rosa is surrounded by rural development areas. These are often very desirable since you can easily find a home with a small amount of acreage. This gives homeowners the benefit of feeling rural and removed but with the convenience of being close to the city. Bennett Ridge, Mark West Springs, Todd Road area, and “SebastaRosa”—the expanse west of town between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol—are some of the adjacent rural districts.

These are wonderful places to consider if you’re looking to escape the city and have more space around you. You’ll find a combination of older homes, custom homes, and areas that are being rebuilt after the fire.