What BestPlaces Users Say about Petaluma
Petaluma is a small city located in Sonoma County, California. It has a population of approximately 60,000 people and is known for its charming downtown area, historic buildings, and close proximity to wine country. It is often considered a desirable place to live due to its small-town feel and community atmosphere. However, as with any city, there are both positive and negative aspects to living in Petaluma.
Summarized user reviews:
1. According to Samantha S., Petaluma is a great place for families with children. She praises the strong sense of community and numerous outdoor activities available, such as hiking and biking trails. However, she mentions that housing prices can be high and there is limited public transportation.
2. John D. mentions that Petaluma has a charming downtown with plenty of restaurants and shops. He also compliments the schools and low crime rate. However, he notes that the traffic can be problematic, especially during rush hour.
3. In contrast, Sarah R. expresses frustration with the lack of diversity and cultural activities in Petaluma. She also mentions that the cost of living can be a challenge for young professionals. However, she does appreciate the small-town feel and friendly neighbors.
4. David T. highlights the beautiful scenery in Petaluma, with rolling hills and vineyards surrounding the city. He also mentions the thriving arts scene and numerous events and festivals throughout the year. However, he notes that the commute to larger cities like San Francisco can be long and expensive.
based on 16 ReviewsGet to know Petaluma with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Petaluma
Too expensive - 6/18/2007
Housing costs make this town hard to buy in. We own a home but must commute very far to pay for it. Jobs in Sonoma County are low paying and not many professional jobs are available. All the engineers have
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Thriving town, growing pains, expensive - 1/7/2007
I lived (grew up) in Petaluma for 15 years. It's a charming little town that isn't so little anymore. The Kohl's and Target shopping centers built over the last few years have made it feel officially like a mid-sized town... and so does the traffic. You can take care of most of your shopping needs in P-town - if you need anything else, you have a ton of choices between Santa Rosa (20 minutes north, has the mall and several shopping centers), Mill Valley, San Rafael, Corte Madera, etc.
Petaluma has its share of boutiques, a few really good restaurants and PLENTY of awesome Mexican food (Mi Pueblo!!! Get their bbq chicken super burrito), gyms, clothing and decorating boutiques, and antique shops. The downtown area is growing, updating, thriving. It's alive. There are always people out and about - AND there's a great parking garage downtown that ALWAYS has parking, and no quarters required (meter free!)
The junior highs and high schools are, in my opinion,
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Up and coming: Too many people - 6/23/2006
As much as I have enjoyed Petaluma, over the past year and half they have done a lot of remodeling and building of apartments and what they call "lofts." This makes traffic insane in the afternoons and just to get from the west side of the overpass to east side of the overpass can take up to 20 minutes which should only take 30 seconds. Its a beautiful place but is getting too crowded too
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low crime, high housing, growing pains (2006) - 5/27/2006
living here 16 years, it's growing fast - city allows too much and too dense building... traffic getting very bad, not planned well (city council campaigns paid for by developers Basin St, etc)... good schools & good hospital, good restaurants, new movie theater, older downtown area nice, no big-box stores (yet)... overall I'd rate it 6.5 out of 10 (8.5 if city didn't allow so much building which has created bad
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Eternal Spring - 2/28/2006
Great mild climate, ocean influence cools it off in early evening during hot weather. But housing is very
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