Santa Rosa, CA Reviews


43 Reviews



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What BestPlaces Users Say about Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa is a city located in Sonoma County, California. It is known for its beautiful scenery, wine production, and vibrant arts and culture scene. It has a population of over 175,000 people and is considered one of the best places to live in California. To gain a better understanding of what it is like to live in this city, we will be summarizing user reviews from the Best Places website, which features over 100 reviews from people who currently live or have lived in Santa Rosa.

- According to user "Melissa," Santa Rosa is "the perfect blend of urban and suburban living." She goes on to say that there are plenty of job opportunities, great schools, and a diverse community. She also praises the city's farmers' markets, saying they offer fresh and locally grown produce.
- In contrast, user "Andrew" shares that the cost of living in Santa Rosa is high, making it difficult for families to afford a home. He also mentions the traffic can be frustrating, but the beautiful surroundings make up for it.
- Another user named "Cynthia" highlights the natural beauty of Santa Rosa, with its scenic parks and trails. She also mentions the friendly and welcoming community, stating that she has made many lasting friendships since moving to the city.
- However, user "Peter" has a different experience, noting that there is a significant homeless population in Santa Rosa. He also mentions rising crime rates as a concern for residents. Despite these issues, he still enjoys living in the city and appreciates its laid-back atmosphere.

 based on 43 Reviews
Get to know Santa Rosa with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Santa Rosa

Beautiful place, great climate but too expensive - 12/1/2007
Santa Rosa CA is a really great locatation - 50 odd miles from San Francisco, mild climate year round, but the cost of housing is far too high. with a lowend average prices of about 450K for a small house in a a lower income neighborhood, it is impossible for someone with less than an 200K salary to buy a house without having to sell their souls to paying the mortgage. So its not affordable to live here and there arent any high paying jobs in the area. Its only affordable if you have a lot of money to start Read More

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Expensive - 10/17/2007
Most people who move here from other states already know but it's very expensive to live in Sonoma County. Some of the highest housing costs in California. Average home price is in the mid Read More

Crime and Gangs - 7/16/2007
I have lived in Santa Rosa for many years after living in New England and the South. The crime is not as bad as other parts of the county especially for a city of this size. However, the gang problem is a result of so many wineries bringing hundreds of Mexican (Legal and Illegal) citizens in our area. Their children and their culture glorifies the Macho attitude which in turn make the gang problem worse. Also, with the local climate in California of not hurting anyone's feelings and social workers adding to mix of creating every program under the sun, it is like dry brush feeding a fire. What is lacking is a zero tolerance program. However, because they will feel racist, that will never take place so the gang problems will increase because of politicians either ignorance or cowardice to act like a leader. There definitely should be a hefty tax put on these agriculuture companies that pollute an area with immigrants because of the burden they add to the cities and local towns.  Read More

expensive - 6/27/2007
A great place but you are going to pay top dollar to live Read More

nice, but...... - 4/8/2007
nice place to live...too Read More

Santa Rosa, CA living: My 2nd year of living here - 4/7/2007
I am originally from New England and lived there all of my life until 2 years ago when I moved to Santa Rosa, CA for my job.
The best thing about this area: Climate. Spring just takes my breath away with just how beautiful the weather is. Green foothills and wine grapes growing on farms. Summer is dry, but a very comfortable 80 degrees with a mild breeze. Little to no humidity. No mosquitos. The kind of days you might experience a few times a year back east, you experience for several months.
Winters are tolerable. Dubbed out here as the "rainy season" - it truly is that. Temperatures are roughly in the 60's. Cool enough to need to wear a coat, but certainly not freezing cold. Locals out here have never heard of the term "wind chill factor".
Now the bad: The housing prices are out of this world for a medium sized house on a postage sized lot. People who say that living on the east is more expensive, have never lived on the east and then moved out here.  Read More

Gangs and Violence - 4/4/2007
It continues to ger worse here. Read the local paper on a regular basis--shootings, beatings, drunk drivers, etc. This is a city that's bordering on being out of control. I felt safer when I lived in Chicago and in Read More

Great Climate, but... - 3/13/2007
Climate is great, as is proximity to the coast and Wine Country. However, the traffic is horrible. It's not just congestion, it's the aggressive drivers. Lastly, violent gangs have become a real scourge. The authorities seem to be in denial or not capable. The problem is speading. A negative impact on property values will Read More

Relocating to Santa Rosa, Maybe - 2/26/2007
We recently retired and are thinking about relocating to Santa Rosa. What is the rental market like there? Also would appreciate any other thoughts regarding the area. Thanks, Read More

Educational opportunities in Santa Rosa, CA - 2/21/2007
Santa Rosa has many nearby universities providing high-quality learning Read More

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