Sonora, California is a city located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California. It is known for its historic downtown, which features a variety of shops, restaurants, and antique stores. Sonora is also home to numerous outdoor activities and attractions including hiking trails, camping spots, and riverside parks. The nearby Yosemite National Park offers breathtaking views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and its vast wilderness areas. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the many recreational activities available in Sonora such as fishing, rafting, horseback riding, kayaking, skiing, snowmobiling and more!
The reviews for Sonora are overwhelmingly positive with numerous visitors praising this charming mountain town for its friendly locals and wonderful natural beauty. Many people come to experience the unique sights and sounds of downtown while others come to take part in exciting outdoor activities such as river rafting or mountain biking. Other reviews mention how much they enjoyed visiting local wineries or sampling Sierra Nevada craft beers. There's something for everyone in Sonora so it's no wonder that this small city has become one of California’s most popular destinations!
based on 15 ReviewsGet to know Sonora with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Sonora
Friendly small town - 2/28/2008
Although Highway 49 is the main street of the town, even in dense traffic, drivers are polite. People wait for pedestrians to cross on designated crosswalks, and allow others to make needed left turns against oncoming traffic. If someone doesn't slow down for cross traffic or pedestrians, we assume they are from out of town and don't know any better. Living in a small town is pleasant in many ways, but that is one of
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The Bright Side...Well Maybe Not - 7/24/2007
On the bright side, the Black Oak Casino seems to be getting bigger and has given many new jobs to the area. Remember you can grow up, go to school, and work at the Casino, Wal-Mart, or the Prison.
Most people move to the mountains for the "Fresh Air and Clean Water" but not here. The smog from the central valley comes right in due to the inversion layer and winds. The crime rate is high and one of the hospitals just closed.
It says a lot about a community when the first sights coming into the town is a Strip Joint, a State Prison, the 1st of two Casino's (one of which has a sign pointing right which reads on your next left - Chicken Ranch Casino), and the Sewer treatment plant and ponds.
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Sonora Review - 7/24/2007
Having lived here for almost a decade, I have found that Sonora is just plan wired. The locals that have been here for a number of years are either nice and respectable or are drunk out of work losers that have a huge egos about themselves and everything their granddaddy's did before they lost their ranches in a poker match. For a small rural county and area, Sonora has very few real working ranches. The community is all about fast development and sprawl. The area has absolutely no planning and traffic is a nightmare.
For most of the new comers, almost everyone is from the San Jose, Livermore, and Santa Cruz area. Most of these folks sold their homes for high dollars and have relocated to Sonora in hopes of becoming the new upper class. Bling, Bling in a lifted pickup trucks is everywhere. SUV's for family's lifted ten feet in the air are commonplace. Between the drug users, parolees from the prison (oh ya there’s a State Prison here to), the prison guards
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Methamphetamine Capitol of California - 7/18/2007
Unfortunately, Sonora (and Tuolumne County) is a town with a “Very Dark Side”. Due to the poor local economy and high cost of living, crime is high. Along with that, Methamphetamine is king here. Local’s have become addicts and then have become criminals. Residential Burglary’s have increased and are common place. When the law-abiding residents leave their homes to go shopping, on vacation, or simply to work, the “others” come and take. The murder rate is also high here in comparison to many large cities. The mother load region attracts many folks with different ideas. Many famous Killers have resided in the area. Some examples are Cary Stayner, the Yosemite Killer, Charles Ng and Richard Lake, Killed and Raped 11 People, Wesley Shermantine, Killed at least 4 people and dumped the bodies down abandon mine shafts, and the Russian Mafia killed 11 and dumped the bodies into New Melones Reservoir from two area road bridges.
The area is beautiful but unfortunately
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Lack of affordable housing - 5/24/2006
There is a definate lack of affordable housing for the working class families that live here. There are many homes for sale, though the market tends to lend itself to out of towners from the bay area who have cash and are
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