Rohnert Park, California
Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2020 United States census was 44,390. It is an early planned city and is the sister city of Hashimoto in Japan. Sonoma State University, part of the California State University system, is located nearby.
History
Originally home of the Coast Miwok native people, the Mexican government granted Rancho Cotate to Captain Juan Castaneda in July 1844 for his military services in the region. The grant encompassed present-day Penngrove, Cotati and Rohnert Park. "Cotate Rancho is a part of the Vallejo Township which is the plain between Sonoma Mountain and Petaluma Creek San Pablo Bay, and an east and west line dividing the tract from Santa Rosa Township." In 1849, Dr. Thomas S. Page, of Cotati, bought Rancho Cotate. Over time, the property was broken up and sold off piecemeal to incoming settlers.The town of Rohnert Park was named after the Rohnert family, which owned the Rohnert Seed Farm. In 1929, a successful businessman, Waldo Emerson Rohnert, a native of Detroit, Michigan, purchased a large ranch in the area and minimized flooding in the fields with a crude drainage system. He died shortly thereafter. His son, Fred Rohnert, a graduate of Stanford Law School, took over the ranch and developed a seed growing business, the Rohnert Seed Farm, which became a major horticultural success for the county.
In 1956, only four adults resided within the district boundaries. In 1956 and 1957, with the U.S. Route 101 Freeway recently completed at the Cotati bypass, Rohnert Park began to be laid out and built as a planned city. In a summer election in 1962, Rohnert Park was incorporated, comprising, housing an estimated 2,775 persons. It was the first town to incorporate in Sonoma County since 1905. The neighboring town of Cotati, California, voted to incorporate the following year.
21st-century development
is a, solar-powered, zero-waste community currently under development.The Graton Resort & Casino opened on November 5, 2013.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Rohnert Park has a total area of, 99.93% of it land and 0.07% of it water.The city neighborhoods east of Highway 101 are organized into sections, generally designated by the letters A–H, J-M, R, S, and W. In most cases, the names of streets and parks begin with the letter of the section they are in. K Section is also referred to as the "University District" and is the residential development of the city's University Specific Plan Area; W Section is also referred to as "Willowglen" and is the residential development of the city's Southeast Specific Plan Area.
There is a small reservoir called Roberts Lake at the north end of the city and a number of creeks. Important creeks include the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Copeland Creek, Hinebaugh Creek, Crane Creek and Five Creek. All creeks within the city limits have been channelized. Spivock Creek, Coleman Creek, Wilfred Channel, and Labath Channel are artificial channels designed to convey runoff.
Riparian communities within the city are limited by channelization of creekbeds. Vegetation alongside the city's streams primarily consists of grass and sedge species. The Laguna de Santa Rosa contains bands of thick native riparian vegetation, including willow and alder trees.
Sudden oak death fungus risks are present in the Rohnert Park area. Research is ongoing at the nearby Fairfield Osborn Preserve.
Geology
The Rodgers Creek Fault is an active fault influencing earthquake activity in the Rohnert Park area. The city also experiences earthquakes from the San Andreas Fault.Demographics
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Rohnert Park had a population of 44,390. The population density was. The racial makeup of Rohnert Park was 59.2% White, 2.2% African American, 1.6% Native American, 6.4% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 15.6% from other races, and 14.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.6% of the population.The census reported that 99.2% of the population lived in households, 0.8% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.0% were institutionalized.
There were 16,827 households, out of which 30.1% included children under the age of 18, 43.1% were married-couple households, 9.1% were cohabiting couple households, 29.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 25.0% of households were one person, and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62. There were 10,537 families.
The age distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 12.1% aged 18 to 24, 29.5% aged 25 to 44, 24.0% aged 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.3years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males.
There were 17,768 housing units at an average density of, of which 16,827 were occupied. Of these, 53.5% were owner-occupied, and 46.5% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 15.5% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 72.0% spoke only English at home, 20.0% spoke Spanish, 3.0% spoke other Indo-European languages, 4.5% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.5% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 89.9% were high school graduates and 30.1% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income in 2023 was $96,635, and the per capita income was $45,603. About 6.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
At the 2010 census Rohnert Park had a population of 40,971. The population density was. The racial makeup of Rohnert Park was 31,178 White, 759 African American, 407 Native American, 2,144 Asian, 179 Pacific Islander, 3,967 from other races, and 2,337 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9,068 persons.The census reported that 99.0% of the population lived in households and 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 15,808 households, 4,842 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,546 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,883 had a female householder with no husband present, 907 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,201 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 144 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,177 households were one person and 1,374 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57. There were 9,336 families ; the average family size was 3.13.
The age distribution was 8,571 people under the age of 18, 6,853 people aged 18 to 24, 11,035 people aged 25 to 44, 10,710 people aged 45 to 64, and 3,802 people who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
There were 16,551 housing units at an average density of, of which 54.0% were owner-occupied and 46.0% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%. 55.8% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 43.3% lived in rental housing units.
Law and government
Council
Rohnert Park is governed by a City Council of five members, who serve staggered four-year terms. Municipal elections are held in November of even-numbered years. In 2019, the Rohnert Park City Council voted to transition from at-large elections to a district based system in which voters elect one councilmember to represent each district. Any registered voter who resides within Rohnert Park is eligible to run for City Council in the district in which they live.County, state, and federal representation
Rohnert Park is split between Sonoma County's 2nd and 3rd supervisorial districts.In the California State Legislature, Rohnert Park is in, and in the 12th Assembly District represented by Democrat Damon Connolly.
In the United States House of Representatives, Rohnert Park is part of.
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Rohnert Park has 22,583 registered voters. Of those, 11,010 are registered Democrats, 4,051 are registered Republicans, and 6,234 have declined to state a political party.
Department of Public Safety
Rohnert Park is patrolled by the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, established in 1962, that operates as an integrated fire and police department. This is one of only two cities operating Departments of Public Safety in California.Shooting of Kuanchung Kao
On April 29, 1997, Kuanchung Kao was waving a wooden stick in the street in front of his driveway. When some neighbors called 911, two officers, Jack Shields and Mike Lynch, responded. Shields shot Kao once in the chest. Shields stated that he believed Kao was waving the stick in a martial arts fashion, and that he and Lynch had to respond by using deadly force. The incident was investigated by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office, and FBI, who all cleared Shields. Kao's family and attorney John Burris filed a lawsuit against the city of Rohnert Park, and received a settlement of $1 million in 2001.Other Police Controversies
On July 29, 2015, Rohnert Park Public Safety Officer Dave Rodriguez drew his sidearm during an encounter with city resident, while the resident was hitching his boat trailer to his vehicle. The resident recorded the incident and posted it on YouTube. Rodriguez was placed on administrative leave while the city conducted an internal investigation into the incident. In August 2015, the city engaged an independent investigator, who found that Rodriguez's actions were within the law and followed department policy. A civil rights claim filed on behalf of the resident asserted that Rodriguez was trying to intimidate him. The lawsuit concluded in a settlement.On November 16, 2018, a civil rights lawsuit was filed against Rohnert Park alleging that Rohnert Park police "conspired to expand the legitimate interdiction mission to one of personal financial gain, and over the years seized thousands of pounds of cannabis and hundreds of thousands of dollars of currency without issuing receipts for the seizures, without making arrests for any crimes, and without any official report of the forfeitures being made". KQED published an investigation in June 2018, quoting complaints by other motorists saying they were "robbed" by the Rohnert Park police, including the officers named in the lawsuit. The police department has since ceased most of its seizure efforts.
In 2020, the city agreed to a $2 Million settlement with the family of Branch Wroth, who died in police custody in 2017, after a $4 Million judgment was vacated on appeal.