I Built a Life in the Sonoma Community - Charlotte Flynn
Charlotte's Sonoma Journey
This is the third of three stories about Charlotte's relationship with Sonoma.
🟩 I Visited Sonoma and Imagined Living Here - Chapter 1
🟨 The House Chose Us - Chapter 2
🟥 I Built a Life in the Sonoma Community - Chapter 3 (You are reading this story.)
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Once Bill and I settled in Sonoma, I began looking for ways to remain curious and become involved. I took lifelong learning classes, served for six years on the Sonoma Community Center's board, studied art, and became part of the rhythms of local life. What has stayed with me most is how willing people are to participate. More than twenty years after we moved here, Sonoma's quiet, friendship, and community spirit still make it feel like home.
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After my husband Bill and I settled into our home on Sonoma's east side, I began looking for ways to become involved in the community.
One of my favorite experiences was taking classes through Sonoma State University's lifelong learning program. The classes were designed for older adults, which meant there were no exams, no grades, and no pressure.
I took subjects I had never studied before, including math and chemistry. I also enjoyed art and art history. Over the years, I probably took thirty classes or more. I was not trying to become an expert. I simply enjoyed learning and staying intellectually engaged.
Before retiring, I had worked as a city planner in Sausalito. My supervisor there was Brock Arner, who lived in Sonoma and had been active in the Sonoma Community Center. He encouraged me to join the Community Center's board of directors.
I agreed and eventually became the board secretary. For six years, I attended meetings, took minutes, and worked with other volunteers to help guide the organization. It was a rewarding way to contribute to the community.
When my term ended, I remained involved by taking art classes at the Community Center. One of them was oil painting, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Those years were filled with simple pleasures. I attended the farmers market regularly, participated in community activities, and enjoyed getting to know Sonoma's people and traditions. It was exactly the kind of retirement I had hoped for.
Looking back, what stands out most is the willingness of people to participate. Many residents genuinely care about Sonoma and want to contribute in some way. There are people who own second homes and spend only part of their time here, but there is also a strong group of residents who volunteer, attend local events, and help community organizations thrive.
Sonoma is changing. Housing costs have made it difficult for many younger families to move here, although I see more children around town today than when we first arrived. Like many communities, Sonoma faces the challenge of balancing growth with affordability.
What has remained constant is the friendliness of the people. Conversations often begin with a shared connection - a neighborhood, a former hometown, a favorite theater, or a familiar Bay Area experience. Those connections make it easy to feel at home.
And then there is the quiet.
My daughter, who lives in San Francisco, comes to visit and jokes, "Mom, does anybody actually live in Sonoma?" She will go for a walk and hardly see anyone.
I always laugh and tell her, "Yes, we're here."
That is one of the things I love most about Sonoma. It may not have the energy and bustle of a big city, but it has something equally valuable: a sense of peace, community, and belonging that has made it home for more than twenty years.
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Charlotte continued learning through more than thirty lifelong learning classes at Sonoma State University.
She served for six years on the Sonoma Community Center's board and became its secretary.
Art classes, the farmers market, and community activities helped shape the retirement she had hoped for.
She values Sonoma residents' willingness to volunteer and participate in local life.
After more than twenty years, Sonoma's quiet, friendliness, and sense of belonging still make it home.
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This story was created from a recorded conversation between Charlotte Flynn and Don Lundgren as part of the Sonoma Stories project. The conversation was edited for clarity and length while preserving Charlotte's experiences, reflections, and voice. Charlotte was given the opportunity to review and correct the story before publication.
