I Found Sonoma Before the Crowds – Duane Aslaksen
Duane’s Sonoma Journey
This is the second of three stories about Duane’s relationship with Sonoma.
🟩 I Visited Sonoma When It Felt Like the Middle of Nowhere – Chapter 1
🟨 I Found Sonoma Before the Crowds (You are reading this story.)
🟥 Helping Sonoma One Home at a Time – Chapter 3
Click the story title above to continue Duane’s journey as he finds an unexpected way to give back to the community.
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I didn’t move to Sonoma because I had always dreamed of living here. I moved because the woman I loved already called Sonoma home. We married, raised our son, and built our lives here. Along the way, I watched a quiet town with just a few wineries and restaurants gradually become one of California’s best-known destinations. Through all those changes, Sonoma never stopped feeling like home.
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When my relationship with the woman who would become my wife grew more serious, we faced a simple decision.
Most of my friends lived in Marin.
Most of hers lived in Sonoma.
I told her, “If you want to stay in Sonoma, that’s fine with me.”
We married in 1979, and the following year our son was born.
For several years we lived just off the Plaza, first in an apartment and later in a house on Patten Street.
Looking back, those were wonderful years.
We could walk almost everywhere. Sonoma was still a true small town where neighbors knew one another and daily life revolved around the Plaza.
When we settled here, Sonoma was very different from the place visitors know today.
There were only a couple of wineries that people talked about, including Sebastiani and Buena Vista. A handful of restaurants served the community. The theater had seen better days, the El Dorado had not yet been restored, and many of the small shopping areas that now attract visitors didn’t yet exist.
During the winter, the town could feel almost sleepy.
As our son grew, our connection to Sonoma grew with him.
He attended Montessori preschool and later St. Francis School. Through school activities we met many longtime Sonoma families, including the Sebastianis, Vivianis, and Benedettis.
Those friendships gave us a deeper appreciation for Sonoma’s history.
Many of those families had lived here for generations. They remembered a Sonoma long before destination weddings, busy tasting rooms, and weekend tourism reshaped the town.
Over the decades, I watched Sonoma change in remarkable ways.
Historic buildings were restored. New wineries opened. Restaurants multiplied. Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts welcomed growing numbers of visitors. Music, theater, and community events became a much larger part of life here.
Some people focus on what Sonoma has lost.
I understand those feelings.
Growth has brought higher housing costs and other challenges.
But I also appreciate what Sonoma has gained.
Today there are cultural opportunities, restaurants, performances, and community activities that simply didn’t exist when we first arrived.
Looking back, I realize I didn’t just find Sonoma before the crowds.
I found a community where my family could put down roots.
More than forty years later, despite all the changes, Sonoma is still the place that feels like home.
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Many people who settled in Sonoma came because of family or relationships rather than a long-term plan.
Schools and longtime local families helped newcomers become part of the community.
Sonoma’s growth has brought both challenges and new opportunities.
A place can change dramatically over the years while still feeling like home.
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This story was created from a recorded conversation between Duane Aslaksen and Don Lundgren as part of Sonoma Stories. The story has been edited for clarity and length while preserving Duane’s experiences and observations.
