I Planned to Return to Michigan, but I Chose Sonoma - Jan Erickson
Journey
This is the second of three stories about Jan Erickson’s relationship with Sonoma.
🟩 I Arrived in Sonoma Without Knowing Anything About It – Chapter 1
🟨 I Planned to Return to Michigan, but I Chose Sonoma – Chapter 2 (You are reading this story.)
🟥 I Found My Way Back Through Community Service – Chapter 3
Click the story title above to continue Jan’s journey as retirement gives her a new way to participate in the community.
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The Temporary Move That Became a Life in Sonoma
Jan Erickson arrived in California expecting to earn her master’s degree and return to Michigan. Instead, she met her husband, raised two children and made Sonoma her home. Years later, both children considered returning—but discovered that loving Sonoma and being able to afford living there were two different things.Description text goes here
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I Planned to Return to Michigan, but I Chose Sonoma
When I came to California, I planned to get my master’s degree and then return to Michigan. That was always what I expected to do.
A few years after I began teaching in Sonoma, I met my husband, Gary. He had lived in Sonoma County his entire life and had no desire to leave. When I talked about returning to Michigan, he adamantly said no.
I stayed. I earned my master’s degree—and eventually a second one—and we raised our two children in Sonoma.
For our family, Sonoma offered a small-town upbringing with access to many different experiences. My children grew up around the schools, arts and community that had become part of my own life.
Both eventually left the area to attend college. My son went to Oregon on an academic scholarship, and my daughter attended college on a volleyball scholarship. Their education and careers introduced them to life in other parts of the country.
My son later returned to Sonoma with the woman who became his wife. She had lived in Idaho and Oregon, and when she compared Sonoma’s housing prices with those places, the numbers did not make sense to her. They decided to return to Oregon, where they have remained.
My daughter followed her passion for volleyball through several coaching positions. She lived in New York, Colorado and Utah. When she and her husband decided to return to California, they also looked at Sonoma. He was taken aback by the housing prices, so they bought a home in Cameron Park, close to Sacramento, instead.
I chose to stay in Sonoma and was fortunate to raise my family here. Their experiences remind me that the decision to remain—or to come home—is much more difficult for the next generation.
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Loving Sonoma Does Not Always Make Returning Possible
Jan’s decision to remain in Sonoma was shaped by family, work and the life she built here. Her children’s experiences reveal a different reality for the generation that followed.
Both maintained an emotional connection to Sonoma, but housing costs influenced where they could establish homes of their own. Their stories show how a community can remain an important part of someone’s identity even when living there is no longer financially practical.
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This story was created from an interview with Jan Erickson conducted by Don Lundgren. Jan’s words have been edited for length and clarity while preserving her voice, experiences and meaning.
