The Circle That Led Us to Sonoma - Greg Rose
Greg's Sonoma Journey - I Visited page
This is the first of two stories about Greg's relationship with Sonoma.
🟩 The Circle That Led Us to Sonoma - Chapter 1 (You are reading this story.)
🟥 When Sonoma Had One Stoplight - Chapter 2
Click the story title above to continue Greg's journey as Sonoma becomes home for his family.
-
When the Oakland Fire Department eliminated its residency requirement, my wife and I were suddenly free to look beyond the immediate Bay Area for a place to raise our family. I drew a circle around Oakland representing about a one-hour commute. Sonoma fell within that circle. I already knew a little about the town because my grandparents had spent their later years here. When we came to look, we found the smaller, quieter community we had been hoping for.
-
My name is Greg Rose, and my Sonoma Journey began while I was working for the Oakland Fire Department.
Firefighters were originally required to live within Alameda County and parts of Contra Costa County, so my wife and I expected that we would settle somewhere nearby. Then the residency requirement was eliminated.
That opened up our possibilities.
I drew a circle around Oakland representing about a one-hour commute and began looking for places where we might live. My work schedule made a longer commute possible. Firefighters worked twenty-four hours on duty followed by forty-eight hours off, so I would not be making the drive every weekday. When I headed home in the morning, I would usually be traveling against traffic.
I already knew a little about Sonoma because my grandparents had spent their later years here.
My wife had grown up in Grass Valley. Although I was born in Oakland, I spent my high school years in Tahoe and thought of myself as more of a country person than a city person. We both wanted to raise our family somewhere smaller and quieter than Oakland.
Sonoma seemed worth exploring.
When we came here, the weather was a little warmer than I preferred, but almost everything else appealed to us. Sonoma was a true small town with a relaxed pace of life. It felt like the kind of place where children could grow up with more freedom and where neighbors would know one another.
The town revolved around local residents. The plaza had a grocery store, a small diner, a feed store where you could drive through and load supplies, and locally owned businesses that had served the community for years. You could do almost all of your shopping without leaving town.
There was only one stoplight in the entire valley.
The wine industry was here, but it had not yet become the driving force that it is today. Only a handful of wineries were regularly open to visitors, including Sebastiani, Buena Vista, and Gundlach Bundschu. Wine tasting was informal, friendly, and free.
We had been searching for a small town where we could raise our family.
When we arrived in Sonoma, it felt almost perfect.
-
The end of the Oakland Fire Department's residency requirement allowed Greg and his wife to consider communities farther from Oakland.
Greg drew a one-hour commuting circle around Oakland, and Sonoma fell within it.
Greg already knew something about Sonoma because his grandparents had spent their later years here.
Greg and his wife both preferred a smaller, quieter community where they could raise a family.
Sonoma's resident-focused plaza, relaxed pace, and small-town atmosphere convinced them to take the next step.
-
This story was created from a recorded conversation between Greg Rose and Don Lundgren as part of the Sonoma Stories project. The conversation was edited for clarity and length while preserving Greg's experiences, reflections, and voice. Once published, Greg may request changes at any time or ask to have the story removed.
