In a previous reason, we wrote about the high quality of education found in North Bay elementary and high schools. We are also fortunate, however, to have two excellent universities in our own backyard that offer much to enrich our communities and entice local high school grads looking to stay close to home.

Photo by Nick Young

Sonoma State University (SSU), in Rohnert Park, is said to be the one of the most requested campuses in the California State University (CSU) system and has been named a “Best Value” and “Most Green” College by the Princeton Review. SSU has also been named one of the “most wired” campuses in the nation by Forbes magazine, and has one of the only wine business programs in the country. 

The broader community also benefits from the university. It is home to one of the largest libraries – which is open to the public – in the CSU system and the state of California with more than 400,000 volumes. The library also houses a collection of Jack London’s writings, original letters and memorabilia. Community members can also take advantage of certain courses, lectures, and workshops, and in the near future the Green Music Center, a grand concert hall currently under construction.

Dominican, in Marin, provides college-bound locals the advantages of a small, private university. Serving about 2000 students, Dominican has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top tier of Western Universities for its Master’s program. The charming San Rafael campus offers small class sizes and a diverse faculty and student body.

For the community, Dominican has academic and non-academic courses in their Adult and Extended Education programs, and their award-winning library, with 100,000 volumes, is also open to the public.

Having two high-caliber universities located right in our communities is just another reason why we think the North Bay is such a wonderful place to live.

Follow along as the full list unfolds 100 Reasons Why We Love Where We Live 

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Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors

Sonoma County is very fortunate to have an educational preserve located in Glen Ellen that serves Elementary School children in the 3rd through 5th grades.

I have just finished my first season as a docent for the spring hiking season at the 535 acre Bouverie Preserve. Over 2,000 children visited the Preserve and had educational programs presented by Bouverie Docents in participating classrooms.

The children had the opportunity to observe more than 130 species of birds, 350 species of flowering plants, and numerous large mammals such as the bobcat, grey fox, and coyote. The children delighted in holding the striking black skinned and red bellied newts, banana slugs and fungi were plentiful this season.

Opportunities to Visit the Bouverie Preserve: Guided Nature Walks
Walks are open to the public on Saturdays throughout fall and spring. Reservations are required. See coming walks and the Saturday Bouverie Backyard Naturalist Series for one to three mile hikes.

The Bouverie Preserve of Audubon Canyon Ranch is approximately 6 miles north of the historic town of Sonoma, along Highway 12 in the Valley of the Moon near the village of Glen Ellen. Access is by appointment only (see below).

Posted by:  Judy Freedman

Spring Break for school-age kids is almost here. So what are you going to do while your kids are out of school? Some folks may travel but many of us will take advantage of what is at our fingertips and enjoy a stay-cation right here in the North Bay.

Sonoma County

Go Skating: Ice, Roller, or Board
Tee up with some Mini- Golf
Drive like Mario Andretti
Find an arcade and spend some of those spare quarters
Swing set or teeter totter at a playground
Take a hike, walk, or bike in the beautiful wine country
Take the Train or ride a Ferris Wheel at Train Town
Sit on the dock of the Bay
Visit Shell Beach
Ride the Carousel or see what else is happening over at Howarth Park

Heading North
Take the Skunk Train for a ride with a view.
Mendocino coast, while there check out the Mendocino Chocolate Company or even try Whale Watching (did this last year – it was awesome, but definitely required sea sickness patch).
Head a little north to MacKerricher State Park and check out the tidepools.
Take a long drive through the Avenue of the Giants and enjoy the Redwoods and the roadside attractions.

And of course there are always the old stand-bys:
Check out a book
Go to a Movie
Play a board game

For activities in Marin County and San Francisco, check out our GuideMeHome2Marin Spring Break post .

Posted by:Jennifer Masterson

Nestled between Annadel State Park and Highway 12, just south of Santa Rosa and north of Kenwood, you will find Santa Rosa’s best kept secret – Wild Oak, a gated community blended seamlessly into the hillside. Formerly part of Annadel Farms, a large privately – owned ranch carved from the Los Guilicos land grant, Wild Oak is nearly 400 acres with approximately 130 residential lots and was approved by the Santa Rosa City Council as a subdivision in 1976. It has a unique blend of country isolation, gated security, natural beauty, and city services. There is direct access into Annadel Park’s 40 miles of biking, horse and hiking trails, and in less than 15 minutes by car you can find yourself in downtown Santa Rosa. It is within the Rincon Valley School District, one of Santa Rosa’s most sought – after award-winning public school districts.  And if Sonoma County’s wine country is what you crave, Wild Oak is accessed directly from Highway 12 in the bountiful Valley of the Moon where some of Sonoma’s best known and loved wineries can be found.

For more information you can go to me, Valley of the Moon wineries, Rincon Valley schools, or Annadel State Park.

Posted by:Jen Phillips

On Friday, March 27, 2009, the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce and the Petaluma Argus Courier held the 2009 Community Awards of Excellence. It was a great evening, everyone got a taste of Petaluma with ten of Petaluma’s best restaurants and caterers providing samples of their culinary delights and music was provided by the Petaluma High School Jazz Combo. After an hour of mingling, the Awards ceremony began. Twelve awards were presented, honoring all the best in Petaluma, from service people to firefighter of the year, to police officer of the year. Rick Pillsbury, the coach of the Casa Grande Academic Decathlon team received an award for excellence in Education. Lagunitas Brewing Company received the award to best small Business of the year while Bank of Marin received the Large Business of the year award. Cathy Bachman was honored as the volunteer of the year with Tom Corbett receiving a special acknowledgement for all his work on the Sesquicentennial celebration. And I was honored with the Citizen of the Year award.

It is a great honor to be acknowledged in this way. In my acceptance speech, I talked about what an amazing place Petaluma is and how through all the non profits in town, it has created a safety net for those in town who need help and assistance. The COTS program really works – there are numerous success stories of individuals completing the program and finding themselves becoming first time homebuyers, something they thought would never happen in their lives. Petaluma People Services Center offers numerous programs that support the community. I am only involved in one, Meals on Wheels – a remarkable program that delivers almost 100 meals every day to people in need. And the third non profit I am involved in is Rebuilding Together Petaluma – transforming Petaluma’s neighborhoods, one house at a time. Rebuilding Together Petaluma provides any current low income homeowner with the ability to have their home rehabilitated into a safe and secure environment. There is a work day occurring on Saturday, April 18 when Rebuilding Together Petaluma will be working on 17 houses that day. Please call 707-765-3944 if you need help or would like to volunteer. I feel that all of us working in the nonprofit world are making Petaluma the best town to live in. We all support the community that supports us which is what it is all about. Keep up the good work Petaluma.

Posted By: Edward Reiners