City of Cotati | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Cotati | |
 Seal  Logo | |
| Nickname: The Hub of Sonoma County[1] | |
 Location of Cotati in Sonoma County, California | |
 City boundaries as of 2000 | |
  City of Cotati Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:38°19′40″N122°42′33″W / 38.32778°N 122.70917°W /38.32778; -122.70917[2] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Sonoma |
| Incorporated | July 16, 1963[3] |
| Named after | Rancho Cotate |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Ben Ford[4] |
| • City manager | Damien O'Bid[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.88 sq mi (4.86 km2) |
| • Land | 1.87 sq mi (4.85 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) 0.17% |
| Elevation | 112 ft (34 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,584 |
| • Density | 4,046.2/sq mi (1,562.23/km2) |
| California Department of Finance estimate | |
| Demonym | Cotatian |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes[7] | 94926–94928, 94931 |
| Area code | 707 |
| FIPS code | 06-16560 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1655927,2410240 |
| Website | www |
Cotati (/koʊˈtɑːtiː/,/kə-/;Miwok:Kota’ti) is a city inSonoma County, California, United States, located approximately 45 mi (70 km) north ofSan Francisco inthe 101 corridor betweenRohnert Park andPetaluma. Cotati's population as of the2020 Census was 7,584,[8] making it the least populousincorporated community in Sonoma County.
Like the rest of Sonoma County, Cotati is included in both theSan Francisco Bay Area and theNorth Coast. Located in theSonoma Coast AVA, Cotati can also be considered part ofWine Country.E & J Gallo Winery operates a 400-acre (160 ha) vineyard called Two Rock Vineyard in the hills west of town.[9] Cotati'shexagonal downtown plaza, one of only two hexagonal town layouts in the United States, isCalifornia Historical Landmark number 879.[10] The other U.S. city with a hexagonal layout isDetroit,Michigan.[11]
TheCoast Miwok civilization thrived in the Cotati area since at least 2000BC, with principal villages built near major streams. Documented villages in the area includedLumen-takala (northeast of present-day Cotati),Payinecha (west of present-day Cotati), andKotati.[12]
In 1827, an Irishman namedJohn Thomas Reed ventured into Miwok territory and built a cabin nearCrane Creek. After the natives burned it, he retreated south toMill Valley.[13][14]
In July 1844, theMexican government granted Rancho Cotate (encompassing present-day towns of Cotati,Penngrove and Rohnert Park, and home to Coast Miwok people) to Captain Juan Castaneda, a Mexican military commander fromTexas,[15] in payment for his service as a soldier underGeneral Vallejo.[16] Thegrant took its name from the Coast Miwok village of Kotati.[17] However, a legend arose that Rancho Cotate was named after aPomo chief named Cotati, and in 1973 thestate perpetuated this legend on the historical marker it placed in the plaza.[10]
Rancho Cotate consisted of 17,238.6 acres (6,976.2 ha).[16] Captain Castaneda moved toSan Francisco and never developed Rancho Cotate. Because he failed to fulfill the legal requirements of the grant, he lost control of the rancho, which passed to Thomas Larkin and then to Joseph Ruckle. In 1849, Ruckle sold the land to Dr. Thomas Stokes Page, a former resident ofValparaíso, Chile, for $1,600.[13][18]Rancho Cotate was recorded in California state records as follows:
Cotate #65, Sonoma Co., Grant of 4 sq. leagues made in 1844 byGov. Micheltorena toJuan Casteneda. Confirmed in 1846. Patent for 17,238 acres (6,976 ha) issued in 1858 to Thos. S. Page. In T 5-6N, R 7-8W, MDM.
— California Ranchos: Patented Private Land Grants Listed by County, Shumway 1988:107.
With thecession of California to the United States following theMexican-American War, the 1848Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Cotati was filed with thePublic Land Commission in 1852,[19][20] and the grant waspatented to Thomas Stokes Page, February 18, 1858, for 17,238.60 acres.
The landholding remained in the Page family for over eighty years. Subject to seasonal flooding from the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the land was used to graze cattle and sheep. In October 1870, theSan Francisco and North Pacific Railroad completed the first railroad fromPetaluma toSanta Rosa, and a town formed around the wood andwater stop calledPage's Station, thenCotati.[16][21]
Cotati's hexagonal plaza and street grid plan was designed during the 1890s by Newton Smyth as an alternative to the traditional grid. Dr. Thomas Page's barn once stood where the plaza is today, and each of the streets surrounding the plaza is named after one of his sons. In 1892, the Page family created the Cotati Land Company to subdivide their ranch into parcels of five to twenty acres (two to eight hectares).[22] By 1901, good land was selling for $30 to $60 per acre.[23] Page family ownership ended in 1944.[22]
The Cotati area was shaken up by the1906 San Francisco earthquake. After the quake, Drury Butler reported that "the chimneys were as a rule thrown down". In particular, the Stony Point School at38°20′36″N122°44′30″W / 38.34325°N 122.74166°W /38.34325; -122.74166 (Stony Point School)[24] suffered a chimney failure.[25]
TheNorthwestern Pacific Railroad built the Cotati Depot in 1907. It was located near the East Cotati Avenue crossing, almost 1 mi (1.6 km) east of the plaza.[26] It was demolished to make way forSonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit'sCotati station.
Prior to 1915, the major north–south roads (Petaluma Hill Road and Stony Point Road) bypassed Cotati. In that year, the state routed the Redwood Highway (part ofU.S. Route 101) onto the mostly unpaved Cotati Boulevard.[27] U.S. 101 passed through the downtown plaza until 1955, when the highway was rerouted further west.[22] U.S. 101 still bisects Cotati, and the former route is called Old Redwood Highway.
In February 1921, the old schoolhouse at 201 West Sierra burned down. A new school built on the same site opened in 1922.[28] This building has served as City Hall since 1971. The rear of this building housed the Cotati Police Department until September 3, 2003, when the department moved into a new building next door.[29]
TheCotati Speedway, a woodenboard track for automobile racing, was built near the depot around 1921. It was about 1.25 mi (2 km) in circumference. World records were set there, but it failed in its first season and was torn down in 1922.[30]
In 1927, the Cotati Volunteer Fire Department was organized.[30] Since 1993, Cotati has been part of the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District.[31]
A local weekly newspaper calledThe Cotatian was established by E. A. Little in 1944 and lasted until 1964.[32] The current local paper isThe Community Voice, published in neighboringPenngrove.
On July 2, 1963, less than a year after the incorporation of the lands north of town to formRohnert Park, voters approved (by a 284-to-41 margin) the incorporation of Cotati as a separate city.[16] After incorporation, the city grew rapidly, due in part to being within commuting range ofSan Francisco.[33] Between 1965 and 2000, the population increased by more than a factor of four.
In 1979, Cotati voters approved arent control ordinance for all residential rentals,[34] but in 1995, that ordinance was partly preempted by the passage of AB (Assembly Bill) 1164, known as the Costa/Hawkins Bill.[35][36] At the time, Cotati was one of five cities in California with "strongrent control" laws which included vacancy control. (The other cities wereWest Hollywood,Santa Monica,Berkeley andEast Palo Alto). The Costa/Hawkins bill made it impossible for California municipalities to enforce vacancy control, except in special cases likemobile home parks.[37] When the 1979 ordinance was repealed by Cotati voters in 1998, it was replaced with a more limited ordinance aimed at mobile home parks.[34] At the present time, eight of the nine incorporated areas in Sonoma County have rent control for mobile home parks, the exception beingHealdsburg.[38]
In 1990, Cotati citizens voted to impose alimit on future annexation of land by the city.[39] This was followed in 1997 by a ballot measure prohibiting "big-box" retail stores of more than 43,000 square feet (4,000 m2). However, on November 4, 2003, Cotati voters approved (by 1,047 votes to 1,013) Measure B, granting an exception to this ordinance so that aLowe's home improvement warehouse could be built on the west side of U.S. 101.[40]
In order to cope with declining revenue, the City instituted a series of budget cuts, starting in 2007. As of August 2009, the City expected to run out of money in its General Fund within a year.[41]
In April 2010, Cotati voters passed Measure A, which imposed a 0.5% sales tax for five years. In June 2014, they passed Measure G (by a vote of 922 to 808) to increase the city sales tax to 1%.[42][43]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.88 sq mi (4.9 km2), 0.17% of which is water.[6]
The city is about 17 mi (27 km) from the Pacific Ocean. It lies entirely in thedrainage basin of theLaguna de Santa Rosa. ThePetaluma River watershed begins just south of town. To the west is theStemple Creek watershed. The sources of all three watercourses lie in the hilly area between Stony Point Road and U.S. 101, just west of town.
Agap in the coastal ridges nearPetaluma often allows coastal fog to reach Cotati in the summer, giving it amarine climate that is noticeably cooler and less sunny than the "coastal" climates of nearbySanta Rosa andSebastopol. Cotati averages fewer than 800 hours per growing season in the 70–90 °F (21–32 °C) range.[44]
The soils of the Cotati area are characterized byrecentalluvial materials, explicitly those areas bordering theLaguna de Santa Rosa and its tributaryWashoe Creek. These materials are largely stream and valleyalluvium, with artificial fill in some areas.
Active faults near Cotati include theRodgers Creek Fault (5 mi or 8 km east) and the Tolay Fault.[45]
To the west of Cotati is wetland habitat forSebastopol meadowfoam,Pitkin Marsh lily,Showy Indian clover, and several otherendangered species.[46]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,852 | — | |
| 1970 | 1,368 | −26.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,346 | 144.6% | |
| 1990 | 5,714 | 70.8% | |
| 2000 | 6,471 | 13.2% | |
| 2010 | 7,265 | 12.3% | |
| 2020 | 7,584 | 4.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[47] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Cotati had a population of 7,592,[48] The racial makeup of Cotati was 5,997 (79.6%)White, 1,412 (18.6%)Hispanic, 83 (1.1%)African American, 15 (0.2%)Native American, 182 (2,4%)Asian, 151 (2%)Pacific Islander, and 698 (9.8%)two or more races.
There were 2,828 households out of which 772, (27%) had children under the age of 18 living in them. There were 1,670 families with an average family size of 3.49. Housing units were 59.7% owner-occupied and 43.3% were renter-occupied. The average household size was 2.68 people.
The population is made up by 1,617 people (21.3%) under the age of 18, 731 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 2,408 people (31.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,771,people (23.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,076 (14.2%) people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males.[49]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $112,841, and theper capita income was $56,665. About 2.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line.[50]
The2010 United States census[51] reported that Cotati had a population of 7,265. The population density was 3,857.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,489.5/km2). The racial makeup of Cotati was 5,929 (81.6%)White, 1,255 (17.3%)Hispanic, 122 (1.7%)African American, 75 (1.0%)Native American, 283 (3.9%)Asian, 30 (0.4%)Pacific Islander, 427 (5.9%) fromother races, and 399 (5.5%) from two or more races.
The Census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households and 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.
There were 2,978 households, out of which 941 (31.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,214 (40.8%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 399 (13.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 161 (5.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 259 (8.7%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 35 (1.2%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 812 households (27.3%) were made up of individuals, and 215 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44. There were 1,774families (59.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.97.
The population was spread out, with 1,591 people (21.9%) under the age of 18, 871 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 2,060 people (28.4%) aged 25 to 44, 2,130 people (29.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 613 people (8.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
There were 3,143 housing units at an average density of 1,669.0 per square mile (644.4/km2), of which 59.1% were owner-occupied and 40.9% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%. 59.3% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 40.6% lived in rental housing units.
The Cotati Chamber of Commerce is a business organization that promotes economic prosperity within the City of Cotati through economic development services, business services and community events. The chamber is a nonprofit501(c)(6) organization funded by membership dues, fundraising projects and donations.[52]
Cotati has numerous annual events, many of them organized by its Community and Environment Commission:[53]
As of 1995, Cotati had 20.06 acres (8.12 ha) of parks.[56] Cotati parks include:
Cotati is governed by a city council with five members,[4] who serve four-year terms. Each year, council members elect a mayor and vice mayor from among themselves. Municipal election are held in November during even-numbered years.
The city has its own police department.[57]
With respect to theUnited States House of Representatives, Cotati is inCalifornia's 4th congressional district, represented byDemocrat Mike Thompson.[58] Cotati is also part ofthe 3rd senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Christopher Cabaldon,the 12th Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Damon Connolly, and Sonoma County's 2nd Supervisorial district.[59]
According to theCalifornia Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Cotati has 4,506 registered voters. Of those, 2,365 (52.5%) are registeredDemocrats, 701 (15.6%) are registeredRepublicans, and 1,175 (26.1%) havedeclined to state a political party.[60]
The city is served byCotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District.Thomas Page Elementary School is the only public school actually located in Cotati. The mainhigh school serving Cotati isRancho Cotate High School, which is in neighboringRohnert Park.
Sonoma State University, a public college about 1 mi (1.6 km) east of the city limits, has an influence on Cotati.
Cotati is served by theSonoma County Library, a public library with branches in Rohnert Park and Petaluma.
Cotati is served by bus routes operated byGolden Gate Transit (routes 72,[61] 75,[62] and 80)[63] andSonoma County Transit.
The nearest major airports areSan Francisco International Airport andOakland International Airport.The Santa Rosa airport, which is closer, also offers passenger service.
From the south,U.S. Route 101 North andState Route 116 West approach Cotati on a multi-lane freeway alignment whichCaltrans calls theCotati Grade, with exits at Railroad Avenue and West Sierra Avenue. From the west, State Route 116 East approaches on the two-lane Gravenstein Highway. From the north, U.S. Route 101 South approaches Cotati as a multi-lane freeway with a single exit at Gravenstein Highway.
Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit began service to itsCotati station in August 2017.[64]
Places adjacent to Cotati, California | |
|---|---|
| Bodies of water |  | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counties | |||||||||||||
| Cities and towns |
| ||||||||||||
| CDPs over 10k | |||||||||||||
| Sub-regions | |||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||
| National | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
