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Windsor | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Windsor in September 2024. | |
  Windsor Location within the state of California Show map of California Windsor Windsor (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:38°32′50″N122°48′59″W / 38.54722°N 122.81639°W /38.54722; -122.81639 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Sonoma |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| • Mayor | Rosa Reynoza[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.46 sq mi (19.32 km2) |
| • Land | 7.44 sq mi (19.26 km2) |
| • Water | 0.023 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 26,344 |
| • Density | 3,543/sq mi (1,367.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 95492 |
| Area code(s) | 707, 369 |
| FIPS code | 06-85922 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1667892[4] |
| Website | Official website |
Windsor is anincorporated town inSonoma County, California, United States.[4] The town is 9 miles north ofSanta Rosa and 63 miles north ofSan Francisco. The population was 26,344 as of the2020 census.[3]
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The site now occupied by the town of Windsor was originally inhabited by theSouthern Pomo. It was known as Tsoliikawai (ćol:ik:o=wi),[5] meaning "blackbird field", a name also applied to the village, tribe or tribelet at the site.[6] This group was probably part of the Kaitactemi tribe that ruled from theHealdsburg area down toMark West Creek.[6]
Windsor's first European settlers arrived in 1851. In 1855, apost office was established in Windsor and Hiram Lewis, aPony Express rider, became the town's first postmaster. He named the town Windsor because it reminded him of the grounds aroundWindsor Castle, a medieval castle from his home country ofEngland. The following year, a business enterprise was built in eastern Windsor, which included a goods store, a shoe shop, a grocery and meat market, asaloon, a hotel, aboarding house, and twoconfectionery shops. TheNorthwestern Pacific Railroad was completed through the town in 1872, providing a faster and cheaper link to the Bay Area.[7]
On May 21, 1905, a fire destroyed the center of Windsor. Fanned by heavy winds, the fire destroyed several businesses, including a hotel and a barber shop. An estimated $30,000 worth of property was damaged.[7]
TheGreat San Francisco Earthquake caused major damage to numerous buildings in Windsor, many of which were still in the process of repair and reconstruction from 1905 fire.[8]
In 1915, the OldRedwood Highway through Windsor was paved. Up until then, all roads in the area had been dirt.[7]
DuringWorld War II, aUnited States Army Air Forces training air base (currently theCharles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport) was built in southern Windsor, and it was common to hear fighter aircraft and bombers flying over the town.[9]
In 1943, a camp forGermanprisoners of war was built west of downtown Windsor, on the site of a formermigrant labor camp. The camp was a branch camp of the much largerCamp Beale POW camp.[7][10] Those assigned to the camp worked (for $0.80 per day) at farms in the county, picking apples, prunes, hops, and other crops, packing apples, and doing similar work.[11]
The Windsor area grew five-fold in the 1980s asurban sprawl developed north of Santa Rosa along portions ofU.S. Highway 101.[12] The local economy shifted fromagricultural work, mainly involvingwine grapes, to services that catered to commuters and the new residential area. On July 1, 1992, Windsor was incorporated as a town. Prior to that, it had been part of unincorporated Sonoma County.[7]
A largemixed-use development in "Poor Man's Flat" around the formertrain station in downtown Windsor began construction in the 1990s. A walkable village that incorporatedNew Urbanist design principles was created at the behest of the city government, which also restricted development outside of the downtown area.[12] A large city park, named the Town Green, opened in 2001.[13] By 2006, over 130 condominiums and 50 businesses had moved into the downtown development, which cost an estimated $120 million.[12]
In January 1998, Windsor voters approved a twenty-yearurban growth boundary (UGA), with 72% in favor.[14][15] In 2017, the UGA was renewed, by vote, for another 22 years.[16]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the Town has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which only 0.34% is water. Windsor is 2 miles (3.2 km) from theRussian River.
Windsor is located onU.S. Highway 101 in the Russian River valley. Neighboring places include Healdsburg,Santa Rosa, andForestville.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 22,744 | — | |
| 2010 | 26,801 | 17.8% | |
| 2020 | 26,344 | −1.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 25,846 | [17] | −1.9% |
| US Census[18] | |||
| Racial and ethnic composition | 2000[19] | 2010[20] | 2020[21] |
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 70.3% | 60.65% | 56.48% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 23.58% | 31.76% | 33.78% |
| Two or more races (non-Hispanic) | 2.24% | 2.54% | 4.85% |
| Asian (non-Hispanic) | 2.21% | 2.89% | 2.82% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 0.66% | 0.71% | 0.83% |
| Native American (non-Hispanic) | 0.77% | 1.06% | 0.7% |
| Other (non-Hispanic) | 0.11% | 0.21% | 0.34% |
| Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) | 0.13% | 0.18% | 0.2% |
The2020 United States census reported that Windsor had a population of 26,344. The population density was 3,542.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,367.9/km2). The racial makeup was 61.8%White, 0.9%African American, 2.4%Native American, 3.0%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 17.8% fromother races, and 13.8% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.8% of the population.[22]
The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.[22]
There were 9,167 households, out of which 35.8% included children under the age of 18, 58.3% were married-couple households, 6.1% werecohabiting couple households, 23.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 12.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 19.4% of households were one person, and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.86.[22] There were 6,876families (75.0% of all households).[23]
The age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% aged 18 to 24, 22.9% aged 25 to 44, 28.8% aged 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males.[22]
There were 9,672 housing units at an average density of 1,300.7 units per square mile (502.2 units/km2), of which 9,167 (94.8%) were occupied. Of these, 76.3% were owner-occupied, and 23.7% were occupied by renters.[22]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $129,004, and theper capita income was $54,425. About 1.7% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line.[24]
Shopping centers include Bell Village, Lakewood Shopping Center, Lakewood Village, Old Downtown Windsor, Shiloh Shopping Center, Starr Station, The Plaza on Lakewood, Windsor Creek Plaza, Windsor Palms Plaza, and Windsor Village.[citation needed]
In 2009, Windsor joined the Sonoma County Business Improvement Area to take advantage of the marketing opportunities provided by Sonoma County Tourism.[citation needed]
Since 2001, the Town of Windsor and local sponsors have organized a weekly free concert series on the Town Green. Windsor is home to several other community events in coordination with local organizations.[25][26]
Events include the annual Earth Day and Wellness Festival, Windsor Days Parade, Cinco de Mayo Festival, and the Community Art and Flower Show.[citation needed] Other events included the Windsor Half Marathon and Expo, the annual Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic, and Ironman Vineman triathlon, the oldest iron-distance event in the continental United States (dating back to 1990).[citation needed]
Every December, Windsor celebrates the opening of the holiday season with the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Grove on Windsor's Town Green. The event includes 200Christmas trees that are decorated by businesses, organizations, and residents.[citation needed]
The Windsor Historical Society opened a museum in February 2009 that features exhibits on the area's history. It is located in the historic Hembree House adjacent to the senior center.[citation needed]
Several community and neighborhood parks are located within the Town of Windsor. Most park amenities include a variety of sports fields, play structures, restrooms and picnic areas.[citation needed]
From 1990 to 1995, the Windsor Golf Club, a public golf course, hosted an event on the PGA's Hogan Tour (later called the Nike Tour and Web.com Tour, currently called theKorn Ferry tour).[27] In April 2017 it hosted the 54-hole women's POCMED Golf Classic, part of theSymetra Tour, the qualifying tour for the Ladies Professional Golf Association.[28]
The Town of Windsor is a general law city governed by a five-member Town Council, including the mayor and vice mayor. The position of mayor became an elected one as of the November 2020 election;[29] the vice mayor is non-elected and is chosen annually among the members of the Town Council. Council members serve four-year staggered terms, with elections occurring every two years. Beginning with the November 2020 election, council members are elected by district rather than city-wide, except for the mayor.[30]
The Town Council hires a Town Manager to carry out policies and serve as executive officer.[31]
As of November 2022[update], Rosa Reynoza is acting mayor.[32] On April 8, 2021, theSan Francisco Chronicle published an article where four women accused then Mayor Dominic Foppoli of sexual assault between 2003 and 2019. Following that, five more women came forward accusing Foppoli of sexual assault, leading to public outrage and calls for him to resign.[33] Foppoli officially resigned on May 21, 2021, after reality TV personalityFarrah Abraham publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her.[34]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Windsor is located inthe 2nd Senate district andthe 2nd Assembly district.
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Windsor is inCalifornia's 2nd congressional district, represented byDemocrat Jared Huffman.[35]
According to theCalifornia Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Windsor has 15,446 registered voters. Of those, 7,210 (46.7%) are registeredDemocrats, 3,500 (22.7%) are registeredRepublicans, and 3,942 (25.5%) havedeclined to state a political party.[36]
Almost all of Windsor is in theWindsor Unified School District. A small portion of Windsor is in theMark West Union Elementary School District andSanta Rosa High School District.[37]
In 2009, the Windsor Middle School received award recognition as aCalifornia Distinguished School.
Local higher education facilities are located near Windsor and within Sonoma County.
Windsor is served byU.S. Highway 101, which extends through California, Oregon, and Washington.
Windsor has implemented neighborhood traffic management and calming program. The Town of Windsor is a very bicycle friendly community and won an award in 2015 from TheLeague of American Bicyclists.
Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) line is a voter-approved passenger rail and bicycle-pedestrian pathway project located inMarin and Sonoma counties. The initial operating segment betweenSan Rafael andCharles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport opened in 2017, three miles short of Windsor. By April 2016, SMART made known it was seeking up to $38 million in state cap-and-trade funds to extend passenger service north.[40] Funding for the extension to Windsor was secured in June 2023.[41] Service toWindsor station began May 31st, 2025.[42]
TheCharles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport (STS) is located just south of Windsor. The airport offers direct flights to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Phoenix.
The Sonoma County Airport has been home to the Wings Over Wine Country Air Show since 1997. It is the biggest air show in the North Bay, and attracts over 25,000 visitors annually.
The Sonoma County Library system consists of several branches throughout the county. In 1996, when the Town of Windsor offices moved to a nearby building, the existing Town Hall building was renovated to house the Windsor Regional Library. The new full service branch library at the edge of the Town Green was dedicated on November 3, 1996.
Windsor is served by the Sonoma County Fire District, which was established in April 2019; it is a consolidation of the former Windsor Fire Protection District with three other nearby districts.[43]
In 1992, the Town of Windsor voted to contract with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for the provision of law enforcement services. The most recent agreement, to staff the Windsor Police force with Sonoma County Sheriff's Department employees,[44] was in August 2020, for a five-year period, with the option of two additional five-year renewals.[45]
The Town of Windsor was ranked the 34th safest city on SafeWise's list of "2016 Safest Cities of California". SafeWise has been formally conducting these reports for the past three years and the Town of Windsor has been included every year.[46]
The Town of Windsor has a contract with Bell's Ambulance Service to provide advanced life support (ALS) 911 emergency medical services staffed with Paramedics/EMTs 24/7/365. Bell's Ambulance has had a station in Windsor since 1991.[47]
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