I think this may be what you are looking for: Southpark, Roseland, Rincon Valley, Bennett Valley, Larkfield, Wikiup, the JC Area, Fountain Grove. Hope that helps.

Mon May 19 2008, 14:42

Dave gives a good overview below of Santa Rosa, but there is so much variety, even within the different quadrants, as to home types, price ranges, terrain and vegetation as well as amenities and schools that is is difficult to generalize. Another big variable is the weather. If you live in San Rafael then you know how many microclimates Marin County and the Bay Area have. I work with a lot of buyers from out of the area and we spend a lot of time discussing weather patterns up here because we have the same coastal influence as you do--weather can vary 10 to 20 degrees or more from spot to spot on a summer day, from the cool coastal weather in Bodega Bay to the heat of the Alexander Valley outside Healdsburg or the eastern Santa Rosa Hills to the north as you go towards Napa. Sebastopol has a wide range of areas from the Canfield area on the southeast to the banana belt of Occidental and Forestville to the west and north. There are many delightful communities within striking distance of Santa Rosa, with interesting schools, restaurants, theaters and galleries, not to mention vineyards and some of the most beautiful countryside you will find anywhere. It would help to know what was important to you to narrow things down a bit.

Sat May 10 2008, 17:08

Hi,
For Santa Rosa or any other city, I recommend that you use Google Maps to get started. A list is useful, but not as good as a map that shows you neighborhood names and where they are. Google isn't all-knowing, however, and they have missed some areas. I think the Santa Rosa Press Democrat has a good roundup on the web site I reference below. They (and the local MLS) divide the city into four quadrants bounded by Highway 12 and Highway 101. Within each of those quadrants are multiple neighborhoods. Just as an examples the northwest section has the JC area, Fountaingrove, and Rincon Valley. Each of those is distinct in character of the homes. There's not enough room here to do a full description, so visit the PD site to get more detail.

Fri May 9 2008, 07:11