The Town of
Rohnert Park
- Genealogy
- History of Rohnert Park
- The Town Today
- Places of Interest
- People of Interest
- Maps
- Photos
Table of Contents
Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of San Francisco. The population at the 2020 United States Census was 44,390. It is an early planned city and is the sister city of Hashimoto in Japan. Sonoma State University, part of the California State University system, is located nearby. [1]
Genealogy
GenealogyOnline: About the Town Rohnert Park . . . Link
Surnames: Apfel, Goldstone, Kline, Kreun, Radich, Ratcliffe, Rathbun, Rostov, Servaas, Thompson
LDS genealogy.com: Rohnert Park . . . Link
Roadside Thoughts: Rohnert Park
California . . . Link
Sonoma County Genealogical
Society . . . Link
History of Rohnert Park
Originally home of the Coast Miwok native people, the Mexican government granted Rancho Cotate to Captain Juan Castaneda in July 1844 for his military services in the region. The grant encompassed present-day Penngrove, Cotati and Rohnert Park. "Cotate Rancho is a part of the Vallejo Township which is the plain between Sonoma Mountain and Petaluma Creek San Pablo Bay, and an east and west line dividing the tract from Santa Rosa Township." In 1849, Dr. Thomas S. Page, of Cotati, bought Rancho Cotate. Over time, the property was broken up and sold off piecemeal to incoming settlers. [1]
The town of Rohnert Park was named after the Rohnert family, which owned the Rohnert Seed Farm. In 1929, a successful businessman, Waldo Emerson Rohnert (1869–1933), a native of Detroit, Michigan, purchased a large ranch in the area and minimized flooding in the fields with a crude drainage system. He died shortly thereafter. His son, Fred Rohnert, a graduate of Stanford Law School, took over the ranch and developed a seed growing business, the Rohnert Seed Farm, which became a major horticultural success for the county. [1]
In 1956, only four adults resided within the district boundaries. In 1956 and 1957, with the U.S. Route 101 Freeway recently completed at the Cotati bypass, Rohnert Park began to be laid out and built as a planned city. In a summer election in 1962, Rohnert Park was incorporated, comprising 1,325 acres (536 ha), housing an estimated 2,775 persons. It was the first town to incorporate in Sonoma County since 1905. The neighboring town of Cotati, California, voted to incorporate the following year. [1]
Rohnert Park
The
town named for Waldo Emerson Rohnert was built on flat
adobe land once known as the Waldo Rohnert Park Seed Farm.
In November, 1957, the Paul Golis family and the "Tuckey"
Moran family moved into the first completed homes in
Rohnert Park. When the city was incorperated in 1962 it
consisted of 1,325 acres, housing an estimated 2,775
persons; the fourth largest City in Sonoma County. The
same year the John Reed School was the first to open its
doors. . . . [Archived Website. Link]
"History- Aug. 30, 1962 State proclaims City of Rohnert Park official" [Article] . . . Link
History of Rohnert Park [Chamber of Commerce, look for link] . . . Link
History of Rohnert Park [City
Page PDF] .
. . Link
Historical Society . . . Link . . . Official City Page
LocalWiki: Brief History of Rohnert Park . . . Link
Native American Tribes & the Indian History in Rohnert Park, California . . . Link
Rohnert Park's Past in Pictures . . . Link
Rohnert Seed Farm between Cotati and Santa Rosa, California, July 15, 1955 [Aerial view] . . . Link
Check Sonoma Historian (SCHS) for articles about the towns. . . . Link
The Town Today
American Towns . . . Link
LocalWiki: Rohnert Park . . . Link
Rohnert Park Today [Niche] (has a map of location). . . Link
Rohnert Park Chamber of Commerce . . . Link
Sonoma County Life Opens Up: Rohnert Park . . . Link . . . 48 Hours in . . .
Town Homepage . . . Link . . . Link (County)
Wikipedia Page: Rohnert Park . . . Link
WikiVoyage: Rohnert Park . . . Link
Places of Interest
Sonoma State University . . . Link
People of Interest
Arturo Ibleto – aka Pasta King [2 Oct. 1926 - 2020] . . . Link
"Thumbs up: A post office for the Pasta King" [Article] . . . Link
"Arturo Ibleto, a Bella Life in Sonoma County" [Article] . . . Link
"Art Ibleto, Sonoma County’s Pasta King, dies at 94" [Article] . . . Link
About Pasta King . . . Link
Fred Rohnert . . . Wikipedia
Waldo's son, Fred Rohnert, a graduate of Stanford Law School, took over the ranch and developed a seed growing business, the Rohnert Seed Farm, which became a major horticultural success for the county.
Jim Robie – pastor, Faith Presbyterian Church . . . Link
Jimmie Payne – Mr. America 1950 [Abt. 1927-2012] . . . Link . . PDF History
Fitness Pioneer Jimmie Payne Dies at 85 . . Link
Paul Golis [1917-2003] (Pic and Bio) . . . Link
Golis, known as the father of Rohnert Park, was a self-made man, known for his brilliant mind, combative style, eloquence and tenacity. He was part urban visionary and part capitalist who saw a city rising from marginally productive farmland that he and his partner, Maurice Fredericks, bought for $200 an acre in the 1950s.
Rohnert Park Remembers: Favorite Folks . . . Link
People Interviewed: Annie Rasmussen & husband Ron, Armando Flores (Councilman and mayor), Arturo Ibleto (aka Pasta King), Faith and Gordon Adam, Irene Hilsendager, Jim Robie (pastor, Faith Presbyterian Church), Jimmie Payne (Mr. America 1950), Reba Roberts (wife of former mayor Art Roberts), Rev. Samuel T. Tharpe, Tim Danesi, Vern & Val Smith.
Thomas S. Page, Dr. . . . Wikipedia
In 1849, Dr. Thomas S. Page, of Cotati, bought Rancho Cotate. Over time, the property was broken up and sold off piecemeal to incoming settlers.
"Tuckey" Moran . . . Wikipedia
In November, 1957, the Paul Golis family and the "Tuckey" Moran family moved into the first completed homes in Rohnert Park.
Waldo Emmerson Rohnert [1869 - 1933] . . . Link . . . Article
In January of 1931, [Waldo] Rohnert bought an additional 700 acres from the Cotati Land Company and continued to acquire more acreage as demand for his seeds increased. By 1933, his holdings included 4000 acres of seed land, 1000 acres of orchards, and extensive grazing land for cattle. [The town of Rohnert Park was named after him]
Maps
Map of Rohnert Park, with boundaries [BingMaps] . . . Link
Map of Rohnert Park [MapQuest] . . . Link
Photos
Town, 1955 . . . Link
Citations
[1] Wikipedia
contributors. "Rohnert Park,
California." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 29 Aug. 2022. Web. Accessed
9 Sep. 2022. . . . Link
[2] "Historical and Descriptive Sketch Book of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino: Comprising Sketches of Their Topography, Productions, History, Scenery, and Peculiar Attractions", C.A. Menefee, 1873 . . . Link
[3] "Historical and Descriptive Sketch of Sonoma County, California" Robert Allan Thompson. L.H. Everts, 1877 - Sonoma County (Calif.) - 104 pages. [ ??? pp 100-101] . . . Link
[4]
"History of Sonoma County:
Including Its Geology, Topography, Mountains, Valleys and
Streams ...."' United States, Higginson Book Company,
1880. [page ???] . . .
Link
. . . Text
at CAGenWeb
[5] "An Illustrated History of Sonoma County, California: Containing a History of the County of Sonoma from the Earliest Period of Its Occupancy to the Present Time", Lewis Publishing, 1889 . . . Link
"A History of Rohnert Park : from seed to city". DeClercq, John H. 1977.
