1. Petaluma’s History

Petaluma is one of California’s oldest cities. It was established in 1858. The city is located on the Petaluma River, which connects to the San Francisco Bay. That connection created easy access from Petaluma to San Francisco by boat, which helped make it a destination during the Gold Rush.

Although close to the Epicenter of the 1908 earthquake, Petaluma did not receive much damage. Luckily, that means that Petaluma boasts  well-preserved residential, commercial, and industrial architecture within its historic westside.

In the early 1920’s, Petaluma was known as “The Egg Basket of the World”, due to the town’s abundance of chicken farms. Egg Day celebrations ensued and the town still celebrates “Butter and Eggs Day” every year. The current Butter and Eggs Day parade and festivities attract visitors from throughout the Bay Area.

2. Westside Petaluma

The west side of Petaluma encompasses the historic downtown, the riverfront, and all the neighborhoods west of highway 101. This is where you will find amazingly preserved historic homes, quiet neighborhoods, an abundance of parks, boutique shopping, delicious restaurants, a movie theater, and an abundance of wine bars, regular bars, and music venues.

3. Eastside Petaluma

The east side of Petaluma encompasses everything east of highway 101. This side of Petaluma was developed in the 1960’s and has a different vibe than the west side of town. Houses on this side are newer, and larger. This side of town boasts golf courses, shopping centers, parks, and a farmer’s market.

4. Petaluma’s Schools

Both west and east Petaluma are very family friendly and both sides have wonderful schools. Every school is unique and the best way to decide if a school is right for your child is to take a tour.

• The Petaluma City Schools enrolls students in grades TK - 12th grade and has schools on the west side, the east side, and in the town of Penngrove, which is situated just north of Petaluma. It has elementary schools, secondary schools, alternative schools, a charter school, and an adult school

• The Old Adobe Union School District serves preschool - 6th grade students on the east side of Petaluma. It has 5 schools.

• The Waugh School District serves students in grades TK - 6 and has two schools on the east side.

• The Cinnabar School District is a one-school district serving TK - 8th grade students in the northwestern area of Petaluma.

• The Dunham Elementary School District is another one-school district serving TK - 6th grades in Northern Petaluma, near the towns of Cotati and Rohnert Park.

• The Liberty Elementary School District serves Pre-K through 6th grade students and has an elementary school and a charter school in Northern Petaluma, west of Highway 101.

5. Restaurants, Shopping, and Activities

Petaluma has a plethora of great food options. You will find most of the restaurants in the historic downtown. Due to Covid, many restaurants have created outdoor dining spaces. There are a few great outdoor dining areas along the Petaluma River for restaurants on Petaluma Blvd. Check out Seared or Risibisi along the river. Brewsters Beer Garden is also right downtown and is an open-air restaurant. It often has live music and is my kids’ favorite restaurant.

There are a lot of fabulous boutique stores and cool antique shops in downtown Petaluma. My favorite antique shops are The Find and Summer Cottage Antiques. My favorite gift shop is Heebe Jeebe. My favorite clothing store is Ethical Clothing.

My favorite thing to do in Petaluma is to just walk around and look at all the beautiful houses. Also, Petaluma has a wonderful park called Helen Putnam Park. Helen Putnam Park is a wonderful place to take a hike and has numerous walking trails both in the sun and under the shade of the trees. Another great park is Oak Hill Park. This park has a playground, a basketball court, a petanque court, a dog park, and picnic tables. It also has some great trees for kids to climb. Last, but not least, if you want to see a movie, head over to Boulevard 14 Cinema. They have those fabulous fancy leather recliners as well as beer and wine!