Sonoma, California in the context of "Sonoma County, California"

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⭐ Core Definition: Sonoma, California

Sonoma (/səˈnmə/) is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's population was 10,739 as of the 2020 census, while the Sonoma urban area had a population of 31,479. Sonoma is a popular tourist destination, owing to its Californian wineries, noted events like the Sonoma International Film Festival, and its historic center.

Sonoma's origins date to 1823, when Padre José Altimira established Mission San Francisco Solano, under the direction of Governor Luis Antonio Argüello. Following the Mexican secularization of the missions, Californio statesman Mariano G. Vallejo founded Sonoma on the former mission's lands in 1835. Sonoma served as the base of General Vallejo's operations until the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, when American filibusters overthrew the local Mexican government and declared the California Republic, ushering in the American Conquest of California.

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Sonoma, California in the context of Community center

A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a specialized subgroup within the greater community. Community centres can be religious in nature, such as Christian churches, Islamic mosques, Jewish synagogues, Hindu temples, or Buddhist temples; though they can also be secular and in some cases government-run, such as youth clubs or Leisure centres.

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Sonoma, California in the context of Wine Country

Wine Country is a region of California, in the northern San Francisco Bay Area, known worldwide as a premier wine-growing region. The region is famed for its wineries, its cuisine, Michelin star restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, historic architecture, and culture. Viticulture and wine-making have been practiced in the region since the Spanish missionaries from Mission San Francisco Solano established the first vineyards in 1812.

There are over 1,700 wineries in the North Bay, mostly located in the area's valleys, including Napa Valley in Napa County, and the Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Bennett Valley, and Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. Wine grapes are also grown at higher elevations, such as Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder AVAs. Cities and towns associated with the Wine Country include Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Kenwood, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Guerneville, Windsor, Geyserville, and Cloverdale in Sonoma County; Napa, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga in Napa County; and Hopland and Ukiah in Mendocino County. Wine is also an important part of the economy in nearby Lake, Solano, and Yolo counties.

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Sonoma, California in the context of Sonoma International Film Festival

Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization, founded in 1997, headquartered in Sonoma, California.

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Sonoma, California in the context of Mission San Francisco Solano

Mission San Francisco Solano was the 21st, last, and northernmost mission in Alta California. It was named for Saint Francis Solanus. It was the only mission built in Alta California after Mexico gained independence from Spain. The mission was established in 1823 due to a collaborative effort between California governor Luis Argüello and Franciscan friar José Altimira. It was closed and converted to a parish in 1834, having been smaller in number of converts and having had lower productivity and diversity of industries than the older California missions.

The mission building is now part of the Sonoma State Historic Park and is located in the city of Sonoma, California.

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Sonoma, California in the context of El Camino Real (California)

El Camino Real (Spanish; literally The Royal Road, sometimes translated as The King's Highway) is a 600-mile (965-kilometer) commemorative route connecting the 21 Spanish missions in California (formerly the region Alta California in the Spanish Empire) from Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego to Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, along with a number of sub-missions, four presidios, and three pueblos. The route is historically associated with a network of royal roads (caminos reales) used by inhabitants of New Spain. The modern commemorative route in the U.S. state of California is named after these roads, and is officially defined in the California Streets and Highways Code to run along various roads from Interstate 5 at the Mexican border to State Route 12 in Sonoma.

During the period of Spanish rule, there was no single road constructed by the Spanish to connect the missions, with most of the network of royal roads following historic Native American trading routes. These various caminos reales covered much of what is today California, but with no single special route designated to link the missions. The name was revived in the American era in connection with the boosterism associated with the Mission Revival movement of the early 20th century. Streets throughout California bear the "El Camino Real" name. The route has been continually upgraded and is decorated with commemorative bell markers.

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