NORTH BAY DESTINATIONS | ROHNERT PARK
Where business and community thrive
I s Rohnert Park the greatest city in the North Bay? Other jurisdictions may have more residents, greater area or pricier real estate—but they don’t have what the the Friendly City has: Everything else. A world-class entertainment venue… a respected center of higher education… a state-of-the-art casino resort… more family friendly fun this side of Disneyland—Rohnert Park ticks off just about every box that makes a community worth living in. Schools, parks, you name it. Even the city’s lack of a centralized community hub is soon to be addressed, as plans move forward to build a state-of-the-art downtown on a 28-acre parcel owned by the city. As the North Bay’s only so-called “planned city”—that is, its mapping and infrastructure were planned out prior to development—Rohnert Park was created in the late 1950s from scratch, when the vast acreage of the Rohnert Seed Farm was developed into a neighborhood-focused community
of schools, parks, housing and families. Now it has the rare opportunity to design its city center strategically using best-practice 21st century planning concepts. In a few years, Rohnert Park could boast the North Bay’s busiest destination downtown. But what will creating a modern-day downtown from scratch look like? How do city leaders and the business community work to make things happen? Where did Rohnert Park come from? And what’s there now? In this special section sponsored in partnership with the City of Rohnert Park, NBb takes an in-depth look at the self-stylized Friendly City—what’s ahead, what’s behind and what are the fun things to do once you’re there. From its humble origins as a seed farm, Rohnert Park blossomed into a thriving community of over 40,000 residents—and stands at the precipice of its next phase of exciting growth. Greatest city in the North Bay—who can truly say? But here’s the pitch for Rohnert Park.— Jason Walsh, editor
Welcome to the Friendly City
Rohnert Park 2025
NorthBaybiz 7
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