Sebastopol is 56 miles north of San Francisco in California, on Gravenstein Highway (CA-116) and Luther Burbank Memorial Highway (CA-12), 7 miles west of Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Administration Center. It lies 13 miles east of Bodega Bay and the Pacific coastline, 10 miles from the Russian River recreation region. It is 102 miles from the State Capitol of Sacramento and 405 miles north of Los Angeles. Elevation ranges from 65 to 250 feet in the rolling hills.
Sebastopol has a moderate climate with southwesterly prevailing winds of 10 m.p.h. The average rainfall is 36 inches annually, concentrated between the months of December and March. No recorded snowfall. Frost is possible December through March, usually less than 10 days per year.
Sebastopol has nineteen churches, one public library, one weekly newspaper, one television cable system, multiple parks and playgrounds and one public swimming pool. There is a Community Center and Art Center, ball parks, public golf course, tennis courts and the Veterans Memorial Building. Nearby resorts, campgrounds and State Parks add to the recreation facilities. There are also service clubs, fraternal and social organizations, trade associations, youth and sports groups. Art, gardening and music clubs are popular throughout West Sonoma County.
Sebastopol has its own full-service Police Department. In addition, the County Sheriff’s Department provides protection in unincorporated areas. The Sebastopol Volunteer Fire Department has over 30 volunteers with six trucks. Three adjacent volunteer fire districts also provide service.
Sebastopol has one general hospital. There are also physicians, surgeons, an eyecare surgery center, optometrists, dentists, orthodontists, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage centers, psychiatrists, acupuncturists, and two convalescent hospitals.
Check local listings for current information. Burbank Heights is a subsidized senior housing project.
Highways: U.S. 101, State Highways 12 and 116. Bus service is provided by Sonoma County Transit within the County of Sonoma. Also, local buses provide service to both the San Francisco and Oakland Airports for a fee. Sonoma County Airport, in Santa Rosa, has passenger and freight service.
The City of Sebastopol is a small semi-urban community located in California, on the western edge of the Santa Rosa plain. It is 50 miles north of San Francisco, 8 miles west of Santa Rosa, 10 miles from Bodega Bay, and about 15 miles from the Russian River. The City, incorporated in 1902, currently has a population of about 7,800 people and serves a trade area population in excess of 50,000 people.
Sebastopol has a Council-Manager form of government, with five Council members elected at-large. The City has its own Police, Fire and Public Works departments, as well as other city departments. With a very low crime rate, Sebastopol remains among the safest cities in Northern California.
Sebastopol's public schools rank among the highest in the area in terms of student achievement, and also enjoy strong community and parent support.
There are a diversity of housing types in the Sebastopol area, ranging from 100-year old Craftsman bungalows and farmhouses to modern subdivisions, apartments and condominiums. In the countryside surrounding Sebastopol, properties with vineyards, apple orchards, redwoods, streams and other features are not uncommon. Home prices and rental rates tend to be higher than some other areas of Sonoma County.
The City is located in a region that produces the majority of the world supply of Gravenstein apples and more recently has become a significant grape-growing region for high quality wines. Sebastopol is also the gateway to the popular Russian River and coastal recreation areas.
A new General Plan in 1994 set the stage for limited and carefully controlled growth. In 1996 the voters adopted an Urban Growth Boundary consistent with the General Plan.
In the 1990’s several key new businesses were opened, including a multi-plex theater (reborn from an old apple brandy distillery) and two hotels. Two significant civic improvements also were developed: a Downtown Plaza, along with downtown streetscape improvements, and the Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Preserve. In 2008, the City opened a Skategarden Park, including a state-of-the-art skatepark, and a community garden. In addition, faced with the planned closure of Sebastopol’s Palm Drive hospital, the community successfully banded together in a remarkable grass-roots effort to buy the hospital and keep it in operation.
Although future growth will be modest, Sebastopol is a dynamic community. Local services are excellent, community spirit is high, and improvements continue.