City0
- Public SchoolsB+
- Crime & SafetyC
- HousingC-
- NightlifeB+
- Good for FamiliesB-
- DiversityA
- JobsC+
- WeatherA+
- Cost of LivingD+
- Health & FitnessA-
- Outdoor ActivitiesA
- CommuteA-
Real Estate
Median Home Value
$458,500
National
$184,700Median Rent
$1,432
National
$949Sponsored Mortgage Options for Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Rankings
Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.
Crime & Safety
Crime & Safety
C
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Residents
Working in Santa Rosa
Jobs
C+
Based on employment rates, job and business growth, and cost of living.
Median Household Income
$67,144
National
$55,322Santa Rosa Reviews
415 reviews
All Categories
Been here 7.5 yrs. Like it but don't love it. It's a pretty town/area. If you don't have a good job here, you'll feel poor. Rent is through the roof! IF U CAN'T pay STUPID high $$ in rent Don't move here unless u got some kinda sweet deal!We own our home & it's gone up since we bought. Really nice being close to the beach. Weather pretty good overall but wild fires/drought becoming a real problem in this area. (been evacuated twice!) Restaurants are hit or miss. The Mexican food in this town should be better than it is given the number of Mexicans here but its only so so. The working class and lower middle class here are beginning to leave to find cheaper places to live. The rich people of this city don't seem to do much to help aside from attend events to raise money. Homes are 30-40% overpriced. Like many other places in America, the distance between the people w/ means and the people who struggle is widening and it is sad to watch. If you come here do your homework completely.
Santa Rosa, California has been my hometown since my birth. Growing up Santa Rosa has been drastically changed. As a child I remember lots of empty acres of land available for sale. But today, Santa Rosa is huge with some many diverse cultures. You can get some of the best local food here in Santa Rosa. Feeling like taking a Cruze? You can take the back roads and enjoy a beautiful afternoon cruzing their the vineyards and the distant hills. Even though these recent fires have divested many and I personally. Santa Rosa has not stopped working and will continue to become a better place to live. I hope own day when I reach retirement age to come back to Santa Rosa and spend the rest of my life here! SANTA ROSA STRONG!
Santa Rosa is an overall great place to live. There are always pros and cons to every area. For example, it's a very beautiful city but very expensive to live here. It is extremely family friendly with tons to do whether you want to explore downtown or enjoy your time outside at the various regional and state parks we have here. We're in the heart of wine country with a 30 minute drive to the Bodega Bay coast or an hour to the big city of San Francisco. We're also 3 hours from Tahoe if you're into skiing or snowboarding. As stated before, it is pricy to live here and I would say that's the biggest downside. Whether you're renting or buying, you're going to be spending a lot on housing. Traffic can be bad during rush hour but it is nothing like traffic in Southern California. Overall, I have loved growing up in this beautiful city!