Most of the time it seems as if the City of Sonoma gets all the attention in our Valley, and it does get more than its share. Most recently, our little city was included on a list of the Ten Most Unaffordable Places to Live in America. Not the sort of award we’d prefer, but it’s just the latest in a long list of attention-getting headlines the city has garnered over the years. Previous headlines have been about chickens, leaf blowers, and a dead body found in a barrel in front of Sonoma City Hall.
Sonoma Valley, however, is much more than the City of Sonoma, no matter its fame or infamy. The city contains but a quarter of the Valley’s population, and is home to the least diverse portion of that. Though it remains the economic hub of the Valley, trends in the Bay Area overall have impacts well beyond the city’s limits, and changes are happening throughout Sonoma Valley, as the Airbnb vacation rental controversy amply illustrates. Like the saltwater intruding our aquifers, Bay Area and foreign money is relentlessly pushing its way into every nook, cranny and crevice of our Valley.
Undeniable is the beauty of Sonoma Valley, which simultaneously enriches the lives of those of us who live here and acts as a magnet to those who want to join us. And beyond Sonoma’s city limits are communities, historic towns and special places which make our charming little valley much bigger, indeed.
Kenwood, Glen Ellen and all points between them and the City of Sonoma create a remarkable fabric of cultures, lifestyles and interests. In many respects, the Sonoma Valley of fifty or even a hundred years ago is still around in the Valley and can be found and enjoyed. Those willing to leave the well-worn paths and venture outward on foot are rewarded with experiences, views and places worth celebrating.
Sometimes that celebration needs to be on the quiet and personal side – our own little secret — lest a special spot become too well known and popular, which in the end alters the very ambience that makes it special. We think this is the true challenge facing our Valley: In a time and culture that seeks to commercially exploit just about anything, can the quiet richness of Sonoma Valley be preserved?
It’s often a fine line between celebration and exploitation. We applaud the efforts of those who want to preserve the history of our time-weathered buildings, old orchards, stately oak trees, seasonal creeks, and other natural features of the Valley that simply cannot be replaced. We also salute those trying to preserve the sanctity of residential neighborhoods, and we appreciate the efforts of Supervisor Susan Gorin in crafting some sensible regulations to put the brakes on the commercialization of our residential neighborhoods, both urban and rural.
We close with a hearty endorsement of the Valley’s diversity, cultural and economic. It is through diversity that our Valley can retain its resilience, strength and unique flavor. No individual culture, economic class or ethnic group alone is enough to sustain the health and treasure of Sonoma Valley. “It takes a Valley” to insure a future that we and our grandchildren can cherish.
SUN Editorial Board
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