Santa Rosa [key], city (1990 pop. 113,313), seat of Sonoma co., W Calif.; inc. 1868. It is an industrial city and a retail, financial, and medical center for the fertile Sonoma Valley. There is dairying; sheep and poultry are raised; and fruits, vegetables, grain, and nursery products are grown. Santa Rosa was one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities in the late 20th cent. Luther Burbank lived there, and his gardens are preserved as a monument. Of interest also is the Church of One Tree, built (1874) from a single redwood and now housing the Robert L. Ripley Memorial Museum. Sonoma State Univ. is nearby. In the vicinity are the Jack London “Wolf House” and memorial museum, Armstrong Redwoods State Park, and many other state parks and historic and natural attractions. Some areas of the city were destroyed by a deadly, fast-moving wildfire in Oct., 2017.
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