city, Sonoma county, western California, U.S. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of San Francisco and 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Santa Rosa, in the Sonoma Valley (made famous by Jack London as the “Valley of the Moon”). It was founded in 1835 by military officer Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (who had been sent to investigate the Russian outpost at Fort Ross, 50 miles north-northwest) at the site of the Mission San Francisco Solano, the last (1823) and most northerly of the 21 Franciscan California missions. The name Sonoma comes from a Wintun Indian word for “nose,” probably derived from a local Indian chief and tribe. Vallejo's home (1850) and the restored mission now form the main part of Sonoma State Historic Park. On June 14, 1846, a small band of American settlers invaded Sonoma and captured Vallejo and his Mexican military garrison.
They raised the improvised Bear Flag of California (designed by William Todd, nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln) and declared a republic, which lasted until July 9. In the 1850s a Hungarian count, Agoston Haraszthy, planted thousands of cuttings from European grape vines around his Buena Vista vineyard (east of the city) and laid the foundation for the vast California wine industry. Wine making, diversified farming, and tourism (particularly in relation to its wineries and vineyards) are the city's economic mainstays. Inc. 1881. Pop. (1990) 8,121; (2000) 9,128.
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