Petaluma, California

Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
City
	Clockwise from top left: St. Vincent de Paul Church; Rancho Petaluma, Petaluma Historic Commercial District; Petaluma Historical Library and Museum
	Flag
	Etymology: Péta Lúuma, Coast Miwok for "Backside of the Hill"
	Location in Sonoma County and the state of California
	Petaluma Location in California Petaluma Location in the United States
	Coordinates: 38°14′45″N 122°37′53″W / 38.24583°N 122.63139°W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Sonoma
Incorporated	April 12, 1858
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Mayor	Kevin McDonnell
• Vice Mayor	John Shribbs
• City Manager	Peggy Flynn
Area
• Total	14.52 sq mi (37.61 km2)
• Land	14.41 sq mi (37.34 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2) 0.74%
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	59,776
• Density	4,146.8/sq mi (1,601.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP code	94952–94954
Area code	707
FIPS code	06-56784
GNIS feature IDs	277575, 2411407
Website	cityofpetaluma.net

Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census.^[5]

Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village named Péta Lúuma that was located on the banks of the Petaluma River.^[6]^[7] The modern city originates in Rancho Petaluma, granted in 1834 to famed Californio statesman Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, considered to be the founder of Petaluma.^[8]^[9] Today, Petaluma is known for its well-preserved historic center and as a local hub for the Petaluma Valley region of Sonoma County.^[10]

^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
^ "Petaluma City Council". City of Petaluma. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^ "Petaluma". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ ^a ^b "Petaluma Quickfacts from the US Census Bureau". US Census Bureau.
^ Gudde, Erwin Gustav; William Bright (1998). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names (Second ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 287. ISBN 978-0-520-21316-6.
^ Billiter, Bill (January 1, 1985). "3,000-Year-Old Connection Claimed : Siberia Tie to California Tribes Cited". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014. The similarities of the Siberian-California Indian words include some well-known places, he said. "Petaluma (a city in Northern California) would be understood in Siberia even today," he said. "It means 'flat back,' as in the flat back of a hill.
^ Press Democrat - Young Mariano Vallejo was Petaluma's 'founding father'
^ National Park Service - Petaluma Adobe
^ Kay Ransom, C. Michael Hogan, Ballard George et al., Environmental Impact Report for the Petaluma General Plan, prepared by Earth Metrics Inc. for the city of Petaluma (1984),

[CAC-1] "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.

[cc-2] "Petaluma City Council". City of Petaluma. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[CenPopGazetteer2019-3] "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.

[gnis-4] "Petaluma". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.

[US_Census-5] "Petaluma Quickfacts from the US Census Bureau". US Census Bureau.

[6] Gudde, Erwin Gustav; William Bright (1998). California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names (Second ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 287. ISBN 978-0-520-21316-6.

[Siberian-origin-7] Billiter, Bill (January 1, 1985). "3,000-Year-Old Connection Claimed : Siberia Tie to California Tribes Cited". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on November 28, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014. The similarities of the Siberian-California Indian words include some well-known places, he said. "Petaluma (a city in Northern California) would be understood in Siberia even today," he said. "It means 'flat back,' as in the flat back of a hill.

[8] Press Democrat - Young Mariano Vallejo was Petaluma's 'founding father'

[9] National Park Service - Petaluma Adobe

[ransom-10] Kay Ransom, C. Michael Hogan, Ballard George et al., Environmental Impact Report for the Petaluma General Plan, prepared by Earth Metrics Inc. for the city of Petaluma (1984),

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