Formally known as the "Egg Basket of the World" for its bustling egg industry in the early 20th century.

Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, part of the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, located 37 mi north of San Francisco. Its population was 57,941 according to the 2010 Census. The Rancho Petaluma Adobe, located in Petaluma, is a National Historic Landmark.

Petaluma is engaged in a slow motion evolution from its historic past as the egg producing capital of the country through the still lingering 50s town where American Graffiti and Peggy Sue Got Married were filmed to a modern bedroom community where shopping centers live. The west side of Petaluma sports many stately Victorians along mature, tree-lined avenues, the more traditional downtown with antique shops, restaurants and a working Petaluma River basin, popular with weekend boaters and rowing crews. Helen Putnam Park in the rolling hills provides plenty of hiking trails with expansive views of the valley floor. The east side of Petaluma has more the feel of a growing family friendly bedroom community with a Kaiser Permanente facility, newly developed shopping center anchored by Target, a brand new local chain Friedman’s Hardware, Trader Joe’s, Lucchesi Park with an active community center and Shollenberger wetlands park with hiking/biking paths offer a close up encounter with extensive migrating birding opportunities. The Carneros appellation borders the east side and vineyards continue to expand their reach into surrounding hillsides.