Cotati Real Estate Market Report For February 2011     Cotati CA, is situated 50 miles North of San Francisco and 23 miles East of the Pacific Ocean. Considered the "Hub of Sonoma County", Cotati was incorporated as a City in 1963, largely due to an effort to NOT become part of neighboring Rohnert Park. Today, Cotati has approximately 7,500 residents. Cotati is a unique town, as unique as its Hexagonal Plaza, one of only two in the United States. Cotati's Plaza is a gathering place for locals and home to many celebrations and festivals. With the motto "Keep Cotati Weird", its residents love fun and diversity. The graphs below will help you understand recent trends in the Cotati Real Estate Market. Data for these graphs is derived from the Bay Area Real Estate Information System (BAREI... 03/14/2011

Cotati Real Estate Market Report For January 2011 Cotati CA, is situated 50 miles North of San Francisco and 23 miles East of the Pacific Ocean. Considered the "Hub of Sonoma County", Cotati was incorporated as a City in 1963, largely due to an effort to NOT become part of neighboring Rohnert Park. Today, Cotati has approximately 7,500 residents. Cotati is a unique town, as unique as its Hexagonal Plaza, one of only two in the United States. With the motto "Keep Cotati Weird", its residents love fun and diversity. Downtown La Plaza park is a gathering place and home to the annual Kids Day Parade, Cotati Jazz Festival, Cotati Accordian Festival and the Cotati Oktoberfest. With Cotati's close proximity to Sonoma State University, Thursday evenings are famous for what is known as the Cotat... 02/15/2011

For the past 20 years, I have lived in Cotati across the street from a 10 acre parcel. On the property, at one time, was one of the first houses ever built in my small City along with a stone outbuilding. Historians tell us it was quite the party house, especially during prohibition. The property was sold to a developer in 2002, who promptly went through the motions of having a subdivision approved by the City. During this process, thick brush and diseased trees were removed which exposed the long hidden buildings to the public. The removal of the trees and brush created what is referred to as an "attractive nuisance". Gawkers on foot and in cars would stop and stare at the buildings as if they had never seen one before. This was big news in this small City, with a line of cars to prove... 02/05/2011

Don't wait until the last minute, Valentine's Day is right around the corner! If you haven't discovered LV Flowers in Cotati yet, you are in for a real treat. The flower arrangements are spectacular, the owner is super nice and the prices can't be beat.     Order your Valentine's Day flower arrangement before February 10th, and you will receive 15% off your purchase. If flowers aren't your thing, you can still find the perfect gift at LV Flowers. Keep it local, shop Cotati!       LV Flowers 8295 Old Redwood HwyCotati, CA 94931 (707) 794-9575   01/31/2011

I love the small town of Cotati California, where I have lived for 20 years. We have young hippies, old hippies, an accordion festival, the infamous Cotati Crawl and a claim to be the "hub of Sonoma County". Downtown Cotati, which is 1 1/2 blocks long, sports 4 bars, a head shop, a tattoo parlor, a glove repair shop (NBL players' gloves), several restaurants and a smattering of small independent shops. And our motto? Keep Cotati Weird. 01/28/2011

  Thanksgiving in my home this year was on Saturday, after waiting for 4 remaining family members to arrive. Because of this, the Turkey Trot couldn't begin until Sunday morning, just to be safe. Sure enough, I went outside to fetch the Sunday morning paper and about 30 "Thanksgiving survivors" were parading up and down my street. They stopped traffic and weren't in any hurry to let anyone by. Even the Chihuahua I had in tow couldn't get them to move any faster. Count your blessings, you lucky Turkeys!       11/29/2010

Do you talk to your neighbors in your pajamas? Well, my answer is "normally, no". But when I went outside to retrieve the newspaper from my driveway at 6:05AM, I noticed that Sonoma County was going to have a fabulous sunrise. So I went back in the house, grabbed my camera and headed three houses down the street so I could get a shot without a distracting telephone pole in the photo. After taking several shots, I heard "Hey Cynthia" from behind me. My neighbor Chuck startled me since I was so involved with what I was doing I didn't even hear him come out of his house. And yes, I had my pajamas on. Not just any pajamas, my Grinch pajamas. Good thing it was still pretty dark out, I don't think he noticed all of the white snowflakes and green Grinch heads on blue flannel. Oh well, who does... 11/05/2010

  On the first day of Christmas ... COTATI HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING - Wednesday, December 1, 2010, 6:00PMGather in La Plaza Park at the bandstand to sing Christmas carols at 6:00PM and await the arrival of Santa Claus. Santa will light the Christmas tree to signal the beginning of the Christmas season. After the tree lighting, cross the street to the Cotati Fire Station for cookies, cocoa, cider and holiday music. Bring your camera, Santa Clause will be there to greet the kids.   On the second day of Christmas ... HOLIDAY CHEER AND COTATI CRAWL - Thursday, December 2, 2010, 5:30PM - 8:30PMNot to be outdone by the Sonoma State University students, the adults will have their OWN Cotati Crawl on this particular Thursday. Cotati residents 21 years and older are invited to "crawl" Cotati's loun... 10/24/2010

Business Of The Week - Masala Jack's, Cotati CA Spicy! Flavorful! Affordable! Who wants to cook dinner on a Friday night? Evidently not very many people in Cotati do, because Masala Jack's was hoppin' busy with diners and take out orders. I decided to dine-in for a change. I have a confession to make ... Masala Jack's is where I eat almost every Friday evening. As soon as you walk in the door your senses are flooded with the aroma of wonderful spices that make Indian Cuisine so enjoyable. You can choose where you would like to sit, sometimes I prefer to select a table where I can view the flat screen with it's endless stream of Bollywood music videos. The selections on the menu have variable degrees of spicy hot, just follow the number of red peppers next to each offering. The more pepp... 09/18/2010

It's festival time again in Cotati, CA. The Cotati Oktoberfest kicks off at noon in La Plaza Park on Saturday, October 9th! Now is the time to dig out and dust off that pair of lederhosen in the back of your closet, you'll want to be in proper attire for this party. Bring your appetite, Sally Tomatoes will be serving wunderbar German food that you can wash down with beer from Lagunitas Brewing Company. A live band will be playing plenty of oom-pah-pah Bavarian beer drinking music on stage while food is served under a huge tent. The Cotati Oktoberfest will have contests this year, including prizes for best adult and youth costumes. I predict the most popular and entertaining contest will be the Beer Stein Carry, a test of how many full beer steins you can manage to carry without dropping... 09/15/2010

Cotati Corner Wine Bar, Cotati CA Have you ever been jaw-dropping shocked when looking at price tags in a specialty wine bar? I have, some wine bars will have nothing more than very expensive bottles of wine for sale. Not so with Cotati Corner Wine Bar, they have over 150 hand selected wines that are $25.00 or less! Chris Ary, Wine Consultant and Owner, is on hand to help you with the selection of that perfect bottle of wine. Chris personally tastes every wine that he sells, discovering most of them at small local wineries in Sonoma and Napa Counties. His main focus is on wine that is derived from self sustaining vineyards using green and organic methods of growing. Thursday evening is a special night at Cotati Corner Wine Bar. From 5:00 to 7:30PM, Chris pours several selections of his ... 09/10/2010

If your teenager became of driving age in or near Cotati, CA, chances are they learned how to drive with Miller Driving School. I get an almost daily reminder of the valuable service this business provides, not only because I live in Cotati, but also because I live on a hill. While starting and stopping are very important driving skills to master, so is learning how to curb your wheels. My hill = great place to practice. When I step out my front door, there is a good chance a Miller Driving School car is resting a couple of houses down from mine. They'll see me get into my car and prepare to back into the street. The instructor, in the meantime, has just finished explaining how to do a three point turn, their next maneuver. And now we sit. Who is going to make the first move? If we both... 08/25/2010

    Today marks the first day of the 20th Annual Accordion Festival in Cotati, CA. The graphic above is an actual bumper sticker that is often seen on cars in Cotati. While exiting the grocery store last night, I had the pleasure of getting a preview of what this festival is all about. The colorful outfits and beautiful accordions are quite the sight when thousands converge on La Plaza Park in Cotati today and tomorrow.         08/21/2010

Cotati Accordion Festival Dust off your squeeze box, the 20th annual Cotati Accordion Festival is right around the corner! This year the Cotati Accordion Festival will be held on August 21st and 22nd. That's right, this is a two day event. The cost is $15 per day (pre-pay, $17 at the door) or $25 for both days. Those 15 and under get in free with an adult. Music is scheduled to start promptly at 9:45AM and will continue until 7:30PM. The Cotati Accordion Festival (try to say that three times real fast) has grown very large over the years. Once a free event with bleachers and white doves, the magnitude of the sold out crowd has mandated street closures and portable fencing. Some people laugh when they hear about our festival but I have to tell you that this is some SERIOUS stuff! The Cot... 07/21/2010

Cotati's Hexagonal Plaza, one of only two hexagonal layouts in the United States, was designed during the 1890s as an alternative to the traditional grid. The only other U.S. City with a hexagonal layout is Detroit, Michigan. The graphic to the right depicts the hexagonal/rectangular grid plan for Detriot in 1807. Hexagonal street patterns were proposed by several planners in the early 20th century as well and was a leading alternative to the rectangular grid for residential subdivisions. It lost out to loops and cul-de-sacs. Did it just look to far-fetched on paper? One planner even went as far as to prove that hexagonal planning would require less fire hydrants and shorter water and sewer lines to service residential developments. Whatever the case, hexagonal planning today is virtua... 07/15/2010

Annual Kids Day Parade In Cotati The Annual Kids Day Parade In Cotati kicks off at 10AM on Saturday, July 17th, from the Ray Miller Community Center at 216 E. School street. This parade isn't just for kids. Adults, community groups and businesses are also invited to attend. And to start your day out right, be sure to check out the Annual Pancake Breakfast that takes place right before the parade begins. The theme for this years Annual Kids Day Parade is Adventures In Candy Land. You guessed it, all parade participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Candy Land board game character. The Redwood Empire Chapter of the Harley Owner's Group will get things revved up and roaring as they lead the parade through the streets of Cotati. Personally, I would love to see Gloppy from the... 07/14/2010

Annual Pancake Breakfast In Cotati The Annual Pancake Breakfast In Cotati will be on Saturday, July 17th at Church Of The Oaks, located on the corner of West Sierra and Page streets. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for kids 12 and under. Breakfast hours will be from 7AM to 10AM. After breakfast, prop your beach chair on the sidewalk for a front row seat to the Annual Kids Day Parade which starts right across the street! The theme for this years parade is Adventures In Candy Land and, you guessed it, kids will be encouraged to dress up as their favorite Candy Land board game character. If you've never been inside Church Of The Oaks, you are in for a treat. Completed in 1907, this church has been a Cotati landmark for 103 years. Many wedding vows have taken place here and it isn't unusual t... 07/14/2010

Sunday, June 20th, is the day for the Piano Drop Picnic In Cotati.  Larsen's Feed And Pet Supply (no relation) is the venue for this community picnic and Father's Day celebration.  Larsen's is located on the corner of Hwy 116 and Stony Point, the festivities will be from 2:00 to 5:00PM. Six pianos that have been uniquely decorated by non-profit organizations will be auctioned off to benefit the Cotati Arts Project.  This Project has been created to continue to bring arts to the community during this time of economic woe. Bring your picnic basket or buy your lunch at Larsen's.  Spread out your blanket then join in the fun with horseshoes, gunnysack races and of course, sign up for the pie eating contest. The cost is $5.00 for adults, those under 18 get in free!! The grand finale will be ... 06/19/2010

The 30th Annual Cotati Jazz Festival kicks off at Noon on Saturday, June 19th. This years theme is Antiques, Pianos and Jazz, Oh My! and is FREE to the public.  La Plaza Park will be the central gathering area with wine tasting, FOOD, beer, a bandstand and a dance floor.  When you arrive, pull up a hay bale and join in the fun. Although the main event takes place in La Plaza Park, jazz ensembles can be found at several venues within walking distance at nearby restaurants and clubs. The Cotati Jazz Festival will conclude at 7:00PM in the park, but you can expect the fun to continue at the Cotati Yacht Club, Spancky's Bar and Friar Tuck's Pub until the wee hours. Six pianos that were hand painted and decorated by local non-profit organizations will be on display.  The pianos have been sit... 06/18/2010

Simply said, Red's Recovery Room was the true definition of a Dive Bar. It was a falling-down sun-bleached wooden shack. It was dusty. The floors sloped enough to make you think you'd had too much to drink even though you had just arrived. The walls were adorned with team pennants and girlie photos. There was a glass case filled with hundreds of billiards trophys. And it was immortalized in a Tom Waits song called "Filipino Box Spring Hog". Red's was opened in 1976 by owners Robert ("Red") and Maureen Lehan.  Their bartender, Dee, worked for them for over 25 years.  Dee would keep the customers entertained, having the mouth of a Sailor, a heavy pour, and an endless supply of jello shots. During the early years, Red's had washers and dryers in a room off the bar.  On the weekends, guys w... 05/20/2010