Petaluma is a re-invigorated town. Recently celebrating their sesquicentennial, Petaluma has turned into a town where everyone wants to live close to downtown so they can walk to all the fine restaurants and shops. With a recent infusion of $75 million that was used to create “The Theater District”, taking an area near the Petaluma River that was abandoned lots and old car dealerships into a prestigious area with a multi screen movie theater, riverfront living and fine dining and shopping. Even before this transformation, the downtown business district is historic, with numerous brick and iron fronted buildings that were building in the 1890’s. Numerous movies have been filmed in Petaluma because of the setting. There are also two neighborhood historical districts surrounding the downtown, ensuring that both the large Victorians and the quaint bungalows will continue to add to the charm of Petaluma.

Petaluma is a strong support of the arts, with numerous art galleries located downtown amongst all the antique stores. This year Petaluma will be hosting the first International Film Festival, featuring independent films from around the world. Since Petaluma is located in a rural setting, don’t miss the Art Trails event, hosted one weekend during the summer when all the local artists open their studios to the public. The city has just redone the old railroad freight building into the Petaluma Arts Center, located next door from the restored old train station which is now the Visitor Center (web site Visit Petaluma) . So there is much to do in Petaluma – and most of it is within walking distance of the downtown business district.