Cotati, California

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Cotati is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States. Cotati's hexagonal downtown plaza is listed as a California Historical Landmark, one of only two hexagonal town layouts in the United States. The population was 6,471 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography and geology
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Government
5 Education
6 Entertainment
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Geography and geology

Cotati is located at 38°19′42″N, 122°42′24″W (38.328247, -122.706713)^GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²). 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.53% is water. The city lies entirely in the drainage basin of the Laguna de Santa Rosa.

Most of the soils of the Cotati area is characterized by Quaternary (recent) alluvial materials, explicitly those areas bordering Laguna de Santa Rosa and its tributary Washoe Creek. This material consists largely of stream and valley alluvium as well as artificial fill in certain areas. Active faults near Cotati are the Rodgers Creek Fault (five miles east) and the Tolay Fault (two miles west).^[1]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 6,471 people, 2,532 households, and 1,607 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,329.0/km² (3,444.3/mi²). There were 2,585 housing units at an average density of 530.9/km² (1,375.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.56% White, 2.33% African American, 0.90% Native American, 3.60% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 4.40% from other races, and 4.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.52% of the population.

There were 2,532 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05.

The population was distributed with 25.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. The median income for a household was $52,808, and the median income for a family was $62,419. Males had a median income of $44,771 versus $35,779 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,206. About 5.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age over 64.

[edit] History

In July of 1844, the Mexican government granted Rancho Cotate (encompassing present-day towns of Cotati, Penngrove and Rohnert Park, and originally home of the Coast Miwok native people ) to Captain Juan Castenada, in payment for his military services in the region as a soldier under General Vallejo ^[2]. The grant took its name from Kotati (Kota'ti), a Coastal Miwok village^[3], although a legend arose that Cotati was named after a local Indian named Chief Cotati.

Rancho Cotate was 17,238.6 acres and included present day Rohnert Park, Cotati and Penngrove.^[2] Captain Castenada moved to San Francisco without developing it.

In 1849, Dr. Thomas S. Page purchased the land, which stayed in his family for over eighty years. Subject to seasonal flooding from the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the land was used to graze cattle and sheep. In October 1870, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad completed the first railroad from Petaluma to Santa Rosa, and a town formed around the wood and water stop called Page's Station, then Cotati.^[2]

Cotati's unique hexagonal plaza and street grid plan was designed during the 1890s by Newton Smyth as an alternative to the traditional grid. Dr. Thomas Page's barn once stood where the plaza is today, and each of the streets surrounding the plaza is named after one of his sons. In 1892 the Page family created the Cotati Land Company to subdivide their ranch into parcels of five to twenty acres.

In 1963, less than a year after the incorporation of the lands north of town to form Rohnert Park, voters unanimously approved incorporation of Cotati as a separate city.^[2]

[edit] Government

Cotati is governed by a city council with five members, who rotate through the offices of mayor and vice mayor.

[edit] Education

The city is served by Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District.

[edit] Entertainment

Cotati offers one of the county's vibrant nightlife scenes. A number of nightspots offer live entertainment, including:

Cotati Yacht Club
Spancky's Cabaret
Sweet Lou's
Tradewinds
8-Ball
Reds Recovery Room
Friar Tucks
Buffalo Billiards

[edit] Notes

^ Environmental Impact Report for the La Plaza Specific Plan, Cotati, California, Earth Metrics Inc., San Mateo Ca. (1990)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d DeClercq, 1977.
^ Access Genealogy.