The town of Sonoma with its 9,000 people is centered around the Historic Sonoma Plaza, a National Historic Landmark and the largest plaza in the state of California. Surrounding the plaza are many historic buildings and retail stores, including the Sonoma Cheese Factory, early Mexican military barracks, the famous Franciscan Mission, and the historic Ledson Hotel on the eastern side.

In the middle of the plaza, Sonoma’s City Hall was designed with four identical sides, so as not to offend the storeowners on any side of the plaza. Now that is a democratic approach to city planning!

In Sonoma, you find the typical standard form of a Mexican town, centered on an eight-acre plaza that serves as the city’s focal point.