View source for Sebastopol, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{for-multi|the community in Nevada County|Sebastopol, Nevada County, California|the Ukrainian city on the [[Crimean Peninsula]]|Sevastopol|the community in Trinity County, Texas|Sebastopol, Texas}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the table at Template:Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of their usage-->
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->| official_name = Sebastopol, California
| settlement_type = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
| other_name = 
| native_name = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
<!-- images and maps  ----------->| image_skyline = SebastopolMainStreetEdit2722.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| image_caption = Main Street in Downtown Sebastopol
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| flag_size = 
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| seal_size = 
| nickname = 
| motto = 
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| mapframe-point = none
| named_for = [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)|Siege of Sevastopol]]
| pushpin_map = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief = 1
<!-- Location ------------------>| coordinates = {{coord|38|23|57|N|122|49|37|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[California]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Sonoma County, California|Sonoma]]
<!-- Politics ----------------->| established_title3 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date3 = June 13, 1902<ref name="CAC">{{Cite web
 |url         = http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
 |title       = California Cities by Incorporation Date
 |format      = Word
 |publisher   = California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s
 |access-date  = August 25, 2014
|url-status     = dead
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 |archive-date = October 17, 2013
|df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
| leader_title = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name = Jill McLewis
| leader_title1 = [[City manager]]
| leader_name1 = Mary Gourley (interim){{update after|2026|01|31|reason=New city manager should have been hired by the end of January}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 11, 2025|title= Mary Gourley appointed Interim City Manager for the City of Sebastopol |url=https://www.thecommunityvoice.com/community/mary-gourley-appointed-interim-city-manager-for-the-city-of-sebastopol/article_52e2cfba-dd63-44d7-92f5-fa397a081446.html|access-date=October 16, 2025|website=The Community Voice|language=en-US}}</ref>
| leader_title2 = [[Sonoma County Board of Supervisors|County supervisor]]
| leader_name2 = Lynda Hopkins<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 5, 2024|title=Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins claims reelection in unopposed race for third term|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-supervisor-lynda-hopkins-claims-reelection-in-unopposed-race/|access-date=December 17, 2024|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref>
| leader_title3 = [[California's 2nd State Assembly district|Assemblymember]]
| leader_name3 = {{Representative|caad|2|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=ccrc>{{Cite web |title=Final Maps {{!}} California Citizens Redistricting Commission |url=https://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/final-maps/ |access-date=August 28, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| leader_title4 = [[California State Legislature|State Senator]]
| leader_name4 = {{Representative|casd|2|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=ccrc/>
| leader_title5 = [[California's 2nd congressional district|U. S. Rep.]]
| leader_name5 = {{Representative|cacd|2|fmt=usleader}}<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|2}}</ref>
<!-- Area------------------>| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 30, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi = 1.88
| area_total_km2 = 4.87
| area_land_sq_mi = 1.88
| area_land_km2 = 4.87
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
| area_water_km2 = 0.00
| area_water_percent = 0
| area_metro_km2 = 
| area_metro_sq_mi = 
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="GNIS">{{Cite GNIS|277599|Sebastopol|date=January 12, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_ft = 82
| elevation_m = 25
<!-- Population   ----------------------->| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name=2025QF>{{cite web|title=QuickFacts: Sebastopol city, California|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sebastopolcitycalifornia/PST045225|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=May 20, 2026}}</ref>
| population_note = 
| population_total = 7521
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = <!-- General information  --------------->
| timezone = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
| utc_offset = -8
| timezone_DST = PDT
| utc_offset_DST = -7
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code = 95472-95473
| area_code_type = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code = [[Area codes 707 and 369|707, 369]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info = {{FIPS|06|70770}}
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info = {{GNIS 4|277599}}, {{GNIS 4|2411857}}
| website = {{URL|www.cityofsebastopol.gov}}
| pop_est_as_of = 2025
| pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="2025QF"/>
| population_est = 7532
}}

'''Sebastopol''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|ˈ|b|æ|s|t|ə|p|oʊ|l|,_|-|p|u:|l}} {{respell|sib|AST|ə|pohl|,_-|pool}}) is a city in [[Sonoma County, California]], United States with a recorded population of 7,521, per the [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]].<ref name="QF2020">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sebastopolcitycalifornia/PST045224 |title=QuickFacts: Sebastopol City, California |website=census.gov |accessdate=June 3, 2025}}</ref>

Sebastopol was once primarily a plum- and apple-growing region.<ref name="plum">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-luther-burbank/|title=These produce varieties were first cultivated in Sonoma County|last=Martell|first=Maci|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=October 10, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> The creation of The Barlow, a $32&nbsp;million mall on a floodplain in Sebastopol, has converted old agricultural warehouses into a marketplace for dining, tasting rooms, and art, and has made Sebastopol a [[Wine Country]] destination.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 24, 2012|title=CANNERIES REBORN: BARLOW PROJECT TURNS IDLE SEBASTOPOL PLANTS INTO ARTISAN FOOD CENTER|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/canneries-reborn-barlow-project-turns-idle-sebastopol-plants-into-artisan/|access-date=January 20, 2021|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="flood">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-flood-swamped-the-barlows-plans-caught-most-by-surprise/|title=Sebastopol flood swamped The Barlow's plans, caught most by surprise|last=Callahan|first=Mary|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=April 21, 2019|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

Horticulturist [[Luther Burbank]] had gardens in this region.<ref name="plum"/><ref name="amiot">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2015/03/09/humorous-junk-art-sculpture-dots-quirky-sebastopol/|title= Humorous junk-art sculpture dots quirky Sebastopol|website=[[Bay Area News Group]]|date=August 28, 2017|access-date=December 14, 2024}}</ref> The city hosts an annual Apple Blossom Festival in April, Gravenstein Apple Fair in August, and is home to the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival.<ref name="blossom">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sonomacountygazette.com/sonoma-county-news/sebastopol-apple-blossom-parade-2024/|title=78th annual Apple Blossom parade unites community|last=Windsor|first=Amie|website=Sonoma County Gazette|date=April 29, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="fair">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-gravenstein-apple-fair/|title=Sebastopol's Gravenstein Apple Fair has roots in over century-old apple show|last=Martell|first=Maci|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=July 25, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="doc">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/entertainment/sebastopol-documentary-film-festival-to-take-a-year-off/|title=Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival to take a year off|last=Taylor|first=Dan|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=June 28, 2023|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

==History==
===Etymology===
The settlement was originally named Pine Grove.<ref name="GNIS">{{Cite GNIS|277599|Sebastopol|date=January 12, 2015}}</ref> The name change to Sebastopol has historically been attributed to a bar fight in the late 1850s, which was allegedly compared by a bystander to the long Allied [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55)|siege of the seaport of Sevastopol]] (1854–1855) during the [[Crimean War]] of 1853–1856.<ref name="lebaron">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/a-distant-war-a-fistfight-and-our-own-sebastopol/|title= A distant war, a fistfight, and our own Sebastopol|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=March 9, 2014|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="amiot"/><ref name="peace">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-unveils-its-living-peace-wall/|title=Sebastopol unveils its 'Living Peace Wall'|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=October 11, 2015|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> The original name survives in the name of the Pine Grove General Store downtown.

===Indigenous history and early settlers===
The area's first known inhabitants were the native [[Coast Miwok]] and [[Pomo people|Pomo]] peoples. The town currently sits atop multiple village sites.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Barrett|first=Samuel A.|date=1908|title=The Ethno-geography of the Pomo and Neighboring Indians|url=https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/ucp006-003-004.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315174549/http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/ucp006-003-004.pdf |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |url-status=live|journal=University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology|volume=6|issue=1}}</ref> The town of Sebastopol formed in the 1850s with a [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Post Office]] and as a small trade center for the farmers of the surrounding agricultural region. As California's population swelled after the [[Westward expansion trails|westward migration]] and the [[California Gold Rush]] of 1848–1855, settlers drifted into the fertile California valleys north of San Francisco to try their hand at farming. Sebastopol's early settlers included immigrants from a variety of national origins, including a substantial Chinese population that formed a [[Chinatowns in the United States|Chinatown]] in the present-day downtown core beginning in the 1880s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 15, 2016|title=A look back at Sonoma County's immigrant labor history|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/a-look-back-at-sonoma-countys-immigrant-labor-history/|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Gravenstein era, incorporation and 1906 earthquake===
[[File:Sebastopol, California (circa 1891-1900).jpg|thumb|Main Street {{Circa|1898}}]] 
[[File:Sebastopol, California (1908).jpg|thumb|Main Street, 1908]]

Sebastopol became known as the "[[Gravenstein]] Apple Capital of the World."<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 2014|title=What Happened to Sebastopol's Gravenstein Apples?|url=https://www.sonomamag.com/bringing-back-apples-years-gone/|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=[[Sonoma Magazine]]|language=en-US}}</ref> The apple industry brought a steady rural prosperity to the town. In 1890 the [[San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad]] connected Sebastopol to the national rail network.<ref>{{cite book | author= Stindt, Fred A.| title= The Northwestern Pacific Railroad Redwood Empire Route|edition= 3rd| publisher= Fred A. Stindt|year= 1978}}</ref> The town was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1902, with schools, churches, hotels, canneries, mills, wineries, and an opera house to its credit. The [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] reduced most of these early buildings to rubble (Sebastopol is only {{Convert|7|mi|abbr=out|disp=or}} from the city of Santa Rosa, the worst-hit town in the 1906 earthquake){{Citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=Some say it's offshore of SF, just add a citation please :)}} , but as elsewhere in the county, the town was rebuilt. Contemporary research from the [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]] found that Sebastopol experienced the highest intensity shaking during the earthquake.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 18, 2006|title=Retracing the path of the 1906 earthquake|url=https://www.npr.org/2006/04/18/5347831/retracing-the-path-of-the-1906-earthquake|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=[[National Public Radio]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

The Enmanji Japanese Buddhist Temple was dedicated in 1934. Originally built by the [[South Manchuria Railway|Manchurian Railroad Company]] and exhibited in the [[Century of Progress|Chicago World's Fair]] of 1933, the [[Kamakura]]-style temple was dismantled and shipped to Sebastopol, where it was reconstructed without the use of nails.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 12, 2018|title=Celebrating Sonoma County's Japanese immigrants|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/celebrating-sonoma-countys-japanese-immigrants/|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Enmanji Buddhist Temple in Sebastopol, 1990s.|url=https://digital.sonomalibrary.org/documents/detail/48263|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Sonoma County Library|language=en-US}}</ref>

In the second half of the 20th century, the apple industry struggled to compete with other apple-producing regions, and gradually declined in economic significance. With greater personal mobility and the rise of larger shopping centers in other Sonoma County communities, many residents now commute to work and shop in the neighboring towns, and a majority of local vehicle trips end in [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]].<ref name="tbs">{{Cite web|title=Sonoma County Travel Behavior Study|url=https://scta.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Sonoma_TBS_2-7-2020_web.pdf|date=February 7, 2020|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Sonoma County Transportation Authority|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Railways and highways===
[[File:CA_116_Sign_-_Sebastopol_(30687938993).jpg|thumb|right|Petaluma Avenue, one-way northbound portion of Highway 116]]

Sebastopol once had working [[Street running|railroad trains on Main Street]], and the tracks were removed in the late 1980s.<ref name="train">{{Cite web|title=Southern Pacific train traveling down Sebastopol's Main Street in 1983|url=https://digital.sonomalibrary.org/documents/detail/251670|date=1983|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Sonoma County Library|language=en-US}}</ref> Passenger service had ceased in the 1930s, and regular freight service ended in the late 1970s.<ref name="train"/> This was documented by [[Analy High School]] students in a 1979 video ''Our Train Down Main: a History of the [[Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad]]''. The canneries and apple-processing plant are gone from downtown, and vineyards and housing developments have replaced many apple orchards, reducing the demand for freight service. The region's last remaining apple processing plant, Manzana Products, announced in 2024 that they would relocate operations to the [[Yakima Valley AVA|Yakima Valley]] of [[Washington (state)|Washington]] by early 2026.<ref name="manzana">{{Cite web|url=https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/article/manzana-sonoma-apple-plant-delay/|title=Manzana Products delays exit from Sonoma County apple plant|last=Quackenbush|first=Jeff|website=[[North Bay Business Journal]]|date=September 9, 2024|access-date=December 14, 2024}}</ref>

Around the time of the removal of rail tracks, the [[California State Route 116|Gravenstein Highway (State Route 116)]] routing through town was redesigned with a pair of one-way streets. Main Street and Petaluma Avenue were designated one-way streets in the 1980s in an attempt to deal with the town's perennial traffic problem.<ref name="gwen">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/gwen-anderson-former-sebastopol-mayor/|title=Gwen Anderson, former Sebastopol Mayor|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=March 19, 2011|access-date=December 14, 2024}}</ref>

===Environmental innovation===
In 1985, the city passed an ordinance declaring Sebastopol a [[nuclear-free zone]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 7, 2010|title='Nuclear Free Zone' sign in Sebastopol may get more slogans|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/nuclear-free-zone-sign-in-sebastopol-may-get-more-slogans/|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref> The town does not use pesticides in city landscaping.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 2, 2000|title=Resolution 5108|url=https://www.cityofsebastopol.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/res5108sustainseb.pdf|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=cityofsebastopol.gov|language=en-US}}</ref> Sebastopol became the second city in California (after [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]]) to require [[Solar power|solar panels]] on all new homes in 2013,<ref name="grist">{{Cite web|url=https://grist.org/climate-energy/sebastopol-requiring-solar-panels-on-all-new-homes/|title=California town of Sebastopol will require solar panels on all new homes|last=Upton|first=John|website=[[Grist (magazine)|Grist]]|date=May 9, 2013|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> a requirement implemented statewide by 2020.<ref name="solar">{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-solar-mandate-20181214-story.html|title=Starting in 2020, all new homes in California must come with solar panels. Builders are getting ready|last=Flemming|first=Jack|website=Los Angeles Times|date=December 14, 2018|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> The neighboring city of [[Petaluma, California|Petaluma]] passed the first ban in the world on new gas stations in 2021; Sebastopol also imposed a ban along with the North Bay cities of [[American Canyon, California|American Canyon]], [[Calistoga, California|Calistoga]], and [[Rohnert Park, California|Rohnert Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rushe |first=Dominic |date=August 17, 2021 |title=This town is the first in America to ban gas stations – is the tide turning? |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/17/end-american-gas-station-ban |access-date=December 15, 2024 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref name="gas">{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-11/california-cities-ban-new-gas-stations-amid-climate-change|title=California cities ban new gas stations in battle to combat climate change|last=Toohey|first=Grace|website=Los Angeles Times|date=July 11, 2022|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

===Housing and growth limits===
Sebastopol adopted an [[urban growth boundary]] in its 1994 [[general plan]] to restrict urban development outside the boundary. The boundary was formally adopted by a ballot initiative in 1996, and was renewed and extended with additional ballot initiatives as recently as 2016.<ref name="ugb">{{Cite web|title=Sebastopol Urban Growth Boundary - Ordinance Number 1090|url=https://www.cityofsebastopol.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ORD-1090-Renewal-of-the-Sebastopol-Urban-Growth-Boundary-Adopted-June-2016.pdf|date=June 7, 2016|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=cityofsebastopol.gov|language=en-US}}</ref>

After decades of minimal development and stagnating population, the city has responded locally to the larger [[California housing shortage]] with affordable housing for low-income residents and people experiencing [[Homelessness in California|homelessness]]. In 2007, the city purchased land on the banks of the [[Laguna de Santa Rosa]] to operate Park Village, a city-owned mobile home park for both long-term residents and people exiting homelessness.<ref name="pv">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-mobile-home-park-tests-new-model-low-income-housing/|title=Low-income housing model offers hope: 'If it weren't for this place, I don't know where I'd be'|last=Callahan|first=Mary|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=February 21, 2019|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> In partnership with the [[Sonoma County, California|County of Sonoma]] and using [[Project Roomkey#Transition into Homekey|Project Homekey]] funds, the former Sebastopol Inn was converted to [[supportive housing]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and renamed Elderberry Commons.<ref name="elderberry">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/gov-newsom-in-sebastopol-to-spotlight-state-aid-for-homeless-services/|title=Gov. Newsom in Sebastopol to spotlight $12 billion in state aid for homeless services, housing|last=Varian|first=Ethan|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=July 19, 2021|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> An 84-unit [[affordable housing]] development, including 48 units for farmworkers funded through [[USDA Rural Development]], was approved under a [[California Senate Bill 35 (2017)|Senate Bill 35]] streamlined approval process in 2022.<ref name="woodmark">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/developer-enlists-2017-law-to-advance-stalled-sebastopol-affordable-housing/|title=Developer enlists 2017 law to advance stalled Sebastopol affordable housing project|last=Chavez|first=Nashelly|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=April 13, 2022|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="SB35">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/law-has-streamlined-hundreds-of-affordable-housing-units-in-sonoma-county/|title=Law has streamlined hundreds of affordable housing units in Sonoma County|last=Hay|first=Jeremy|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=April 27, 2023|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

===Fiscal crisis===
In April 2021, $1.2 million was stolen from the city’s reserves account in email-based [[Internet fraud|cyber fraud]].<ref name="cyber">{{Cite web|url=https://www.healdsburgtribune.com/insurance-starting-to-recover-12-million-stolen-from-sebastopol-in-cyber-fraud/|title=Insurance starting to recover $1.2 million stolen from Sebastopol in cyber fraud|last=Escovedo|first=Camille|website=Healdsburg Tribune|date=January 12, 2022|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> The fraud came as the city was already facing a looming budget deficit, estimated at $2.9 million by 2024.<ref name="deficit">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-tax-increase-budget-cut/ |title=Sebastopol mulls sales tax hike, big cuts to fill $2.9 million budget hole: Here's how to weigh in|last=Windsor|first=Amie|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=July 3, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> Initial actions to curb the fiscal crisis included a 37% water and sewer rate increase in 2024. The rate hike generated controversy, with the mayor indicating that she was “utterly shocked” that the city would charge interest on an internal loan transferring money between the general fund and wastewater fund.<ref name="sewer">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-wastewater-loan-budget/ |title='Utterly shocked': Inside the tension and confusion over Sebastopol city finances|last=Windsor|first=Amie|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=August 9, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

Local residents passed a ½ cent sales tax in the [[2024 California elections|2024 general election]] to prevent further deficit spending. The tax would push Sebastopol’s sales tax over the state cap of 10.25% to 10.5% if approved by the [[California Attorney General]], and would become the highest local sales tax in the state outside of [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]].<ref name="measureu">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-measure-u-election/|title=Sebastopol voters pass Measure U half-cent sales tax hike, bringing rate to California's second-highest ... maybe|last=Windsor|first=Amie|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=November 5, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

===Modern agricultural economy===
Sebastopol is home to national food and beverage producers including [[Guayakí (company)|Guayakí]], Redwood Hill Creamery, Traditional Medicinals, and Bachan’s.<ref name="brands">{{Cite web|url= https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/23-brands-based-in-sonoma-county-that-are-nationally-known/|title= 23 brands based in Sonoma County that are nationally known|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=July 19, 2021|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2024/07/12/fresh-take-why-bachans-barbecue-sauce-could-be-the-next-sriracha/|title=Why Bachan's Barbecue Sauce Could Be The Next Sriracha|last=Sorvino|first=Chloe|website=[[Forbes]]|date=July 17, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

[[Cider in the United States#California hard cider|Cideries]] have grown in Sebastopol in celebration of the Gravenstein apple legacy.<ref name="cider">{{Cite web|url= https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/gravenstein-apple-fair-sebastopol-cider/|title= Record number of cider producers join showcase at Gravenstein Apple Fair|last=Doyle|first=Sarah|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=July 26, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="mercury">{{Cite web|url= https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/27/sebastopol-cider-tasting-apple-farms-put-sonoma-county-town-back-on-the-map/|title=Sebastopol: Cider tasting, apple farms put Sonoma County town back on the map|last=Ross|first=Martha|website=[[Mercury News]]|date=September 27, 2021|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> [[Ace Cider]] was founded in 1993,<ref name="brands"/><ref name="ace">{{Cite web|url=https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/article/ace-cider-sonoma-jeffrey-house/|title=Ace Cider founder missed chance to buy back brand. Now his job is to revive it|last=Quackenbush|first=Jeff|website=[[North Bay Business Journal]]|date=October 11, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> and Golden State Cider, which started with apples from a Sebastopol orchard, established a tasting room in The Barlow District in 2019.<ref name="mercury"/><ref name="jackson">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/golden-state-cider-bought-by-chris-jackson-of-seismic-brewing-co/|title=Golden State Cider bought by Chris Jackson of Seismic Brewing Co.|last=Swindell|first=Bill|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=May 11, 2022|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

Sebastopol is in the [[Russian River Valley AVA]], and a variety of wineries and tasting rooms are located in the area. Several local producers and establishments specialize in [[natural wine]],<ref name="natural">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/best-natural-wine/|title=Top Places to Drink Natural Wine in the Bay Area|last=Mobley|first=Esther|website=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=December 11, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="pdnw">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/meet-the-makers-of-natural-wine-a-movement-gaining-momentum-in-sonoma-coun/|title=Meet the makers of natural wine, a movement gaining momentum in Sonoma County|last=Melnik|first=Peg|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=February 21, 2023|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="psychic">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/psychic-pie-pizza-19425053.php|title=The secret to this Bay Area pizzeria's power? Divine sourdough|last=Hernandez|first=Cesar|website=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=May 8, 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="ba">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/martha-stoumen|title=How Natural Winemaker Martha Stoumen Turns Work Into Highly Drinkable Play|last=Noonan|first=Lizzie|website=[[Bon Appetit]]|date=August 6, 2019|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref> including The Punchdown, an [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]-originated natural wine bar nominated for a [[James Beard Award]] in 2022.<ref name="punchdown">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/the-punchdown-james-beard-nominated-natural-wine-bar-expands-to-sebastopo/|title=The Punchdown, James Beard-nominated natural wine bar, expands to Sebastopol|last=Doyle|first=Sarah|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=May 23, 2023|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

As of 2024, Sebastopol has two restaurants with [[Michelin Guide#Bib Gourmand|Bib Gourmand]] recognition in the annual [[Michelin Guide]]: Khom Loi and Ramen Gaijin.<ref name="bib">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sonomamag.com/california-michelin-awards-ceremony-was-a-hot-mess/|title=Single Thread, Cyrus Keep Michelin Stars for 2024 |last=Irwin|first=Heather|website=[[Sonoma Magazine]]|date=August 2024|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[Image:PostcardSebastopolCAPanoramaViewCirca1908.jpg|thumb|View of Sebastopol {{Circa|1909|lk=no}}, with [[Mt. St. Helena]] on the horizon]]

The downtown intersection of [[California State Route 12|State Route 12]] and [[California State Route 116|State Route 116]] (Gravenstein Highway) is approximately {{convert|9|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} west of [[U.S. Route 101 in California|U.S. Route 101]].<ref name="snapshot">{{cite web|url=https://www.cityofsebastopol.gov/our-community/sebastopol-profile/|publisher=cityofsebastopol.gov|access-date=December 15, 2024|title=Sebastopol Snapshot}}</ref>

Sebastopol is situated on the edge of the [[Laguna de Santa Rosa]], which is fed by [[Santa Rosa Creek]] and other tributaries, including three minor tributaries within the city limits: Zimpher Creek, Calder Creek and Witter Creek.<ref name="calder">{{Cite web|url=https://norcalpublicmedia.org/2022091681053/news-feed/sebastopol-looks-at-potential-futures-for-downtown-creek|title=
Sebastopol looks at potential futures for downtown creek|last=Abrams|first=Noah|website=[[Northern California Public Media]]|date=September 15, 2022|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="storm">{{cite web|url=https://www.cityofsebastopol.gov/storm-water/|publisher=cityofsebastopol.gov|access-date=December 15, 2024|title=Storm Water}}</ref> The Laguna is a [[wetland]] area that is home to many species of wildlife and vegetation and divides the town from neighboring Santa Rosa. The Laguna frequently floods during the winter, cutting off State Route 12, and often flooding the low-lying businesses and homes on the eastern side of Sebastopol.<ref name="flood"/> The [[Pitkin Marsh lily]] and [[White sedge]] are two [[rare species]] of plants that are found in the vicinity of Sebastopol.<ref name="atascadero">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopols-atascadero-creek-has-a-rich-history/|title=Sebastopol's Atascadero Creek has a rich history|last=Dawson|first=Arthur|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|date=April 22, 2016|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref><ref name="OPR">{{cite web|url=https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2007088336|publisher=[[California Governor's Office of Planning and Research]]|access-date=December 15, 2024|title=Lower Pitkin Marsh, Sonoma County}}</ref>

The city has a total area of {{convert|1.9|sqmi|km2|1|abbr=on}}, all land.<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| align = right
| 1880 = 197
| 1910 = 1233
| 1920 = 1493
| 1930 = 1762
| 1940 = 1856
| 1950 = 2601
| 1960 = 2694
| 1970 = 3993
| 1980 = 5595
| 1990 = 7004
| 2000 = 7774
| 2010 = 7379
| 2020 = 7521
| estyear = 2025
| estimate = 7532
| estref =<ref name="2025QF"/> {{increase}}
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2023 |reason=No mention of Sebastopol at this reference}}<br/>2020<ref name="2025QF"/>
| align-fn = center
}}

===Racial and ethnic composition===
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Race and Ethnicity
! Racial and ethnic composition
! 2000<ref name=datacensus2000p2>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US0670770&y=2000&d=DEC+Redistricting+Data+(PL+94-171)&tid=DECENNIALPL2000.PL002|publisher=US Census Bureau|title=2000: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)}}</ref>
! 2010<ref name=datacensus2010p2>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US0670770&y=2010&d=DEC+Redistricting+Data+(PL+94-171)&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=US Census Bureau|title=2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)}}</ref>
! 2020<ref name=datacensus2020p2>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US0670770&y=2020&d=DEC+Redistricting+Data+(PL+94-171)&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=US Census Bureau|title=2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)}}</ref>
|-
! [[Non-Hispanic whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
| 85.35%
| 81.87%
| 74.66%
|-
! [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino (of any race)]]
| 9.26%
| 11.99%
| 14.36%
|-
! [[Multiracial American|Two or more races (non-Hispanic)]]
| 2.32%
| 2.59%
| 6.18%
|-
! [[Asian American|Asian (non-Hispanic)]]
| 1.49%
| 1.57%
| 2.43%
|-
! Other (non-Hispanic)
| 0.23%
| 0.19%
| 0.96%
|-
! [[African American|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)]]
| 0.64%
| 0.92%
| 0.82%
|-
! [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American (non-Hispanic)]]
| 0.62%
| 0.62%
| 0.40%
|-
! [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic)]]
| 0.09%
| 0.24%
| 0.19%
|}

===2020 census===
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], Sebastopol had a population of 7,521 and a population density of {{convert|3,996.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The age distribution was 17.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% aged 18 to 24, 20.7% aged 25 to 44, 27.0% aged 45 to 64, and 29.0% aged 65 or older. The median age was 50.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0133P,DP1_0137P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=place%3A70770&in=state%3A06|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 27, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref><ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=place%3A70770&in=state%3A06|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 27, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

The racial makeup of the city was 78.0% [[White Americans|White]], 0.9% [[African Americans|Black or African American]], 1.1% [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native]], 2.5% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.2% [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander]], 5.7% from other races, and 11.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] residents of any race were 14.4% of the population.<ref name="Census2020DP"/><ref name="Census2020PL"/>

The census reported that 98.5% of residents lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.1% were institutionalized. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DP"/><ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=place%3A70770&in=state%3A06|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=April 27, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

There were 3,411 households, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.7% were married-couple households, 7.5% were [[cohabitation|cohabiting]] couple households, 17.4% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 38.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 35.0% of households were one person, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17. There were 1,910 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (56.0% of all households).<ref name="Census2020DP"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Sebastopol city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDHC2020.P16?g=1600000US0670770 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=June 3, 2025}}</ref>

There were 3,562 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,892.7|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 3,411 (95.8%) were occupied. Of occupied units, 52.7% were owner-occupied and 47.3% were renter-occupied. Of all housing units, 4.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.3%, and the rental vacancy rate was 2.5%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/><ref name="Census2020PL"/>

===Income and poverty===
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $99,600, and the [[per capita income]] was $52,441. About 3.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sebastopol city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=1600000US0670770 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=June 3, 2025}}</ref>

===2010 census===
The [[2010 United States census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0670770|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715033117/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0670770|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Sebastopol city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Sebastopol had a population of 7,379. The population density was {{convert|3,982.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Sebastopol was 6,509 (88.2%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 72 (1.0%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 60 (0.8%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 120 (1.6%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 19 (0.3%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 298 (4.0%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 301 (4.1%) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 885 persons (12.0%).

The Census reported that 98.3% of the population lived in households and 1.7% were institutionalized.

There were 3,276 households, out of which 902 (27.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,220 (37.2%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 478 (14.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 156 (4.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 206 (6.3%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 52 (1.6%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 1,132 households (34.6%) were made up of individuals, and 498 (15.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21. There were 1,854 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (56.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.82.

The age distribution was 1,515 people (20.5%) under the age of 18, 471 people (6.4%) aged 18 to 24, 1,587 people (21.5%) aged 25 to 44, 2,525 people (34.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,281 people (17.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.

There were 3,465 housing units, with an average density of {{convert|1,870.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, of which 52.9% were owner-occupied and 47.1% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%. 53.7% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 44.5% lived in rental housing units.

The median income for a household in the city was $60,322 (+29.9% from 2000), and the median income for a family was $74,020 (+32.7% from 2000). The median [[per capita income]] for the city was $29,470 (+28.8% from 2000). For comparison, statewide California median per capita income in the 2010 Census was $27,885 (+22.8% from 2000).

==Arts and culture==
[[File:The_Barlow_-_December_2021_-_Sarah_Stierch_01.jpg|thumb|right|The Barlow marketplace]]
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2024}}
Places of interest in Sebastopol include:
* Sebastopol Center for the Arts
* [[Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm]]
*[[Guayakí (company)|Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products]] world headquarters
* The historic Hogan Building: This was the Power House for the [[Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad]], an electric railway. The first cars were run on the line in 1904, and the later named Hogan Building, built of stone from a local quarry, is one of the few in the area to withstand the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]].
* West County Museum, operated by the Western Sonoma County Historical Society in the former [[Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad]] passenger depot
* [[George A. Strout House]]
* Ives Park, summer home of the Sonoma County Repertory Theater
* [[Ragle Ranch Regional Park]]
* [[Joe Rodota Trail]]
* [[West County Trail]]
* [[Laguna de Santa Rosa]]
* Sebastopol Community Cultural Center
* The Barlow, an outdoor mall on the eastern edge of town, built on the floodplain of the Laguna de Santa Rosa

==Government==
[[File:Sebastopol Depot of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway, 261 S. Main St., Sebastopol, CA 7-11-2010 3-44-21 PM.JPG|thumb|Sebastopol train depot]]

===Local===
The city council consists of five members, each serving four-year terms. The city's laws are enforced by the [[Sebastopol Police Department]].
City council races are not partisan, so each member does not officially represent any party; however, since 2000 there has been a decent amount of attention given to the individual party membership of city council members in Sebastopol. This happened because, with the election of Craig Litwin and Sam Spooner to the city council in that year's election, the town had a [[Green Party of the United States|Green Party]] majority—or would have, if city council races had been partisan.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 31, 2000|title=Green Party Makes Inroads in Local Governments|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/31/politics/green-party-makes-inroads-in-local-governments.html|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=[[New York Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref> This was only the second time this had ever happened in California, the first being the town of Arcata in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 9, 2000|title=Historic City Council Election in Sebastopol / Second in U.S. ever to have Green majority|url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/historic-city-council-election-in-sebastopol-2697904.php|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

The mayor is Stephen Zollman.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 5, 2024|title=Sebastopol names Stephen Zollman mayor, Jill McLewis vice mayor|url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sebastopol-new-mayor-council/|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cityofsebastopol.gov/your-government/mayor-council/|title=Mayor & Council|access-date=December 14, 2024|website=cityofsebastopol.gov|language=en-US}}</ref>

A former mayor, Robert Jacob, who was selected by the city council in December 2013, was the owner of two [[medical marijuana]] dispensaries in Sonoma County. He was reported to be the first American mayor to be involved in the industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Rob-Jacob-Pot-Clinic-Owner-Turns-Sebastopol-Mayor-1st-in-Country-234753731.html|title=California Pot Clinic Owner Turns Mayor, 1st in Country|work=NBC Bay Area|date=December 6, 2013 |access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>

===State and federal===
In the [[California State Legislature]], Sebastopol is in {{Representative|caad|2|fmt=adistrict}}, and [[California's 2nd State Senate district]], represented by Mike McGuire.

Federally, Sebastopol is in {{Representative|cacd|2|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|2|access-date=March 1, 2013}}</ref>

According to the [[Secretary of State of California|California Secretary of State]], as of February 10, 2019, Sebastopol has 5,285 registered voters. Of those, 3,346 (63.3%) are registered [[California Democratic Party|Democrats]], 518 (9.8%) are registered [[California Republican Party|Republicans]], and 1,137 (21.5%) have [[Decline to State|declined to state]] a political party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/ror-odd-year-2019/politicalsub.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323230212/https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/ror-odd-year-2019/politicalsub.pdf |archive-date=March 23, 2019 |url-status=live|title=CA Secretary of State – Report of Registration – February 10, 2019|website=ca.gov|access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:AnalyHighSchool.JPG|thumb|right|Analy High School]]

Sebastopol Union Elementary School District and West Sonoma County Union High School District are the local school districts.<ref name=SDMap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06097_sonoma/DC20SD_C06097.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sonoma County, CA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-12-07}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06097_sonoma/DC20SD_C06097_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> Both districts cover the entirety of city limits, while the Twin Hills Union School District, [[Gravenstein Union School District]], and Oak Grove Union School District serve the rural outskirts of Sebastopol and feed into the West Sonoma County Union High School District.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scoe.org/files/district_map.pdf|title=Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) District Map|website=www.scoe.org}}</ref>

[[Analy High School]] is the primary high school serving grades 9-12 in the West Sonoma County Union High School District. Following the merger of Analy and [[El Molino High School]] in 2021, Analy serves the broader west Sonoma County community.<ref name="Hbg">{{Cite web|url=https://www.healdsburgtribune.com/analy-and-el-molino-to-consolidate-laguna-students-to-move-to-el-molino-campus/|title=Analy and El Molino to consolidate, Laguna students to move to El Molino campus|last=Escovedo|first=Camille|website=[[Healdsburg Tribune]]|date=March 12, 2021|access-date=December 14, 2024}}</ref> The high school district also operates Laguna High School, a [[continuation school]] located on the former El Molino campus in nearby [[Forestville, California|Forestville]].

Sebastopol Union operates two schools: Park Side ([[Transitional kindergarten|TK]]-4) and Brook Haven (5–8).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sebastopolschools.org/|title=Sebastopol Union School District|website=www.sebastopolschools.org}}</ref>

The Sebastopol Union School District also acts as the sponsor district for the Sebastopol Charter School, a K-8 public [[Waldorf education|Waldorf]] [[charter school]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sebastopolcharter.org/about/our-charter/|title=Sebastopol Charter School|website=www.sebastopolcharter.org}}</ref> The Twin Hills Union School District sponsors the K-8 SunRidge Charter School within the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunridgeschool.org/|title=Sunridge Charter School|website=www.sunridgeschool.org}}</ref>

Sebastopol Charter had the highest percentage (58%) of kindergarten students with medical exemptions to vaccines in California as of the summer of 2018.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sears-vaccines-fight-20180713-story.html|title=Pushback against immunization laws leaves some California schools vulnerable to outbreaks|last=Karlamangla|first=Soumya|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 13, 2018|access-date=August 10, 2018}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
===Law enforcement===
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2024}}
The Sebastopol Police Department employs 31 sworn and non sworn personnel, and 25 volunteers. The department was founded in the early 1900s.

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Luther Burbank]], horticulturist who established an {{convert|18|acre|m2|adj=on}} Gold Ridge Environmental Farm in the township in the late 19th century<ref name="amiot"/>
* [[Les Claypool]], bassist/vocalist of the band [[Primus (band)|Primus]]
* [[Peter Coyote]], narrator/author/actor
* [[Peter D'Amato]], author
* [[Jerry Garcia]] and [[Mickey Hart]] of the [[Grateful Dead]]
* [[Nina Gerber]], guitarist
* [[Laeh Glenn]], visual artist<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laeh Glenn - CV |url=https://altmansiegel.com/usr/library/documents/main/artists/32/lglennbio.pdf |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=Altman Siegel}}</ref>
* [[Schuyler Grant]], actress of the 1985 adaptation of ''[[Anne of Green Gables (1985 film)|Anne of Green Gables]]''
* [[Nick Gravenites]], singer/songwriter
* [[Jean Howell]], actress
* [[Alyssa Jirrels]], actress 
* [[Kitaro]], Japanese New Age recording artist
* [[Peter Krause]], actor<ref>[http://www.analy100.com/pages/timeline.html "Analy High School Centennial Celebration Historical Timeline"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723213032/http://www.analy100.com/pages/timeline.html |date=July 23, 2008 }}. [[Analy High School]]. Retrieved January 11, 2009.</ref>
* [[J.Lately]], rapper
* [[Luke Lamperti]], racing cyclist<ref>{{cite web|url=http://luxcycling.com/riders/luke-lamperti/|title=Luke Lamperti {{!}} LUX Cycling|date=August 30, 2018 |publisher=LUX Cycling|access-date=June 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630014434/http://luxcycling.com/riders/luke-lamperti/|archive-date=June 30, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Willard Libby]], inventor of [[carbon dating]], went to Analy High School
* [[Megan McDonald]], an American children's literature author of more than 25 books including the [[Judy Moody series|Judy Moody and Stink series]]
* [[Terence McKenna]], ethnobotanist
* [[John Mitzewich]], chef and YouTube host<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-story-of-kismet-and-other-major.html|first=John|last=Mitzewich|title=The Story of Kismet and Other Major Breaking News|date=November 4, 2019|access-date=March 25, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Matt Nix]], showrunner for ''[[Burn Notice]]''
* [[Johnny Otis]], rhythm and blues pioneer
* [[Justin Raimondo]], author<ref name=Raimondo>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/JustinRaimondo/status/299070859191140352|title=Justin Raimondo|work=Twitter|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name=ACLU>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/asset_upload_file218_12372.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814064904/https://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/asset_upload_file218_12372.pdf |archive-date=August 14, 2013 |url-status=live|title=ACLU of Northern California|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>
* [[Francine Rivers]], novelist
* [[Mario Savio]], freedom activist<ref name="amiot"/>
* [[Dave Schools]], bassist of the band [[Widespread Panic (band)|Widespread Panic]]
* [[Charles M. Schulz]], cartoonist and creator of ''[[Peanuts]]''
* [[Eli Meltzer|Smoov-E]], rapper
* [[Mary Lou Spiess]], polio survivor, disability rights advocate and pioneer of disabled fashion
* [[Rider Strong]], actor
* [[Karen Valentine]], actress of the television show ''[[Room 222]]''
* [[Obie Scott Wade]], screenwriter and creator of ''[[SheZow]]'', went to Analy High School
* [[Tom Waits]], singer/songwriter/musician
* [[Guy Wilson (actor)|Guy Wilson]], actor
* [[Kate Wolf]], singer/songwriter

==Sister cities==

*{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Chyhyryn]], [[Ukraine]]<ref name=about>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/aboutourtown.shtml|access-date=August 13, 2010|title=About Our Town|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730042638/http://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/aboutourtown.shtml|archive-date=July 30, 2010}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Takeo, Saga|Takeo]], [[Japan]]<ref name="sisters">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecommunityvoice.com/community/japan-and-ukraine-s-local-sister-cities/article_33fd5e2c-3c6d-11ee-bfe5-2b367ce92e05.html|title=Japan and Ukraine's local sister cities|last=Smith|first=Chris|website=The Community Voice|date=August 18, 2023|access-date=December 15, 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}
*[[Film locations in Sonoma County, California]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}
*''Our Train Down Main : a History of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad''. Sebastopol, CA: Analy High School, 1979. Videocassette (ca. 22 min.)

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Sebastopol}}
*{{Official website}}

{{Geographic Location
 | Centre = Sebastopol
 | North = [[Graton, California|Graton]]
 | Northeast = [[Healdsburg, California|Healdsburg]]<br />[[Windsor, California|Windsor]]
 | East = [[Santa Rosa, California|Santa Rosa]]
 | Southeast = [[Rohnert Park, California|Rohnert Park]]<br />[[Cotati, California|Cotati]]
 | South = [[Bloomfield, California|Bloomfield]]
 | Southwest = [[Valley Ford, California|Valley Ford]]
 | West = [[Freestone, California|Freestone]]
 | Northwest = [[Occidental, California|Occidental]]
}}
{{SF Bay Area}}
{{Sonoma County, California}}
{{Russian River}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sebastopol, California| ]]
[[Category:1902 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Cities in Sonoma County, California]]
[[Category:Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Nuclear-free zones in the United States]]
[[Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1902]]