Santa Rosa Neighborhoods
By Maja Wood, About.com Guide to Santa Rosa, CA
Santa Rosa can best be thought of as a city with four large neighborhoods (or quadrants) and a downtown in the middle. This is because Highway 101 runs north - south through the middle of Santa Rosa, dividing the city into an eastern and western half, while Highway 12 / 4th Street runs east – west and cuts Santa Rosa further into a northern and southern half. So, the neighborhoods are: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, and Downtown. Because of these geographical divisions, each section of Santa Rosa has developed its own, unique character and lifestyle.
Downtown Santa Rosa
There are three parts to Downtown Santa Rosa: 4th Street (which is what most people mean when they say "downtown"), Historic Railroad Square and Santa Rosa Plaza shopping mall. At one time, Downtown Santa Rosa was considered a jewel and city planners from throughout California used it as a model. But little by little, due to earthquakes and poor city planning (such as having Hwy. 101 run right through downtown and then building a mall in the middle), downtown had lost much of its former charm. But, the pendulum is on the upswing, and revitalization efforts have been steering downtown back to its former glory.
West Santa Rosa
This is the area of the city which lies west of Hwy 101.
East Santa Rosa
This is the area of the city which lies east of Hwy. 101.
