Petaluma, California

The city of Petaluma is located on the northernmost navigable end of the Petaluma River within the borders of Sonoma County. Petaluma’s name comes from the ancient Coast Miwok language, meaning “hill backside,” presumably in reference to nearby Sonoma Mountain. The name also belonged to a Miwok village located in present-day Petaluma east of the Petaluma River. Spanish settlers arrived in the area in 1776 after California became part of the Spanish empire in the 1770s, and then the area became part of Mexico after that country gained its independence from Spain in 1821. By 1836, the land was the space for the construction of Rancho Petaluma Adobe by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who had obtained a land grant from the Mexican government in 1834. Today, this ranch is among the oldest and best preserved of its kind — a consequence of being one of the very few areas that experienced relatively minor effects of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Despite San Francisco’s proximity to Petaluma, the city is auspiciously located on sturdy bedrock that weathered the effects of the earthquake. As a result, there are still many intact pre-1906 buildings, including lovely Victorian homes that have been restored and add character to the small city. In fact, the construction of newer homes and businesses were rerouted, preserving a historic district that is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Petaluma was known as the “Egg Capital of the World” in the earlier part of the 20th century, and it once had the largest chicken-processing factory in the nation. Indeed, Petaluma is where the egg incubator was invented in 1879. Today, Petaluma still thrives on a robust agricultural economic base as the home of several dairy farms and vineyards. In addition to its historic importance in the agricultural industry, Petaluma has more recently been identified as the "Telecom Valley," as it has been the venue for several telecommunication startups. One such startup was Advanced Fibre Communications, which went on to be purchased by Cisco. 

In order to balance its rich past with the new industries that are cropping up in the Petaluma, the city’s controlled development plan mitigates population growth and urbanization within sustainable levels. The city planning is now contracted out, but Petaluma still maintains restrictions upon the rate and density of urban growth to maintain the city’s characteristic spaciousness and small-town feel. Based on the historic planning of Petaluma and the foresight of government, a green space, known as the Urban Growth Boundary, exists around the city limits. This boundary prevents development and protects Petaluma from urban sprawl from the north and the south. The 2010 census reported that Petaluma had a population of 57,941.

The Brod Law Firm represents individuals and small business throughout Northern California, and in all parts of Sonoma County. The Brod Law Firm helps Petaluma residents with personal injury cases of all kinds, and in injury cases, we operate on a contingency-fee basis, which means that no legal fees will be owed unless there is a recovery of money. The Brod Law Firm proudly serves the community of Petaluma, and provides Spanish-speaking legal services to the Spanish-speaking community of this city.

The directions to our San Francisco office from Petaluma are as follows: Take U.S. Highway 101 south to the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. Make a left at Lombard Street, turn right onto Van Ness Avenue, and turn left onto Bush Street. Continue onto First Street and turn right onto Mission Street. Turn right onto Anthony Street and take the first right onto Jessie Street. The office is at 100 Pine St #1250., which is the brick building at the corner of Anthony and Jessie streets.