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History
Welcome to the History of Cotati! The purpose of this exhibit is to create an electronic version of our history for all to enjoy, whether you are with us here in Cotati or have popped in to visit us from across the world. To begin the tour, visit the pages in our navigation. While there are a number of historic photos scattered throughout.
This section is sponsored by the City of Cotati and the Cotati Chamber of Commerce. If you are interested in learning more about Cotati, be sure and visit their websites.
Most of the exhibits on this website were contributed for use by Lloyd and Prue Draper. Lloyd and Prue worked to create a comprehensive archive to preserve the history of Cotati for our generations, and those that follow. If you have a photograph, or some other historical artifact that you are concerned about preserving as part of our history, please email Historical Society.
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19th Century
At the time of its incorporation as a city on July 16, 1963, Cotati already had a rich historical heritage.
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Early 20th Century
By the turn of the century, many parcels of Cotati land had been sold as small farms. The freight transportation offered by the railroad through town, the development of the new county road, and the sudden need for businesses serving a growing agricultural community, all combined to make Cotati something of a boom town.
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Birth of a City
The town had developed by fits and starts since the turn of the century, and by the end of the '50's had become a close knit community that clung fiercely to its claim of being "the Hub of Sonoma County."
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In the Sixties
The year 1968 saw the birth of the counter culture's influence on Cotati. The Inn of the Beginning came alive and brought nationally and internationally recognized musicians to Sonoma County. The major forms of music played were rhythm and blues, rock and roll, country and western, and folk.
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Cotati Today
For the past two decades, Sonoma County has been growing at a rapid pace, welcoming vast numbers of new residents to the area. Many of these transplants have moved to the area in an effort to escape the crowded city life of the larger Bay Area cities to the south such as San Francisco and San Jose.