City (pop., 2000: 147,595), western California, U.S. Santa Rosa lies at the foot of the Sonoma Mountains, northwest of San Francisco .
Founded in 1833 and incorporated in 1868, it developed as a processing and shipping centre for the agricultural produce of the Sonoma valley. The economy relies on retail services catering to an increasing residential population. The city was the site of the home and gardens of plant breeder Luther Burbank . Nearby is the Jack London Memorial.