PETALUMA

city, Sonoma county, western California, U.S., at the head of navigation on the Petaluma River, 38 miles (61 km) north of San Francisco. Founded in 1852, it derived its name from the Rancho Petaluma (Miwok Indian pe'ta, "flat"; lu'ma, "back"). The poultry and egg industry, dairying, and wine making are foremost commercial activities, supplemented by light manufactures (notably processing machinery and fishing tackle). Nearby is the Petaluma Adobe State Historical Park (the restored home of Mexican general Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, built about 1836). Inc. town, 1858; city, 1884. Pop. (1990) city, 43,184; Santa Rosa-Petaluma PMSA, 388,222.