Cotati has had several very diverse identities since prehistoric centuries when it was the home of the peaceful Kotate, a band of Coast Miwok Indians. They lived an idyllic life until Spanish missionaries and soldiers arived. Gen. Mariano Vallejo established the 18,000-acre Cotate Rancho in 1844. Dr. Thomas Stokes Page purchased it in 1849, established a dairy, stock and fruit ranch, and stipulated that it was not to be subdivided until the youngest of his seven sons was 25 years old, an event that did not occur until 1892.
By then the Page heirs had subdivided the vast ranch and had a town laid out. Streets named after the Page sons - Arthur, Charles, George, Henry, Olaf and William - surrounded the central plaza.
Chicken ranchers and businessmen began purchasing land in 1893, and Cotati became an agricultural, social and shopping center for the heart of Sonoma County. What is now Rohnert Park was a huge seed farm. After the state highway ran through the center of the plaza in 1915, Cotati grew quickly and became a popular place to stop for meals and auto care. With the development of Rohnert Park and Sonoma State University in the 1960’s, Cotati incorporated as a city, and soon assumed a new identity, as a counter-culture center for music, arts and a laid-back lifestyle.
Modern Cotati still reflects its varied history. The Indian influence is seen in the statue of the mythical Chief Kotate, the unique six-sided central plaza harks back to the Spanish days, and street names recall the Page family. Most buildings reflect their beginnings as farmhouses, general stores and service firms. And the many festivals, unique restaurants and entertainment establishments in the charming downtown continue to make the little city a colorful and pleasant place to live.
For more about the City of Cotati's history, please visit the history section at the City of Cotati website.
