Sonoma County in 1930 - 90 years ago

Glimpse life in the county in 1930, from school days to dance parties.|
JANET BALICKI WEBER
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

It’s 1930 in Sonoma County. Our sleepy agricultural community is fast at work picking apples and prunes. Our population is 62,222 and Senator Herbert Slater is busy at work representing the populace and writing a column for The Press Democrat.

In June, the Santa Rosa Junior College trustees obtained the deed to a 20-acre property on Mendocino Avenue where Santa Rosa Junior College now stands.

In July, Pacific Gas and Electric announced that it would spend more than $250,000 to extend gas lines from Santa Rosa to Healdsburg.

Despite these uplifting developments, 1930 was also the first year of the Great Depression. A stock market crash the previous October led to a decadelong economic downturn that would impact both big cities and small agricultural communities alike.

Janet Balicki Weber

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