The first thing you should know about Petaluma is that this is a farm town—with 62,500 residents, a large one—and the residents are proud of it. Recent years have seen an uptick in the quality of Petaluma cuisine, fueled in part by the proliferation of local organic and artisanal farms and boutique wine production. With the 2018 approval of the Petaluma Gap AVA, the town even has its name on a wine appellation.
Petaluma's agricultural history reaches back to the mid-1800s, when General Mariano Vallejo established Rancho de Petaluma as his vast agrarian empire's headquarters. From the late 1800s into the 1960s Petaluma marketed itself as the "Egg Capital of the World," and with production totals that peaked at 612 million eggs in 1946, the point was hard to dispute. Although a poultry processor remains one of Petaluma's largest employers, the town has diversified. The adobe, an informative stop, albeit one whose presentation may recall grade-school field trips, was once the area's only employer. These days its visitation figures are dwarfed by Lagunitas Brewing Company, whose free tour, when offered, is a hoot. At McEvoy Ranch, which started out making gourmet olive oil before branching into wine, you can taste both products and tour parts of the farm.
