Historical Markers
A woman in a red jacket looking at a plane - cold war sites

Self-guided · metro area, California

Cold War Sites in Santa Rosa, CA

Missile sites, radar stations and launch facilities from the Cold War, a chapter close enough that many visitors lived through it.

Open the California map · All states

Photo: Vinicius Brasil on Unsplash

The Santa Rosa–Petaluma, CA metro area has about 486,444 residents, ranking 113th in the country. Reading about this period is one thing. Standing where it happened, with the record in your hand, is how it stops being a date on a test.

Space shuttle on display with visitors looking - cold war sites
Photo: Sebastian Schuster on Unsplash
A group of people walking around a museum - cold war sites
Photo: Vinicius Brasil on Unsplash
A row of military missiles on display behind a fence - cold war sites
Photo: Akshat Jhingran on Unsplash

On the record near Santa Rosa, CA

The 12 nearest

There are no cold war sites on the record within 300 miles of Santa Rosa, CA. These are the 12 listed historic sites of any kind closest to it, out of 134 within 30 miles.

  1. Rosenburg's Department Storeunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1994National Register of Historic Places
  2. Old Post Officeunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  3. Sweet Houseunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  4. Cnopius Houseunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1982National Register of Historic Places
  5. Park Apartmentsunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  6. Hotel La Roseunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  7. Lumsden, W. H., Houseunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1983National Register of Historic Places
  8. Comstock Houseunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 2012National Register of Historic Places
  9. De Turk Round Barnunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 2004National Register of Historic Places
  10. Wasserman Houseunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  11. McDonald Mansionunder a mile from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 1974National Register of Historic Places
  12. Flamingo Hotel1.6 miles from the center of Santa Rosa · Building · Santa Rosa · listed 2021National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Santa Rosa, CA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Cold War Sites in Santa Rosa, step by step

  1. 1

    Read the short history of the period for this area

  2. 2

    Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter

  3. 3

    Visit the nearest site and read its full record

  4. 4

    Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest

  5. 5

    Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Santa Rosa, CA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Santa Rosa, CA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Santa Rosa, CA?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Santa Rosa

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Santa Rosa, CA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Santa Rosa, CA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Santa Rosa, CA

People using rifles near trees - civil war sitesCivil War SitesA group of men dressed in period costumes - revolutionary war sitesRevolutionary War SitesA woman dressed in period clothing holding a wooden pole - colonial history sitesColonial HistoryDemonstrators walk along a street holding signs demanding the right to vote and equal civil rights at the March on Washington - civil rights history sitesCivil Rights HistoryA girl with a t - shirt that says i am black history - black history sitesBlack History SitesSilhouette photo of man carrying candle lantern with lighted candle - underground railroad sitesUnderground RailroadA traveler enjoying a moment at a historic cliff dwelling in Colorado - native american historic sitesNative American Sites14-yr. old striker, Fola La Follette, and Rose Livingston - women's history sitesWomen's History Sites

Cold War Sites near Santa Rosa

Cold War Sites everywhere in the US · Every way in