Bennett Valley facts for kids
Bennett Valley is a beautiful valley located in Sonoma County, California, USA. It stretches from the northwest to the southeast and is about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide in some areas. The city of Santa Rosa is located at its northwestern end.
The valley floor gently slopes downwards. Small hills in the middle divide the valley into two sections. A stream called Matanzas Creek flows through the valley. Other smaller streams, like Spring Creek, also flow into Matanzas Creek. There's a reservoir (a large lake) on Matanzas Creek. It helps control floods and collects water from the upper parts of the valley.
Bennett Valley gets about 35 to 40 inches (90 to 100 cm) of rain each year. Most of this rain falls during the winter, from November to April. Summers are usually warm and dry. You can reach Bennett Valley mainly by using Bennett Valley Road. This road connects Santa Rosa with Warm Springs Road in Glen Ellen.
Nature and Wildlife in Bennett Valley
The hillsides on both the southwest and northeast sides of Bennett Valley are covered with many oak trees. The most common trees here are coast live oaks.
Closer to the valley floor, you can still find many valley oaks. These trees used to cover much more of the valley before farms were developed. In 1990, a study found that some valley oaks near Bennett Valley Road had "oak apple galls." These galls are round growths caused by tiny insects called gall wasps. They look a bit like small apples! Even though some trees had these galls, it wasn't a serious problem for the oaks. Some valley oaks also had dwarf mistletoe, which is a plant that grows on trees.
Valley Soils
The main type of soil in Bennett Valley is called Clear Lake clay. This soil is found on flat areas or very gentle slopes. Clear Lake clay doesn't drain water very well and is often found near rivers or streams. It's dark gray and has a fine, crumbly texture. This soil is often used for growing hay in Bennett Valley.
Another soil type found here is Zamora silty clay loam. This soil is grayish-brown, firm, and sticky. It's also found in areas where rivers have deposited soil over time. It's not acidic and is usually at least two meters deep.
Since the 1980s, there has been a growing demand for wine grapes in this area. This has led to some of Bennett Valley's soils being used for growing grapes.
Growing Grapes and Homes
Bennett Valley has become a popular place for both fancy homes and vineyards. This is because land is becoming scarce in the area, and there's a high demand for land to grow premium wine grapes. Sonoma County policies try to prevent too many small homes from being built in the valley.
This trend has meant that there is less natural habitat for wildlife and less land available for hay farming or pastures. Some of the grapes grown here are used by local wineries, like the Matanzas Creek Winery. Other grapes are sold to wineries in different parts of Sonoma County. Because of the high quality of the grapes grown here, Bennett Valley has been recognized as a special wine-grape region called the Bennett Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area).
Many new, large homes have been built in Bennett Valley. These homes are often built on big pieces of land, ranging from 5 to 40 acres (2 to 16 hectares). Most of these newer homes are quite large, often bigger than 3,500 square feet (330 m²). However, many older, smaller homes from before 1980 still exist in Bennett Valley.
