Sonoma County's main streets, then and now

Main streets throughout America start as the focal point for commerce and social activity in a town. They sprout up around community building like railroad depots, post offices or churches. Sometimes they continue to be important thoroughfares and sometimes they dissolve into ghost streets.

Although not all named Main Street, the central roads in Sonoma County have seen a lot of changes over the years. As our county has grown up, rural highways have been paved and scores of small businesses have sprung up. Many of the old buildings have been torn down but a few important landmarks continue to dot the landscape.

In the gallery above, see if you can spot the historic structures of past and present Sonoma County main streets.