Until recently I'd never heard anyone say, 'I'm going to Santa Rosa for the weekend.' About an hour by road north of San Francisco, it's the last large city you pass through on your way to some of California's richest wine-growing areas: the Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley and the Russian River, to name but three. These offer quaint, upmarket weekend escapes, and Santa Rosa has long been regarded as little more than the gateway you pass through to reach them.
But now, thanks to the fact that Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Woodstock and Peppermint Patty have set up home permanently in Santa Rosa, things have changed. Suddenly fans of these famous cartoon characters are arriving from around the US and the world to visit a museum dedicated to Peanuts characters and their creator. And Santa Rosa is rising to the occasion.
It's fitting that the new museum should be located in Santa Rosa. It's next to the Redwood Empire Ice Arena that Schulz opened in 1969. For the following 30 years, Sparky - as he was known to his friends and family - lived and worked within a short walk of this spot.
He began each day with breakfast at a reserved table next to the fireplace at the Warm Puppy, the coffee shop he opened inside the ice arena. His studio, where he created his daily cartoon strips - more than 17,800 that appeared in 70 countries and more than 30 languages - was just around the corner.
After breakfast he would go to his office, then return to his Warm Puppy table at lunchtime for a tuna-salad sandwich and tea.