Why did this happen?  Although complex in nature, a key driving force has been Sonoma Valley itself.  Few people are “relocated” to Sonoma for work,  they “choose” to live here because of its physical beauty, bucolic setting, small town charm and sense of community.  The result is Sonoma Valley being a very desirable place to live and so market forces have been at work.  A major driving force has been purchases of existing housing stock for second homes and vacation rental properties that have driven up the price of land.  A second force has been a lack of new building, likely related, in part, to the first force, making housing development for affordable and workforce residents unable to ‘pencil out’ for developers.  Added on to these is the third force, the nature of our economy in Sonoma Valley-an economy deeply entrenched in hospitality and agriculture, which are jobs that are lower paying.