Sea Ranch

Sea Ranch is a planned coastal settlement in Sonoma County, California, stretching ten miles along the Pacific Ocean. The buildings use Douglas Fir and Redwood timber and nestle into open grassland, stands of cypress and pine, and rugged shoreline terrain.

Originally home to Pomo peoples, the land became Rancho German in the mid-1800s and later Del Mar Ranch. Architect Al Boeke began planning a contemporary residential development along the shoreline in the early 1960s.

The name comes from an early sheep ranching operation, and today wooden buildings with steep roofs shape the appearance of the settlement. Residents and visitors share marked paths that wind through meadows and coastal forests toward the bluffs.

The settlement sits about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of San Francisco along State Route 1, and several public access points connect the highway to the shoreline. Weather and fog shift quickly, so layering and windproof clothing are helpful.

A condominium complex from 1965 appears on the National Register of Historic Places for its then-novel architectural approach. The building used prefabricated timber frames and open floor plans that later influenced many coastal projects.