Sonoma County has easy access to the top summer destinations in the U.S., but travelers will pay more during their stay than elsewhere in the country, according to a report released this week by financial website WalletHub. You should expect to pay.
The Santa Rosa and Petaluma metropolitan areas ranked 99th out of 100 in WalletHub's May 14 “Best Destinations for Summer 2024” list, along with Florida's Cape Coral and Fort Myers. , ranked between the Oxnard and Thousand Oaks areas of Southern California.
Of the six categories on the list, Santa Rosa and Petaluma ranked No. 1 in WalletHub's travel expenses and hassle category. This means this region has the lowest cost and is the least hassle to access. However, the region ranks last in the local cost category, ranking 100th. This means the region is the most expensive in the U.S. for travelers this summer.
Additionally, WalletHub collected data on attractions, weather, activities, and safety for the 100 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States.
The Travel Cost and Effort category reflects the cost, duration, and number of connections for the cheapest and shortest flights between major metropolitan areas and the six largest U.S. airport hubs.
The local cost category includes data related to gas prices, hotel rates, and meal rates.
WalletHub also looked at the number and variety of attractions, average summer weather, number and variety of activities, including outdoor recreation and restaurants, and violent crime and property crime rates in each metro area.
The Santa Rosa and Petaluma area ranked 17th for safety, 80th for activities, 88th for attractions, and 91st for weather.
Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan area topped WalletHub's list, followed by the Washington, D.C., area and the Orlando, Florida, area.
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area topped the California region at No. 20. San Diego and surrounding areas are ranked 34th, Riverside and the San Bernardino area are ranked 53rd, Fresno is ranked 70th, San Francisco and Oakland are ranked 73rd, Sacramento and its metropolitan areas are ranked 86th, Bakersfield is ranked 93rd, and San Jose and the South Bay are ranked 73rd. The area ranked 94th.
For more information, please visit wallethub.com.
