Located in the center of Sonoma County on the Highway 101 corridor, Cotati is a modern community with strong historic roots, particularly in agriculture and music. Because of a gap in the coastal mountains to the west, coastal fog often reaches Cotati in the summer, creating a milder and somewhat cooler climate than in neighboring communities such as Santa Rosa or Sebastopol. Laid out in the 1890s and covering less than two square miles, Cotati is one of only two towns nationwide (the other is Detroit) with a hexagon street pattern instead of the standard grid.