Mark West is unincorporated Sonoma County that is north of Santa Rosa, south of Windsor, west of Calistoga and east of Fulton. It includes suburban neighborhoods like Wikiup Greens and Larkfield, rural properties with vineyards and horses, and forested hillsides in the foothills running up to the county line separating Napa from Sonoma.

Within Mark West are several distinct areas. In the south eastern portion is the area known as Mark West Springs. This is the name of a major artery that runs over the hills to Calistoga in Napa County. The same road when it crosses Highway 101 is known as River Road and it runs through Guerneville to the coast at Jenner. The section we care about for this post begins at 101 and heads east. It includes the Wells Fargo Center for the Performing Arts as a main anchor and becomes residential immediately after crossing Old Redwood Highway. The neighborhood bordered by Old Redwood Highway on the west and bisected by Mark West Springs is one of the older, leafier, and more desirable subdivisions in Sonoma County. The feel is rustic and spacious and the homes have been here long enough to have charming tree canopies. Some of the major streets have English names like Oxford, Dorchester, and Brighton south of Mark West Springs Rd and St. James, Londonberry, and Sussex north of the road. Overall it's a quite small neighborhood with perhaps several hundred homes.

Farther north is the area known as Larkfield-Wikup. It includes a modest golf course with Sonoma County's cheapest golf rates. There's a senior community at Wikiup Greens, several subdivisions of newer vintage than the Mark West neighborhoods, and hillside homes along Wikiup Drive with commanding views looking south and west over the Santa Rosa plains. There is one home marked on the accompanying graphic. It's the only REO listing in the area. I think that demonstrates high demand for homes in the area which has allowed homeowners in trouble with their loans to sell before the foreclosure process reaches a sad conclusion

The REO listing above is for sale as of July 25, 2009 for $299,900 for a 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathroom home in 1532 square feet. That's probably a representative price for modest homes in this area. Hillside homes are selling for twice that price, and more, so this area does have a big diversity of housing opportunities.

Homes for Sale in Mark West and Larkfield-Wikiup