While most people are aware of its vineyards and wine tours, or even the golden beaches and wilderness reserves that draw millions of visitors a year, there are quite a few facts that even locals miss.

Test your “Sonoma Quotient” with this quiz:

1. “Santa Rosa, Sonoma is the chosen spot of all the earth.” So said this man, who knew land like nobody else—having pioneered dozens of agricultural advances that spearheaded America’s farm industry and led to unique varieties of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Who is the man that said that quote?

Answer: The man is Luther Burbank, an American botanist and horticulturist who lived from the 1850’s to the 1920’s. He helped developed over 800 plant strains and varieties, including he spineless cactus used to feed cattle, and the hybrid plumcot (plum and apricot).

He also “invented” the Shasta daisy, the Fire poppy, the Flaming Gold nectarine, the Burbank plum, the Freestone peach, the Burbank poppy, and the Russet potato (now used in food processing all over the world).

He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank’s varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. He developed a spineless cactus (useful for cattle-feed) and the plumcot.

2. Good grief! This museum is the new home of the Peanuts cast, including Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and Woodstock. While sightings of the Great Pumpkin have yet to be confirmed, everyone knows that this man’s legacy is worth remembering.

Who is this famed cartoonist that lived in Santa Rosa?

Answer: Charles M. Schulz. The man behind the Peanuts comic strip made Santa Rosa his home. Here he made the famous Peanuts gang and here his family gathered priceless sketches and memorabilia of America’s favorite characters which you can now see at the Charles M. Schulz Museum.

3. Lights, camera, action! Many famous movies have been filmed in Santa Rosa. Name two American classics that took place here—from thrillers to feel-good comedies.

Answer: Hitchcock filmed “Shadow of the Doubt” in Santa Rosa and “The Birds” in Bodega Bay. But don’t think it’s just for thrillers and eerie horror movies. On the extreme end, Santa Rosa’s golden landscape set the perfect stage for the merry adventures of Pollyanna.

4. Sonoma County (and California as a whole) has a thriving arts and crafts communities. Artists flock here. Maybe it’s the inspiring view. Maybe it’s the diverse mix of backgrounds and cultures (after all, creativity simmers in that kind of ethnic melting pot). And maybe it’s this organization—whose presence symbolizes the rare community support for the arts.

What is the name of this organization?

Answer: We’re talking about the LBC, the North Bay Region’s largest non-profit performing and contemporary arts center now called the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. It gets no federal or state funding and relies solely on the help of generous citizens and the support of the Sonoma community. Now that’s worth a standing ovation!

5. Sonoma County is known for its incredible wilderness preserves, but what people don’t know is that it’s protected its wildlife and natural beauty through efforts of industries that are just as committed to preserving the environment.

What efforts have “anchored” their business on this green philosophy?

Answer: Sonoma has one of the biggest city fleets that use clean burning alternative fuels. Most of their equipment are run on electricity or propane.

6. California has an excellent educational system.

Which institution is ranked as one of the best in the country?

Answer: It’s the Santa Rosa Junior College, one of the top 10 junior colleges in the United States because of its quality education and excellent facilities.

7. Let’s toast one of the United States’ key wine regions! But as we savor the fine vintage, think of how big that industry really is–how many wineries are found in Sonoma County?

Answer: There are 191 wineries. Sonoma County’s soil is excellent for grapes, and though the wineries still use formulas techniques perfected over generations (many of them closely guarded) they’ve introduced breakthrough technology and cutting edge practices, including “libraries” of grapes where they have samples of different varieties grown under controlled conditions, and precise measurements of the effect of temperature or harvest time on sweetness and acidity.

8. There’s so much to see in Sonoma County. It’s got a thriving tourist industry which is expected to grow with efforts of websites like http://www.sonomacountytravels.com which help make travel much easier to and from the Wine Country.

But how many people go to Sonoma County year?

Answer: 6 million people visited Sonoma County in 2000, with tourists generating about 2.5 million dollars a day.

9. You can spot a lot of birds and animals at the many wilderness preserves, but where should you go to spot endangered birds?

Answer: Bodega Bay. It/s a favorite haunt of members of the Audobon Society.

10. What’s the best way to see Sonoma County in 3 hours or less?

Answer: Take a scenic air tour. You may not have the time to “see everything” – at least, not in the traditional sense. But with one special scenic air tour you can travel over miles and miles of land in mere hours, taking amazing photographs and even reaching spots that are normally inaccessible by road.

The pilot can also give geographical and historical information, or customize the trip especially for you. Visit www.sonomacountytravels.com/scenic-air-tours.php for more information.