Historical preservation of its old buildings and signage helps Petaluma maintain the image of a place where time seems to stand still. The image is made up words – some of them in fading paint on old brick, others in the neon tubing on a decaying sign over an old shop. These words speak of the times in which they were created. The effect of time on these signs is evident here as well. The advertising and marketing techniques of the early 20th century are incongruously still present on the streets of Petaluma in the early 21st century.