Map of Portola city

Portola (/pɔːrˈtoʊlə/ por-TOH-lə) is the only incorporated city in Plumas County, California, United States. The population was 2,104 at the 2010 census, down from 2,227 at the 2000 census. Portola is located on the Middle Fork of the Feather River and was named after Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá, although he did not explore this area.

Portola is a crew change site on the Western Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific Railroad) Feather River Route over the Sierra Nevada. The city is also home to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (formerly Portola Railroad Museum), one of the largest railroad museums in the Western United States. The museum is famous for its Run A Locomotive program, where the public can participate in a “fantasy experience” program allowing them to run a railroad locomotive on the museum grounds.

Portola was in the national media spotlight in 1996–1997 when a conflict occurred between the local community and the Department of Fish and Game over how to deal with an invasive species of northern pike in Lake Davis. The lake was chemically treated in 1997 to eradicate the fish, but they reappeared in 1999. In early September 2007, the California Department of Fish and Game eradicated the pike using CFT Legumine, a new liquid formulation of rotenone.

Portola city overview:
Name:	Portola city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	California
County:	Plumas County
Incorporated:	May 16, 1946
Elevation:	4,856 ft (1,480 m)
Total Area:	5.41 sq mi (14.00 km²)
Land Area:	5.41 sq mi (14.00 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²) 0%
Total Population:	2,104
Population Density:	356.94/sq mi (137.82/km²)
ZIP code:	96122, 96129
Area code:	530
FIPS code:	0658352
Website:	www.ci.portola.ca.us

Online Interactive Map

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Portola online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Portola location map. Where is Portola city?

Portola location on the U.S. Map. Where is Portola city. — Portola location on the U.S. Map.

Portola location on the California map. Where is Portola city. — Location of Portola in California.

Portola Road Map

Portola city Satellite Map

Geography

Portola is located at 39°48′37″N 120°28′11″W / 39.810151°N 120.469843°W / 39.810151; -120.469843.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km), all of it land.

Portola lies on the Middle Fork of the Feather River in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Feather River originate just east of Portola in Sierra Valley, near Beckwourth.

Lake Davis is located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Portola, and is a popular fishing and camping location. About 15 miles (24 km) to the west and southwest of Portola, Plumas-Eureka State Park and Lakes Basin Recreation Area feature granite peaks, glacial lakes, streams, and temperate coniferous forests, which make them popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts.

Being on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Portola has a continental Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Dsb) with dry summers characterized by extreme diurnal temperature swings, and cold (though not severe) and snowy winters. Frosts occur on 218 mornings per year. Extreme cold is rare and temperatures below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) are observed on only 2.6 mornings per winter in an average year. During the summer, daytime temperatures of 100 °F (37.8 °C) are reached on average only once every two years.