Map of Potter Valley CDP

Potter Valley is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) north-northeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of 948 feet (289 m) at the headwaters of the East Fork Russian River. The CDP population was 665 at the 2020 census.

Potter Valley CDP overview:
Name:	Potter Valley CDP
LSAD Code:	57
LSAD Description:	CDP (suffix)
State:	California
County:	Mendocino County
Elevation:	948 ft (289 m)
Total Area:	4.055 sq mi (10.50 km²)
Land Area:	4.027 sq mi (10.43 km²)
Water Area:	0.028 sq mi (0.07 km²) 0.69%
Total Population:	665
Population Density:	160/sq mi (63/km²)
ZIP code:	95469
Area code:	707
FIPS code:	0658506

Online Interactive Map

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

Potter Valley location map. Where is Potter Valley CDP?

Potter Valley location on the U.S. Map. Where is Potter Valley CDP. — Potter Valley location on the U.S. Map.

Potter Valley location on the California map. Where is Potter Valley CDP. — Location of Potter Valley in California.

History

In 1852, when William and Thomas Potter and Mose Briggs first entered what would become known as Potter Valley, they were searching for the headwaters of the Russian River from their base in Sonoma County. The Pomo people called it Ba-lo Kai. They found three Pomo villages (each about 500 people strong), the Russian headwaters, and a lush valley with wild oats “stirrup high”. Eventually the Potters returned to settle there, and the valley became known by the American ranchers’ name.

The post office opened in 1870.

Painter Grace Hudson was born in Potter Valley in 1865.

In addition to his famous Ridgewood Ranch, Charles S. Howard, owner of the racehorse Seabiscuit, owned a ranch in Potter Valley where he ran cattle.

Potter Valley Road Map

Potter Valley city Satellite Map

Geography

Potter Valley is located 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Ukiah and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Lake Mendocino in Mendocino County, with the valley floor at roughly 950 feet (290 m) in elevation. The headwaters of the East Fork of the Russian River originate in the valley. The Potter Valley Project delivers additional water from the Eel River, which flows into the Russian River here via a controversial hydroelectric plant that tunnels through the mountains to take advantage of the relative proximity of these two waterways. This diversion supplies a significant amount of water to inland Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Potter Valley is a rich agricultural region, with excellent soils, planted mostly in irrigated pasture, wine grapes, and pears, but supporting a wide variety of farms and ranches.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Potter Valley Census Designated Place (CDP) covers an area of 4.0 square miles (10 km), 99.31% of it land, and 0.69% of it water. The entire valley, which is mostly rural, has an area of roughly 12 square miles (31 km).