Potter Valley, California
| Potter Valley | |
|---|---|
| — census-designated place — | |
 Potter Valley
|
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| Coordinates: 39°19′20″N 123°06′47″W / 39.32222°N 123.11306°WCoordinates: 39°19′20″N 123°06′47″W / 39.32222°N 123.11306°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Mendocino |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 4.058 sq mi (10.511 km2) |
| • Land | 4.030 sq mi (10.437 km2) |
| • Water | 0.028 sq mi (0.074 km2) 0.70% |
| Elevation[2] | 948 ft (289 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 646 |
| • Density | 159.2/sq mi (61.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 95469 |
| Area code(s) | 707 |
| FIPS code | 06-58506 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 265005; 2628779 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Potter Valley, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Potter Valley, California | |
Potter Valley is a census-designated place[3] in Mendocino County, California, United States.[2] It is located 18 miles (29 km) north-northeast of Ukiah,[4] at an elevation of 948 feet (289 m).[2] It is located at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Russian River. The population was 646 at the 2010 census.
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1852, when William and Thomas Potter and Mose Briggs first entered what would be 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.[5]
The post office opened in 1870.[4]
Painter Grace Hudson was born in Potter Valley.[6]
In addition to his famous Ridgewood Ranch, Charles S. Howard, owner of Seabiscuit, owned a ranch in Potter Valley, where he ran cattle and occasionally secluded Seabiscuit when visitors became bothersome.[7]
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 4.1 square miles (10.5 km²), 99.30% of it land, and 0.70% of it water.
[edit] Demographics
The 2010 United States Census[8] reported that Potter Valley had a population of 646. The population density was 159.2 people per square mile (61.5/km²). The racial makeup of Potter Valley was 516 (79.9%) White, 2 (0.3%) African American, 13 (2.0%) Native American, 2 (0.3%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 97 (15.0%) from other races, and 16 (2.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 154 persons (23.8%).
The Census reported that 636 people (98.5% of the population) lived in households, 10 (1.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 241 households, out of which 73 (30.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 125 (51.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 20 (8.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 16 (6.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 20 (8.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 61 households (25.3%) were made up of individuals and 22 (9.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64. There were 161 families (66.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.19.
The population was spread out with 142 people (22.0%) under the age of 18, 56 people (8.7%) aged 18 to 24, 156 people (24.1%) aged 25 to 44, 206 people (31.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 86 people (13.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females there were 105.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.
There were 267 housing units at an average density of 65.8 per square mile (25.4/km²), of which 152 (63.1%) were owner-occupied, and 89 (36.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%. 382 people (59.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 254 people (39.3%) lived in rental housing units.
[edit] Politics
In the state legislature Potter Valley is located in the 2nd Senate District, represented by Democrat Noreen Evans, and in the 1st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Wesley Chesbro. Federally, Potter Valley is located in California's 1st congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +10[9] and is represented by Democrat Mike Thompson.
[edit] Geography
Potter Valley is located just northeast of Ukiah and Lake Mendocino in Mendocino County, with the valley floor at roughly 1,000 ft (300 m) elevation. The headwaters of the East Fork of the Russian River originate in the valley. Additional water from the Eel River is pumped 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.
| Monthly Climate Averages for Potter Valley (1961–1990)[10] | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average High (°F) | 57 | 61 | 64 | 69 | 78 | 86 | 94 | 92 | 88 | 77 | 63 | 56 |
| Average Low (°F) | 33 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 43 | 49 | 53 | 52 | 48 | 43 | 37 | 34 |
| Average Precipitation (inches) | 9 | 6.96 | 5.89 | 2.7 | 0.93 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.31 | 0.9 | 2.79 | 6.9 | 7.75 |
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Census
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Potter Valley
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Potter Valley, California
- ^ a b Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 125. ISBN 9781884995149.
- ^ Mendocino County Historical Society, The Potter Valley Story 1972
- ^ Grace Hudson Museum, an art, history, and anthropology museum
- ^ Seabiscuit’s Barn
- ^ All data are derived from the United States Census Bureau reports from the 2010 United States Census, and are accessible on-line here. The data on unmarried partnerships and same-sex married couples are from the Census report DEC_10_SF1_PCT15. All other housing and population data are from Census report DEC_10_DP_DPDP1. Both reports are viewable online or downloadable in a zip file containing a comma-delimited data file. The area data, from which densities are calculated, are available on-line here. Percentage totals may not add to 100% due to rounding. The Census Bureau defines families as a household containing one or more people related to the householder by birth, opposite-sex marriage, or adoption. People living in group quarters are tabulated by the Census Bureau as neither owners nor renters. For further details, see the text files accompanying the data files containing the Census reports mentioned above.
- ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ Forrey, Rip. "Climate data for various locations in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake and Marin counties, California". University of California Cooperative Extension Sonoma County. Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070630163510/http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/hortic/pdf/climate_location_data.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
[edit] External links
- Potter Valley Bird Sightings
- Potter Valley American Viticultural Area
- Potter Valley Websites
- Potter Valley Community Unified School District
- Historical weather data from the Potter Valley Pumping Station
- Potter Valley Community Parks & Recreation
- Potter Valley Youth & Community Center
- Potter Valley Irrigation District
