Welcome to Potter Valley ...

Potter Valley is located in Mendocino County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Potter Valley, you might consider that their post office opened in 1870.

A typical abbreviation for Potter Valley: Potter Vly. (or less commonly used: Potter Vally. or Potter Vlly.)

Potter Valley is 940 feet [287 m] above sea level.<2>.

Time Zone: Potter Valley lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Potter Valley: 707 & 369<3>

The ZIP code for Potter Valley: 95469<4>

Communities near Potter Valley ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Potter Valley.

Ukiah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ukiah is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,883 people
- Ukiah has also been known as:
- Ukiah City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Ukiah
- From Potter Valley to Ukiah
Willits
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Willits is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willits
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,831 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willits <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Willits
- From Potter Valley to Willits
Redwood Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood Valley is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood Valley
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redwood Valley <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Redwood Valley
- From Potter Valley to Redwood Valley
Calpella
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Calpella is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calpella
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calpella <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Calpella
- From Potter Valley to Calpella
Hemlock Ranch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Hemlock Ranch is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock Ranch
- Hemlock Ranch has also been known as:
- Hemlock
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Hemlock Ranch
- From Potter Valley to Hemlock Ranch
The Forks
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- The Forks is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Forks
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to The Forks
- From Potter Valley to The Forks
Witter Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Witter Springs is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witter Springs
Saratoga Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Saratoga Springs is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga Springs
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Saratoga Springs
- From Potter Valley to Saratoga Springs
Talmage
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Talmage is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Talmage <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Talmage
- From Potter Valley to Talmage
Orrs Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Orrs Springs is located in Mendocino County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Springs
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Orrs Springs
- From Potter Valley to Orrs Springs

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Potter Valley. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Potter Valley.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Potter Valley. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Potter Valley.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Potter Valley. See our Newspapers Page for Potter Valley.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Potter Valley ...

Looking for more information about Potter Valley? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Potter Valley, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Potter Valley.

Adding Potter Valley to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Potter Valley in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found (so far) for Potter Valley was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>

From that list, the Potter Valley post office opened in 1870.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Potter Valley.

Footnotes ...

<1>	If you're interested in how the shape of California's counties, including Mendocino, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>	The elevation is an estimate for the area around Potter Valley - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<3>	When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 707 code has been Overlayed with the 369 area code. New phone numbers in the Potter Valley area will be assigned with one of these codes: 707 or 369. As a result, placing a call in the Potter Valley area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<4>	ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Potter Valley). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Potter Valley or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<5>	While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>	A copy of the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/