| Gualala Wallholla |
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| — Unincorporated community — | |
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Gualala
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mendocino |
| Elevation[1] | 49 ft (15 m) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 95445 |
| Area code(s) | 707 |
| FIPS code | 06-31428 |
| GNIS feature ID | 224701 |
Gualala (formerly, Guadala, Walhalla, and Wallala)[2] is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County in the U.S. state of California.[1] It is located 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Hopland,[2] at an elevation of 49 feet (15 m).[1] It is located on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Gualala River, on State Route 1. It serves as a commercial center for the surrounding area. Gualala was once a logging town, but tourism is now its central economic activity.
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In the state legislature Gualala is located in the 2nd Senate District and in the 1st Assembly District. Federally, Gualala is located in California's 1st congressional district.
"Gualala" was the name given to the site of today's Gualala by the Pomo indigneous people. The name comes from ah kha wa la lee.[3] The literal translation is "coming down water place", or less literally, "riverside," or "where the river meets the sea."[4]
Gualala is located on the Rancho German Mexican land grant received by Ernest Rufus in 1846. The American settlement of Gualala was first established by the construction of a hotel, saloon and a lumber mill in the 1860s. The first post office opened in 1862.[2] Logging the local redwood trees became especially profitable after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when huge amounts of lumber were needed to rebuild the city.
The Del Mar Landing State Marine Reserve lies onshore, about two miles south of Gualala. Like an underwater park, this marine protected area helps conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.