Niland is a census-designated place (CDP) in Imperial County, California, United States. The town is located 8 miles (13 km) north of Calipatria, 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of the Salton Sea. The population was 1,006 at the 2010 census, down from 1,143 in 2000. The 2020 census reported Niland's population at 756. By June 2020, however, after a major fire, the estimated population had diminished to 500. It is part of the El Centro, California Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Abandoned commercial building in Niland
Slab City Christian center, Niland
Niland Geyser is a moving mud pot or mud spring outside Niland, California in the Salton Trough in an area of geological instability due to the San Andreas fault, formed due to carbon dioxide being released underground. It is the only mud pot or mud volcano known to have moved so significantly. The geyser has required costly engineering works since 2018 as it has impinged on the Union Pacific Railroad, California State Route 111, and other infrastructure.
Niland Geyser in 2019
State Route 111 near Niland in 2016