Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville) is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States.

An arch stands in the center of Willits featuring the slogans "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County".

The three, it was later reported, had for years been involved in stealing, robbing smokehouses, drinking, and reckless discharging of their firearms.

[13] The 1970s "back to the land" homesteading movement paved the way for Willits' reputation as the solar capital of the world in the 1980s.

Ridgewood Ranch, where Seabiscuit trained, recuperated, lived out his retirement and was buried, is located a few miles south of the city.

[14] Beginning in 1996, the city and many residents became embroiled in lawsuits against the Whitman Corporation (later acquired by PepsiCo, Inc.), alleging that hexavalent chromium pollution left by a chrome plating plant, which operated in Willits from 1964 to 1995, was responsible for several local health problems.

[15] Activist Erin Brockovich, known for the eponymous movie about her work in a similar case, participated in a lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs.

[18] Located at the center of Mendocino County in the Little Lake Valley, Willits is 23 miles (37 km) north of Ukiah and the same distance south of Laytonville on U.S. Route 101 (otherwise known as the Redwood Highway).

It is on the west side of the Little Lake Valley, a 6-by-3-mile (10 by 5 km) area surrounded by the California Coast Ranges.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), 99.96% of it land.

[20] The mountains to the west along with a significant influence of mild Pacific air cause Willits to have a cool winter and hot day/cool night summer climate.

[21][22] There are occasional snowfalls in Willits each year, with an average of 3.6 inches (9.1 cm) of snow annually.

[citation needed] Major employers in Willits include the Adventist Health Howard Memorial Hospital and METALfx.

[37] Federally, Willits is in California's 2nd congressional district, represented by Democrat Jared Huffman.

[38] Willits is served by local and regional newspapers as well as a low-power community radio station.

[41] Willits is the eastern terminus of the California Western Railroad (otherwise known as the "Skunk Train"), running through the Coast Redwood forests to coastal Fort Bragg.

[42][43] The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus provides daily connections to/from Willits (with a curbside stop at 298 East Commercial Street), Martinez to the south, and Arcata to the north.

[45] U.S. Route 101 is the major highway through the Little Lake Valley, passing just east of the Willits city limits, connecting Eureka to the north and San Francisco to the south.

[46] Some notable names from Willits include Judi Bari, labor leader and environmental activist, who fought to save the redwoods.

Tré Cool, drummer for Green Day, lived in Willits during his teen years in the 1980s.

Black Bart) stole multiple Wells Fargo boxes and mail from stagecoaches traveling through Willits.

[47] Phil Jordon, the first National Basketball Association player ever to have played prep basketball in the Redwood Empire area (coastal Northern California & coastal Southern Oregon), did so while at Willits High School.