Niland is a census-designated place in Imperial County, California, in the southeastern desert of the state, about two miles southeast of the Salton Sea and eight miles north of Calipatria. The community has carried several names over its history — Old Beach, Imperial Junction, and Hobgood — reflecting its origins as a stop along the region's railroad and agricultural development. About 750 residents live in the community, with the population recorded at 756 in the 2020 census, though seasonal and itinerant residents in the surrounding desert swell the area's numbers at times. Niland sits at the edge of the Salton Sea, the vast inland lake created accidentally in the early 1900s when Colorado River water breached an irrigation canal and flooded the basin. The Salton Sea's history, its receding shoreline, and its distinctive geology define the landscape around town. The nearby Niland Geyser is a slow-moving mudpot that has inched across the desert floor, and the Salton Buttes volcanic field and geothermal activity mark the region's geology. The community is best known to outsiders for its neighbors. Slab City, an informal off-grid settlement on a former military training site just to the east, attracts squatters, artists, and winter visitors, while Salvation Mountain, the painted hillside folk-art environment created by Leonard Knight, stands northeast of Niland as a celebrated desert landmark. These two sites draw a steady stream of artists, travelers, and photographers, giving Niland an outsized cultural profile relative to its small population. Public schooling is provided by the Calipatria Unified School District, which serves Calipatria, Niland, and Bombay Beach, with Grace Smith Elementary located in Niland. State Route 111 links the community north toward the Salton Sea and south toward Calipatria and El Centro, anchoring Niland within the Imperial Valley's agricultural and desert economy.