The Pomo civilization began in Northern California on the Pacific Coast. There were a smaller group and sometimes lived in even smaller groups called bands. The smaller groups were clustered by the Noyo River which provided meat, bathing, better soil for crops, and water to drink. Although they settled close to rivers, the Pomo prefered to settle miles away from the ocean to prevent flooding. Currently there are 4,500 people in the tribe, but in the late 1700’s, the Pomo reached their highest population of 8,000 people.