text:
Sutter Creek, California

Sutter Creek (formerly spelled Sutter's Creek and Suttercreek; formerly named Suttersville ) is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 2,501 at the 2010 census, up from 2,303 at the 2000 census. It is accessible via State Route 49.

History
The community takes its name from nearby Sutter Creek, which in turn has the name of early California developer John Sutter.

Sutter's discovery of gold at nearby Coloma in January 1848 triggered the California Gold Rush. After all his workers left him to go on their own hunts for gold, Sutter moved to Mormon Island with a couple of hands. After about two weeks miners flooded the island, so Sutter and his hands left and returned to Sutter Creek. Sutter said: "I broke up the camp and started on the march further south, and located my next camp on Sutter Creek, now in Amador County, and thought that I should be there alone. The work was going on well for a while, until three or four traveling grog-shops surrounded me, at from one-half to ten miles (16 km) distance from the camp. Then, of course, the gold was taken to these places, for drinking, gambling, etc., and then the following day they were sick and unable to work, and became deeper and more indebted to me, particularly the Kanakas [native Hawaiians]." Shortly thereafter Sutter moved out of Sutter Creek and back to his fort.

Sutter Creek became a destination for fortune hunters. A post office was established in 1852, and Sutter Creek became a town in 1854 that incorporated in 1913.

Although plenty of placer gold was found there, gold-bearing quartz deposits were discovered in 1851, and mining those deposits for gold became the mainstay of the local economy for many years. With the prosperity brought by quartz mining, Sutter Creek became a boomtown. By 1932, the Central Eureka mine, begun in 1869, had reached the 2300 ft level. By 1939, it was the best-paying mine in Sutter Creek. The mines continued operations until 1942, when most gold mines were closed for manpower reasons during World War II.

Today, Sutter Creek is a tourist town with many shops and restaurants. The town itself is registered as California Historical Landmark #322.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.6 km$2$), all of it land.

Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sutter Creek has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. Summers are long and hot, while winters are cool but relatively short. As typical of mediterranean climates, precipitation is concentrated to winter months, with summers being extremely dry.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Sutter Creek had a population of 2,501. The population density was 977.8 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Sutter Creek was 2,272 (90.8%) White, 10 (0.4%) African American, 34 (1.4%) Native American, 65 (2.6%) Asian, 5 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 40 (1.6%) from other races, and 75 (3.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 219 persons (8.8%).

The Census reported that 2,500 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 1 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 1,168 households, out of which 258 (22.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 500 (42.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 109 (9.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 51 (4.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 65 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 15 (1.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 418 households (35.8%) were made up of individuals, and 239 (20.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14. There were 660 families (56.5% of all households); the average family size was 2.77.

The population was spread out, with 466 people (18.6%) under the age of 18, 191 people (7.6%) aged 18 to 24, 426 people (17.0%) aged 25 to 44, 768 people (30.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 650 people (26.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

There were 1,367 housing units at an average density of 534.4 /sqmi, of which 1,168 were occupied, of which 626 (53.6%) were owner-occupied, and 542 (46.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 14.6%. 1,355 people (54.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,145 people (45.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,303 people, 1,025 households, and 658 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,377.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,106 housing units at an average density of 661.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.45% White, 0.22% African American, 1.30% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 2.13% from other races, and 3.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.82% of the population.

Of the 1,025 households, 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.

23.2% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,000, and the median income for a family was $55,795. Males had a median income of $46,563 versus $30,188 for females. The per capita income was $23,100. About 4.9% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
In the state legislature Sutter Creek is in, and. Federally, Sutter Creek is in. The city, as well as Amador County as a whole, consistently votes Republican.

Landmarks
Sutter Creek has two buildings on the National Register of Historic Places
 * Knight Foundry
 * Sutter Creek Grammar School

Notable people

 * F. Carlton Ball (1911–1992), multidisciplinary artist, author, and educator, born in Sutter Creek.
 * Charles B. Hanford (1859–1926), Shakespearean actor, born in Sutter Creek.
 * Leland Stanford was one of Sutter Creek's most famous residents.
 * John Vukovich, MLB player for various teams, grew up in Sutter Creek and attended Amador High School.

High schools
Sutter Creek is home to Amador High School. It has fewer than 1000 students and competes athletically in the Mother Lode League of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.

title: Sutter Creek, California


text:
Biggs, California

Biggs (formerly, Biggs Station) is a city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 1,707 at the 2010 census, down from 1,793 at the 2000 census. The 2018 population estimate is 1,724.

Geography
Biggs is located at 39.41389°N, -121.71028°W (39.413820, -121.710316).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 sqmi, all of it land.

History
A post office was established at Biggs Station in 1871, and the name changed to Biggs in 1884. It was incorporated in 1903. Biggs is named for Maj. Marion Biggs, who first shipped grain by rail from the town's location.

In 1877, ancestors of the scientist Linus Pauling left Missouri and travelled to California, where they lived for a time in Biggs, "a settlement composed mostly of Germans" (the ancestors in question were themselves of German descent).

In late 2002, the town's mayor received a letter from Jeff Manning, executive director of the California Milk Processor Board, proposing that the town change its name to "Got Milk?". The town council of Biggs subsequently rejected the proposal.

As of 2019, Biggs has been declared a sister city to Woburn, MA by the mayor of Woburn—Ralph Grande.

2010
At the 2010 census Biggs had a population of 1,707. The population density was 2,685.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Biggs was 1,302 (76.3%) White, 11 (0.6%) African American, 54 (3.2%) Native American, 9 (0.5%) Asian, 1 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 252 (14.8%) from other races, and 78 (4.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 580 people (34.0%).

The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.

There were 565 households, 246 (43.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 315 (55.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 90 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 39 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 48 (8.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 2 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 94 households (16.6%) were one person and 41 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.02. There were 444 families (78.6% of households); the average family size was 3.37.

The age distribution was 480 people (28.1%) under the age of 18, 185 people (10.8%) aged 18 to 24, 393 people (23.0%) aged 25 to 44, 463 people (27.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 186 people (10.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

There were 617 housing units at an average density of 970.7 /sqmi,of which 565 were occupied, 392 (69.4%) by the owners and 173 (30.6%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 1,165 people (68.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 542 people (31.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 1,793 people in 571 households, including 449 families, in the city. The population density was 3,451.6 PD/sqmi. There were 613 housing units at an average density of 1,180.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 74.51% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 1.84% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 18.52% from other races, and 3.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.55%.

Of the 571 households 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.2% of households were one person and 8.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.55.

The age distribution was 34.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,250, and the median family income was $39,063. Males had a median income of $32,692 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,386. About 11.7% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Biggs's public schools are operated by the Biggs Unified School District. The public schools in the Biggs Unified School District are Biggs Elementary School, Richvale Elementary School and Biggs High School.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Biggs, California


text:
Chico, California

Chico (Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 census, an increase from 86,187 in the 2010 Census. Chico is the cultural and economic center of the northern Sacramento Valley, as well as the largest city in California north of the capital city of Sacramento. The city is known as a college town, as the home of California State University, Chico, and for Bidwell Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world.

History
The first known inhabitants of the area now known as Chico—a Spanish word meaning "little" —were the Mechoopda Maidu Native Americans.

The City of Chico was founded in 1860 by John Bidwell, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1843. During the American Civil War, Camp Bidwell (named for John Bidwell, by then a brigadier general of the California Militia), was established a mile outside Chico, by Lt. Col. A. E. Hooker with a company of cavalry and two of infantry, on August 26, 1863.

By early 1865 it was being referred to as Camp Chico when a post called Camp Bidwell was established in northeast California, later to be Fort Bidwell. The city became incorporated January 8, 1872.

Chico was home to a significant Chinese American community when it was first incorporated, but arsonists burned Chico's Chinatown in February 1886, driving Chinese Americans out of town.

Historian W.H. "Old Hutch" Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. They included the arrival of John Bidwell in 1850, the arrival of the California and Oregon Railroad in 1870, the establishment in 1887 of the Northern Branch of the State Normal School, which later became California State University, Chico (Chico State), the purchase of the Sierra Lumber Company by the Diamond Match Company in 1900, and the development of the Army Air Base, which is now the Chico Municipal Airport.

Other events include the construction and relocation of Route 99E through town in the early 1960s, the founding of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in 1979—what would become one of the top breweries in the nation —and the establishment of a "Green Line" on the western city limits as protection of agricultural lands.

Geography
Chico is at the Sacramento Valley's northeast edge, one of the richest agricultural areas in the world. The Sierra Nevada mountains lie to the east and south, with Chico's city limits venturing several miles into the foothills. To the west, the Sacramento River lies 5 mi from the city.

Chico sits on the Sacramento Valley floor close to the foothills of the Cascade Range to the north and the Sierra Nevada range to the east and south. Big Chico Creek is the demarcation line between the ranges. The city's terrain is generally flat, with increasingly hilly terrain beginning at the eastern city limits. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.8 sqmi, of which 27.7 sqmi is land and 0.04% is water.

The city is bisected by Bidwell Park, which runs 5 mi from the flat city center deep into the foothills.

The city is also traversed by two creeks and a flood channel, which feeds the Sacramento River. They are named Big Chico Creek, Little Chico Creek, and Lindo Channel (also known as Sandy Gulch, locally).

The city has been designated a Tree City USA for 31 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Chico is made up of many districts and neighborhoods, including Downtown Chico, the South Campus neighborhood, and Barber.

Climate
Chico and the Sacramento Valley have a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa), with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Temperatures can rise well above 100 F in the summer. Chico is one of the top metropolitan areas in the nation for number of clear days. Winters are cool and wet, with the greatest rainfall occurring in January and February. July is usually the hottest month, with an average high temperature of 94 °F and an average low temperature of 61 °F. January is the coolest month, with an average high temperature of 55 °F and an average low temperature of 35 °F. The average annual rainfall is 27 in. Tule fog is sometimes present during the autumn and winter months. Snow occasionally falls in the hills east of Chico, but has become quite rare in Chico itself; as of 2024, measurable snow has not occurred in Chico since December 1988.

2020
The 2010 United States Census reported that Chico had a population of 86,187, which represents an increase of 43.8% since 2000 and a continuation of steady population increase since 1940. The population density was 2,604.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Chico was 69,606 (80.8%) White, 1,771 (2.1%) African American, 1,167 (1.4%) Native American, 3,656 (4.2%) Asian, 210 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 5,437 (6.3%) from other races, and 4,340 (5.0%) from two or more races. There were 13,315 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (15.4%).

The Census reported that 83,009 people (96.3% of the population) lived in households, 2,591 (3.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 587 (0.7%) were institutionalized.

There were 34,805 households, out of which 9,222 (26.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 11,745 (33.7%) were heterosexual living together, 3,975 (11.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,729 (5.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,806 (8.1%) unmarried heterosexual partnerships, and 295 (0.8%) same sex married couples or partnerships. Ten thousand four hundred nineteen households (29.9%) were made up of individuals, and 3,100 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38. There were 17,449 families (50.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.97.

The population was spread out, with 16,771 people (19.5%) under the age of 18, 20,622 people (23.9%) aged 18 to 24, 22,360 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 17,256 people (20.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 9,178 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

There were 37,050 housing units at an average density of 1,119.5 /mi2, of which 34,805 were occupied, of which 14,878 (42.7%) were owner-occupied, and 19,927 (57.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%. Thirty-six thousand eight people (41.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units, and 47,001 people (54.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy
Much of the local economy is driven by the presence of Chico State. Industries providing employment: educational, health and social services (30.3%), retail trade (14.9%), arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services (12.6%).

Chico's downtown is a thriving area for unique, independent retail stores and restaurants. Farmers markets attract crowds on Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings. City Plaza hosts free concerts regularly during the summer. Performance venues large and small, bars, coffee shops, bookstores, and city offices contribute to a lively and flavorful experience.

Chico has long been a regional retail shopping destination. Chico's largest retail district is focused around the Chico Mall on East 20th Street. In the two decades since the Chico Mall was constructed, many national retailers have located nearby. Chico is also home to the North Valley Plaza Mall, the city's first enclosed shopping center. Construction on this mall began in 1965, and it was the county's largest shopping center until the Chico Mall was completed in 1988. For a few years, the "old" mall and the "new" mall competed against one another. The North Valley Plaza Mall was dealt a blow when JCPenney, one of the old mall's anchors, moved to the Chico Mall in 1993. The "old" mall slowly declined with increasing vacancies. After several failed attempts at revitalization, the North Valley Plaza Mall was overhauled in 2002, with the center of the mall demolished.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the largest craft brewer in the U.S., is based in Chico.

Agriculture
Almonds are the number one crop in Chico and the surrounding area, only recently edging out rice. Other crops in the area include walnuts, kiwis, olives, peaches, and plums.

The city is bounded on the west by orchards with thousands of almond trees, and there are still a few pockets of orchards remaining within the contiguous city limits. The trees bloom with a pink/white flower in late February or early March. Millions of bees are brought in for pollination.

Walnuts are also major agricultural products in the area north and west of town. Unlike the almond crops of the area, walnuts do not have the same appeal as they do not bloom in the spring. However, the trees themselves grow much larger, live longer, and are far more resilient to harsh weather than almond trees, which are known to be sensitive to frost and can be felled easily in winter storms. In the area, Walnuts are harvested following the almond harvest season, beginning in mid to late September and stretching well into October. The walnut variety Chico is named after the city.

Top employers
Build.com (as of April 2013) was named as No. 81 on Internet Retailer Magazine's Top 500 List of online retailers. According to Zippia, the Top 10 employers in Chico are below.

Culture
The Chico Museum first opened in February 1986 in the former Carnegie Library building in downtown Chico. It currently features a World War I exhibit. The museum has two main galleries, which host a variety of temporary and traveling exhibits. In addition, the museum has two smaller, permanent galleries displaying the diverse history of Chico.

The Chico Air Museum is an aviation museum, which opened in 2004. Several aircraft and exhibits are displayed in and adjacent to an old hangar, one of the few remaining from World War II.

The National Yo-Yo Museum is the country's largest collection of yo-yo artifacts, which also includes a 4 ft tall yo-yo that is dropped with a crane every few years, the world's largest functional yo-yo. Classes are available as well for those new to yo-yo and those who just want to get better. An art museum, the Chico Art Center, is also located in the city.

Two other historical buildings are also museums. Bidwell Mansion is a Victorian house completed in 1868 and the former home of John and Annie Bidwell. Bidwell Mansion is a California State Historical Park. Stansbury House, former home of physician Oscar Stansbury, is a museum of 19th-century life, completed in 1883. The Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology on the Chico State campus presents temporary exhibits researched, designed, and installed primarily by students. The museum was renamed November 18, 2009, by the Chico State Board of Trustees in honor of professor emerita Valene L. Smith, whose contributions and commitments to the museum have totaled over $4.6 million. The grand opening was held on January 28, 2010. The museum is across from the main entrance of the Miriam Library, next to the Janet Turner Print Museum.

The Gateway Science Museum is a leading center for science education and Northern California's local history, natural resources, seacoast, Sacramento Valley, and surrounding foothills and mountains.

Chico is home to the Chico Certified Farmers Market; they host local farmers markets every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Residents are also able to enjoy a farmers and live market downtown on Thursday nights between April and September.

About 40 murals and several galleries can be found in the city, including Chico Paper Company, 1078 Gallery, Avenue 9, The Space, 24-Hour Drive-By, and numerous other galleries. The theatres in Chico include Blue Room Theatre, Chico Performances, Chico Theater Company, and California Regional Theatre. The California State University, Chico Theatre Department also offers a variety of entertainment throughout the school year. In 2003, author John Villani named Chico one of the top 10 Best Small Art Towns in America.

Sports
Chico is home to Nettleton Stadium (also called The Net) baseball stadium on the California State University campus. It is the home field for the Chico State Wildcats baseball team, in NCAA Division 2.

Chico is also home to the Silver Dollar Speedway, a race track at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds used for sprint car racing.

Chico is one of few cities to be home to two championship baseball teams in two different leagues simultaneously. The Chico State Wildcats were champions in both the 1997 and 1999 Division II College World Series. The Chico Heat were also champions in the Western Baseball League in 1997. The Chico Outlaws were founded with the Golden Baseball League in 2005, where they also won the championship in 2007 and 2010. Starting in the summer of 2016, the Chico Heat returned as a part of the Great West League, a collegiate summer wood-bat league, until 2018 when the league folded due to financial issues from several other participating teams.

Chico has also gained a reputation as being a bicycle-friendly city. In 1997, Chico was ranked as the number one cycling city in the nation by Bicycle Magazine and also hosts the Wildflower Century, an annual 100 mi bike ride throughout Butte County every April, put on by Chico Velo Cycling Club. The city is in the process of creating a network of bicycle paths, trails, and lanes.

Chico is the former home of the Chico Rooks (soccer), the Chico Heat (baseball – Western Baseball League), and Chico Outlaws (baseball – Golden Baseball League).

Government
The City of Chico is a charter city and has a council–manager government. The City of Chico's administration offices are located at 411 Main Street, immediately adjacent to the City Council Chambers. Chico's city council consists of seven nonpartisan council members each elected from one of the seven districts in November of even-numbered years. The districts were officially created in February 2020.

Their terms begin on the first Tuesday in December and end on the first Tuesday in December four years thereafter. The mayor is chosen by and from among the council members and serves for two years. City council meetings are on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

The council consists of Mayor Andrew Coolidge, Vice Mayor Kasey Reynolds, Sean Morgan, Dale Bennett, Deepika Tandon, Tom van Overbeek, and Addison Winslow.

Chico is represented in the Butte County Board of Supervisors by the District Two Supervisor Peter Durfee, District Three Supervisor Tami Ritter, District 4 Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue and District 5 Supervisor Doug Teeter.

The citizens of Chico, as constituents of California's 3rd Assembly District, are represented by in the California State Assembly, and as members of California's 4th Senate District, are represented by  in the California State Senate. As part of California's 1st congressional district, Chico is represented by in the United States House of Representatives.

Chico was designated to be the provisional capital of California if a disaster occurred that would cause evacuation of Sacramento after a civil defense exercise named Operation Chico was deemed a success. No person shall produce, test, maintain, or store within the city a nuclear weapon, component of a nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon delivery system, or component of a nuclear weapon delivery system under penalty of Chapter 9.60.030 of the Chico Municipal Code.

Education
The Chico Unified School District serves all of the greater Chico area, including areas not within the city limits. Public high schools include Chico High School, Pleasant Valley High School and Inspire School of Arts and Sciences.

In 1998, city voters approved a bond to build a third comprehensive high school that was to be called Canyon View High School. However, after a long search for a suitable site, the school district opted not to build the new high school, a decision based largely on declining enrollment figures. The money from the bond has now been used to improve the Chico and Pleasant Valley high schools.

 * Higher Education
 * California State University, Chico (Chico State)
 * Butte College
 * Cal Northern School of Law

Media
Chico is served by several print newspapers, including the Chico Enterprise-Record, the Chico News & Review, The Orion, and by Videomaker Magazine.

Local television broadcasts include KCVU-TV (Fox), KHSL-TV (CBS), KNVN-TV (NBC), and KRCR-TV (ABC).

Local FM radio broadcasts include: KALF (FM) 95.7, KBQB (FM) 92.7, KCEZ (FM) 102.1, KCHO (FM) 91.7, KPAY-FM 93.9, KHHZ (FM) 97.7, KHSL-FM 103.5, KMXI (FM) 95.1, KRQR (FM), 106.7, KTHU (FM) 100.7, KZAP (FM) 96.7, KZFR (FM) 90.1.

Local AM stations include KPAY 1290 and KZSZ 107.5.

Transportation
Amtrak operates the Chico station station at Fifth and Orange Streets for the Coast Starlight service. The terminal is partially wheelchair accessible, has an enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public payphones, free short-term and long-term parking. Trains run between Seattle and Los Angeles with a northbound and a southbound train departing from the station daily. The Greyhound and FlixBus station is also located at Fifth and Orange Streets.

The B-Line (Butte Regional Transit) serves the Chico Urban area with eight routes operating Monday through Saturday and two shuttle routes for Chico State students during the academic year.

Chico is a gold level bicycle-friendly community as designated by the League of American Bicyclists. Chico was also named "America's Best Bike Town" by Bicycle magazine in 1997. Pedicabs are commonly available downtown during the evenings.

California State Route 99 and California State Route 32 intersect in Chico.

Air
Chico Regional Airport serves the area and is north of the city limits. It was served by United Airlines' United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines nonstop to San Francisco (SFO). Commercial passenger flights were discontinued by SkyWest on December 2, 2014, due to nonviability, as indicated by United Airlines in June 2014. The city administration is trying to restore air service, which would be provided by alternate airlines. On July 31, 1961, the first-ever aircraft hijacking on United States soil occurred at the Chico Regional Airport. Two men were critically wounded, and the hijacker was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.

In the early 1980s, the airport was the home base and headquarters for Pacific Express, a scheduled passenger airline that served Chico with British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twin jets. From 1962 to 2010, the airport was also home to Aero Union, a company that refitted and operated surplus military aircraft such as the Lockheed P-3 Orion turboprop as fire fighting aircraft for state and federal agencies until their move to McClellan Airfield, near Sacramento.

Another local airfield is Ranchaero Airport, surrounded by orchards on the west edge of Chico.

An altitude record for unmanned gas balloons was set in Chico in October 1972 (51.8 km). The record was broken on May 23, 2002.

Top Gun: Maverick was filmed in the foothills outside Chico in July 2019 for the final scenes between the F-14 and two SU-57's, which was performed using two L-39's and CGI. The film crew spent 10 days filming and secretly used the Chico Airport for a staging area.

Sister cities

 * – Tamsui, New Taipei, Taiwan 1985
 * 🇺🇸 – Pascagoula, Mississippi (U.S.) 2005

Notable people

 * Emily Azevedo, Olympian, world champion in bobsled
 * Annie Bidwell, civil rights leader
 * John Bidwell, pioneer and founder of Chico
 * Big Poppa E, slam poet
 * Joseph Bottom, swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, NCAA and world champion
 * Lisa Butts, national team player, women's rugby
 * Brian Cage, professional wrestler
 * Glynnis Talken Campbell, author, composer, musician, and voice actor.
 * Bill Carter, documentary filmmaker, author
 * Raymond Carver, writer
 * Eugene A. Chappie, politician
 * Pat Clements, professional baseball pitcher
 * Edwin Copeland, botanist, founder University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Agriculture
 * Clay Dalrymple, professional baseball catcher
 * Leslie Deniz, Olympic silver medalist in discus
 * Amanda Detmer, actress
 * Ashley Everett, dancer, lead backup dancer, and dance captain for Beyoncé
 * Pat Gillick, executive in Baseball Hall of Fame
 * Ken Grossman, founder, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
 * Jerry Harris, sculptor
 * Russell Hayden, actor
 * Joseph Hilbe, Chico State University graduate, author, professor, statistician
 * Marty James, musician
 * Mat Kearney, musician
 * Lisa Kelly, radio personality
 * Adnan Khashoggi, billionaire businessman
 * Kurt Kitayama, professional golfer
 * Janja Lalich, author, professor, sociologist
 * Harold Lang, dancer and actor
 * Major Ted W. Lawson, U.S. Army Air Forces pilot
 * Kyle Lohse, MLB pitcher, 2011 World Series champion
 * Pat Mastelotto, musician
 * Michael Messner, notable author, sociologist
 * William Morris, glass artist
 * The Mother Hips, musical artists
 * Joe Nelson, professional baseball player
 * Matt Olmstead, writer and producer
 * Elena Orlando, professional ice hockey player
 * Andranik Ozanian, Armenian general and activist
 * Pete Parada, professional musician, drummer for The Offspring
 * Kathleen Patterson, politician
 * Michael Perelman, author, economist, professor
 * Jackson Pollock, abstract expressionist painter
 * Aaron Rodgers, quarterback, Super Bowl champion and 4-time NFL MVP
 * Jordan Rodgers, SEC Network sportscaster
 * Ed Rollins, political consultant
 * Jason Ross, TV writer
 * Rigoberto Sanchez, professional football punter
 * Mike Sherrard, professional football player, Super Bowl XXIV champion
 * Carolyn S. Shoemaker, astronomer
 * Robert C. Stebbins, herpetologist and illustrator
 * Gentry Stein, world yo-yo champion and performer
 * Jeff Stover, professional football player
 * Mike Thompson, politician
 * Douglas Tilden, sculptor
 * Niki Tsongas, politician, widow of Paul Tsongas
 * Muddy Waters, coach in College Football Hall of Fame
 * Bill Wattenburg, scientist, radio talk show host
 * Don Young, politician

title: Chico, California


text:
Concow, California

Concow (Maidu: Koyoom Kʼawi, meaning "Meadow") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Sierra Nevada foothills covering eastern Butte County, California. Due to a decline in employment and repeated wildfires, over the past hundred years the population declined from several thousand to several dozen. On November 8, 2018, a wildfire, the Camp Fire, destroyed most of Concow, as well as the adjacent municipality of Paradise.

Concow is named after the Native American tribe that is indigenous to the area, the Concow Maidu. The original inhabitants ate salmon from the Feather River, acorns and pine nuts, venison, nō-kōm-hē-i'-nē, and other sources of food which abounded in the California foothills.

History
"In the beginning Wahno-no-pem, the Great Spirit, made all things. Before he came, everything on the earth and in the skies was hidden in darkness and in gloom, but where he appeared he was the light. From his essence, out of his breath, he made the sun, the moon, and the countless stars, and pinned them in the blue vault of the heavens."

Colonization
There is no indication that there was external governance of the Concow region or the tribal peoples that inhabited the region during the 1697–1821 Spanish colonization or the 1821–1846 Mexican era, characterized by the spread of California slave ranchos. The Concow region is 20 miles (30 km) north of the city of Oroville (an Anglo-Hispanic compound meaning 'gold-town') and about the same distance east of the town of Chico; named for Rancho Arroyo Chico—meaning 'little creek ranch.' Rancho Arroyo Chico was established through a land-grant from the Mexican authorities in 1844, two years before California was invaded by United States forces, an indication that there was some Mexican governance near the Concow region, but no indication of governance of the region.

Discovery
Aside from governance, starting in 1828, northern trappers including Jedediah Smith, Michel Laframboise, and John Work first made contact with the Concow region Maidu. In 1851 the Beckwourth Trail established the first transportation route to the Concow region. The route did not pass directly through the present day Concow, the trail followed a series of ridgetops 10 miles to the East.

Soon began death from diseases, such as pneumonia and malaria, from which the Maidu have no natural immunity.

Bounty and extermination
In 1853, under the leadership of Gov. Bigler, several municipalities within the State of California ordered all non-European people of California - including the Maidu - exterminated in return for a $5.00 ($134.95 in 2010 US$) cash bounty for each verified male killed and a lesser cash bounty for a dead woman or child. In addition to the municipal bounty system, through funding numerous militia attacks on the native people, the resulting debt became known as the "California War Debt" or "Army Appropriations Bill".

In 1854 - though not entirely clear why  - Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wrote California that their 'war' expenditures could not be authorized without the original bills of sale to verify the purpose was one intended by congress. The bill of sale for the bounty was the head. California was reimbursed $924,259.65 ($23.4M 2010US) by the United States Federal Government and again reimbursed $229,981.67 in 1861 for the intervening years. Sometimes children could be sold for more than the per claim amount allowed. To maximize profits, during 'hunts' they tried to only kill children that were not old enough to work. The older children were instead enslaved as provided by the Act of 1850 for the Government and Protection of Indians.

Assuming the $1.2M the State of California claimed in expenses for the 'War' was used entirely for $5 bounties, then this represents the death of 240,000 California natives; during that same time period the native population declined from 250,000 to less than 50,000, a comparable amount.

Settlement
Permanent settlements soon followed and by 1856 several were well established. The growth of these settlements increased after Charles Curtis constructed a toll bridge (1858) across the Feather River at Nelson's Bar and the next year (1859) an additional bridge was constructed by residents of Whiskey Town over the Feather River just north of the Concow region. Basically, there was a Northernly trail and bridge from present day Oroville, and a Southernly trail and bridge from present day Magalia.

Removal of remaining Maidu
After a decade of genocide and forcible removals, in 1859 the last of the Kon Kow peoples were forcibly removed by Tehama County ranchers as part of a larger four county 'roundup'. They were held at the Mendocino Reservation until the California Reservation Administration at the camp collapsed due to lack of funding due to the Civil War occurring on the East Coast. The Kon Kow were then deported to the Nome Cult Farms at the Round Valley reservation.

By 1862, the last of the native Concow inhabitants were starving on the cramped Round Valley with unrelated people relocated from surrounding regions. The damp coastal climate on the reservation contrasts with the dry climate of the California "Gold Country" they are accustomed to. It was the midst of the North American Civil War, and federal funds for California Reservations were no longer arriving.

Some Maidu leave the reservation
In the cooling weather of late September, on September 24, 1862, a combination of the poor camp conditions, forced participation in a massacre of the local Wailaki peoples, warnings by local whites that they were planning to massacre the reservation inhabitants that winter, and an imminent winter disaster (under the supervision of indian agent James Short ) motivated a group of over 400 Maidu to leave the camp.

This group consisted of men, women, children, and elderly individuals. They set out with Tome-ya-nem, without provisions, for the 130 mile hike (210 km) back to their home in the Concow Valley. It was a 10-day hike for well equipped healthy young adults. They made it as far as present day Chico, where Agent Hanson had made an agreement with John Bidwell to stop and encamp the Kon Kow people at Bidwell's old river landing (now under Lake Oroville). Under the supervision of Sub Agent Eddy, they were employed for $.10 per hour ($2.72 2013US) constructing the Chico-Humboldt road and providing labor for various employers in the area.

Massacre
The following spring three young children were attacked with the two boys killed and the kidnapped girl escaping after being forced to walk to a village near present-day Concow in what became known as the Pence massacre, the murders were within the present day Concow CDP and 9 miles (14.5 km) from Concow Valley - the KonKow people were blamed. These events happened amid documented incidents of local whites dressing as 'indians' and committing crimes and numerous mule-trains that were attacked and plundered by the various sierra peoples; indigenous, Spanish, and whites. All indications are that the children were kidnapped by a small group of native young men. In the following days 611 KonKow people were murdered by a vigilante volunteer posse of 500 white men that sought to kill every non-white in Butte County. M.H. Wells hid 50 Kon Kows in his Yankee Hill store in the foothills above the camp at Bidwell's old river crossing; the vigilante group discovered these people. In a compromise the vigilantes inspected these people and determined four as 'bad people,' they were tied together in pairs and given a running start before the vigilantes opened fire, the rest were taken to the camp - two of the four were shot and killed. Under a resolution passed at a mass meeting of the public at Pence Ranch on July 27  a group of 12 led by Thomas McDonald of Cherokee and M.H. Wells of Yankee Hill found and convinced the remaining people in the surrounding area to go to the Bidwell camp for their own safety. A group of 26 led by G.G. Marquis of Concow, including Mr. Pence from Messilla Valley, B.P. Hutchinson from Cherokee Flat and John Chapman from Cherokee Ravine, gathered funds to cover the expenses for the Kon Kow people’s removal. Eventually 461 people including those who returned from Round Valley were gathered at Bidwell's Landing. From this group, for the kidnapping and killing of the Lewis children, two were tied to a tree and executed by firing squad. The local US government representative Major George M. Hanson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Northern California, and the State Militia representative Captain Augustus W. Starr sent July 31 to assess the situation were unsure what to do with the popular movement or how to stop the acts of vigilante justice. The subsequent commanders of Camp Bidwell during the month of August, Captain Alfred Morton and then Major Ambrose E. Hooker - are absent in early correspondence from Captain Starr asking for guidance with the increasing number of Konkow 'prisoners of war'.

The end
After consulting with Superintendent Hanson and superiors Colonel Richard Cloyd Drum and General George Wright, Captain Starr was ordered by General Wright in Post Order No. 6 to lead 23 soldiers of Company F 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry and move the now imprisoned people the 110 miles (180 km) from Camp Bidwell back to Round Valley on the Nome Cult Trail on what became a 20-day forced death march now remembered as the KonKow Trail of Tears. Despite efforts by the soldiers and the Pence resolution mandated donations of food and shelter provisions, horses and wagons, each day those who could not make the march through the hot arid early September Sacramento Valley - where afternoon temperatures top 90 °F (32 °C) or over the 6,000 foot (1,800 m) crest of the North Coast Ranges - were left behind without food or water and were soon killed by a pack of wild boar that formed behind and followed the group; the survivors were told to stay at the Round Valley concentration camp or be shot on sight. They were given no provisions by the soldiers and starved to death during the winter.

Bands of rogue natives
In 1864 a band of Kon Kow Maidu left the Round Valley reservation and again headed back to their home. The reservation agent sent a letter to the Concow post office noting their departure and that they seemed 'hostile.' What became of this band is not known, the following year in August a group of 25 Kon Kow were attacked and killed after a robbery that included two murders at the Robert Workman home; this became known as the Three Knolls Massacre and is seen as a smaller episode of the Mill Creek War. And the following year in February, another 5 Kon Kow were killed as continued retribution for the previous years murders.

Relics of Maidu
The current inhabitants of Concow, including a few Maidus, commonly find relics of the Maidu in the form of beads and stone tools while digging in and around their homes. There is no monument, plaque, or other recognition in Concow Valley to memorialize the fate of the KonKow people. Few if any of the current inhabitants are aware of the history.

Commune era
While a post office operated at Concow from 1882 to 1906, renamed from Con Cow to Concow in 1895, and relocated several times, the region was sparsely populated and dominated by a few ranching families. The economy of the region rose and fell with the gold rush need for supplies, the civil war demand for pine turpentine, logging, and the water way that allowed for ranching. The economy ebbed and flowed for a hundred years under the constraint of the difficult access to the region.

In 1962 a new four-lane alignment of California State Route 70 wrapped around the western side of the then proposed Lake Oroville and reconnected with the existing highway 70 at Jarbo Gap.

Wildfires
Beginning in 2000, a series of progressively larger fires burned through Concow.

2000 fire
A fire burned on September 19–20, 2000. The fire destroyed 14 structures. The first and smallest Concow fire of the 2000s, this fire was a 2,000 acre fire. At the time, it was considered a large fire.

2008 fire
In June 2008, as part of the Butte Lightning Complex Fires, a 60,000 acre (large fire) wildfire destroyed 250 structures. Of those structures, 220 were unpermitted and either were not built to building codes, did not bother with building inspections, or did not use approved building materials. Because of the back-to-the-land nature of the community, affording construction following building codes was not possible initially and reconstruction to building codes is not possible or within the ethos of the community. The county offered special waivers for reconstruction, but the community was already gutted. Those who remain are a shadow of the original community.

2012 fire
On September 26, 2012, at 3:10 PM, a wildfire burned 60 acres on Concow Rd at Jordan Hill Rd. CAL FIRE, El Medio Fire, Oroville Fire, USFS, and Butte Co. Fire Volunteers extinguished the fire. 120 total personnel were called to tend to the fire.

2018 fire
On November 8, 2018, a fire was reported at 6:33 a.m. PST, close to Camp Creek Road near Pulga. Shortly after the fire erupted, the Butte County Sheriff's Office ordered evacuations of surrounding communities and switched to life saving operations. On the first day, much of the town of Paradise and community of Concow were destroyed. As of December 13, Butte County Sheriff's Department reported that at least 6 people died in Concow during the Camp Fire. A fallen tree blocked the primary evacuation route from the town and some residents survived by jumping into the creek.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 28 sqmi, of which, 27 sqmi of it is land and 0.4 sqmi of it (1.4%) is water.

For unknown reasons the community's name was absent from the US Geological Survey files until 1990. Other nearby communities are The Pines (USGS feature ID 268203), and Deadwood (USGS feature ID 1655957).

The community is located off State Route 70 north of Cherokee. The infrastructure is minimal. There is Concow Elementary School, Concow Dam and Reservoir, and the primary paved access route - Concow Road.

Demographics
The first census of the Concow region was in 1990. At first contact with native peoples in Concow the population was over 1,000, however, it was noted that the population had been higher and the people were sick with cholera. The 1850 and 1860 populations are largely the Concow people which declined due to massacre and deportation.

2000
The 2000 census counted 1,095 people in 571 housing units and forming 319 families. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11.2/km$2$), and a housing density of 15 per square mile (5.9/km$2$). Of households, 24 percent included children under the age of 18; half were married couples, 8 percent had a female head of household, and 30 percent were non-families; 23 percent were individuals, and of those a third were over 65 years old. The median family income was $41,250, and the per capita income was $15,829. That placed 27 percent of those under age 18 and 14 percent of the population below the poverty line. The racial makeup was 91 percent White. As individuals, there were, 10 African Americans, 25 Native Americans, and 52 Latinos.

2010
In 2008, the Butte Lightning Complex fire destroyed 308 homes which was 54 percent of the housing. In the 2010 census, "the biggest [regional] percentage drop was in fire-scarred Concow, down 35 percent to a population of 710."

The 2010 census, counted 710 people in 360 households, forming 178 family units. The population density was 26 PD/sqmi, and the housing density was 13 /sqmi. Of housing units, 30 percent included children under the age of 18. Of family units; 59 percent included children under 18 years old; 82 percent were husband-wife unions. The racial makeup was 85 percent White, as individuals there were 28 Native Americans, and 57 Latinos.

2020
In 2018, the Camp Fire destroyed nearly all of Concow.

The 2020 Census counted 402 people in 305 households: a 43% drop. The racial makeup was 78 percent white.

Historically
Historically the Concow region supported hunter-gatherer societies, turpentine extraction, dairy farming, ranching, forestry, water supply, and in the areas outside the granite sands - Quartz reef mining and related industries. The region is zoned (2010 map) for timber production, 5 to 10ac foothill residential, a small area for 1ac foothill residential, and a couple small areas for commercial.

Informal market
In the 1980s and 1990s, the CDP became known regionally for a significant domestic product consisting of informal market production and commerce.

Most of the informal market production consists of marijuana agricultural production. Large irrigated plantations were discovered during the 2008 fire.

The 2000 domestic product from legitimate income sources is approximately $17.5 million. During and after the 2008 fires, an estimated $50 million worth of marijuana was removed, indicating that the region's per-capita income is under-reported. The region's marijuana production is 1/3 of 1% of California's $14 billion (2013) dollar total production. At the 2010 population of 710, that is a per capita income of $70,000 per person. The 2008 fire burned most of the protective, shaded forest overstory, converting the vegetation to mostly exposed, sunny and hot chaparral. This changed the microclimate growing conditions, resulting in a drop in crop yields.

Change in economy
With the destruction of most unpermitted structures and forest during the 2008 fire, the pattern of residences, commercial land use, informal and formal market industries, and recreational use has changed. There has not been any large-scale residential development in the Concow region. The baby boomer 'bulge' was expected to result in a steady stream of retirees into the region. To date, however, the population has declined despite the retirees.

Education
The Concow Elementary School is located in the community.

Notable people

 * Bill Godbout, early computer pioneer, died during the Camp Fire in 2018.

title: Concow, California


text:
Durham, California

Durham is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 5,518 at the 2010 census.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 81.9 sqmi, of which, 81.8 sqmi of it is land and 0.14 sqmi of it (0.19%) is water. Durham's main agricultural products are almonds and walnuts.

Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Durham has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

History
Durham was an experimental cooperative agricultural colony established under the 1917 California State and Settlement Act (AICP Exam Prep 3.0, 2014).

Durham was founded by the Durham Family. It is named for W. W. Durham, member of the California State Assembly. The Durham House still stands today as a reminder of what Durham was back in its early years. Durham was a town in which a railroad ran through and still does today. The railroad is what developed this town and kept it alive. The Durham Flour Mill, which burned down several times, was an integral part of this community.

On June 1, 2011, a tornado rated EF1, struck south of Durham, uprooting thousands of almond trees, destroying an out building and damaging a barn.

2010
At the 2010 census Durham had a population of 5,518. The population density was 67.3 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Durham was 5,088 (92.2%) White, 19 (0.3%) African American, 55 (1.0%) Native American, 35 (0.6%) Asian, 9 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 165 (3.0%) from other races, and 147 (2.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 614 people (11.1%).

The census reported that 5,509 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 9 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 2,113 households, 713 (33.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,286 (60.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 181 (8.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 103 (4.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 111 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 15 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 413 households (19.5%) were one person and 188 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61. There were 1,570 families (74.3% of households); the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was 1,303 people (23.6%) under the age of 18, 428 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 1,166 people (21.1%) aged 25 to 44, 1,828 people (33.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 793 people (14.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

There were 2,242 housing units at an average density of 27.4 /mi2, of which 2,113 were occupied, of these 1,561 (73.9%) were owner-occupied, and 552 (26.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%. 4,089 people (74.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,420 people (25.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 5,220 people, 1,914 households, and 1,466 families residing in Durham. The population density was 63.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,986 housing units at an average density of 24.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.18% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.58% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. 8.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,914 households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 18.8% of households were one person, and 7.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.10.

In Durham, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median household income was in Durham was $53,306, and the median family income was $61,373. Males had a median income of $42,568 versus $27,885 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,361. About 4.2% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

title: Durham, California


text:
Gridley, California

Gridley is a city in Butte County, California, United States, 29 mi south of Chico, California, and 56 mi north of Sacramento, California. The population as of April 1, 2020, is 7,421. California State Route 99 runs through Gridley and Interstate 5 and California State Route 70 are both nearby.

History
Butte County was historically a bountiful area covered with oak trees, fields of manzanita brush, and marshes and lakes in the rainy season. The valley floor abounded with wild game, geese and ducks overhead, deer, antelope, tule elk, the coyote, and many smaller varieties of animal life. Fish swarmed in the rivers and creeks. Several tribal groups, including the Maidu people, were settled in the region when they were first encountered by Spanish and Mexican scouting expeditions in the early 18th century. In the 1850s George W. Gridley, a wool grower and grain farmer who at the time was one of the largest landowners in Butte County, settled a 960 acre home ranch west of the town site that was to be named after him. Gridley was established in 1870 when the Oregon and California Railroad was constructed north from Marysville. The railroad reached Chico on July 2, 1870.

In response to a "The Place Where Crops Never Fail" advertising campaign by the California Irrigated Land Company, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began emigrating from the Rexburg, Idaho area to Gridley in November 1906. By February of the following year the Gridley Branch of the church was organized and more Latter-day Saints continued coming to Gridley from Idaho, Nevada, Utah and other states, effectively turning this small farming community into a Mormon enclave. By the end of 1908 there were some 500 LDS settlers in the Gridley area and their first chapel was constructed on the west corner of Sycamore and Vermont Streets in 1912 with a seating capacity of 1,000—the largest LDS meetinghouse west of Salt Lake City at that time.

Following a fire in November 2018 in Paradise, California, 400 temporary modular housing units called the "Gridley Camp Fire Community" were erected at a city-owned industrial park in Gridley.

In 2020, Gridley was the place where former NASA engineer and YouTube star Mark Rober achieved a world record of the World's Largest Elephant's Toothpaste Explosion with a height of 60 ft, before subsequently breaking the record again with a height of 250 ft in 2021.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 sqmi, all land.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Gridley has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated Csb on climate maps.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Gridley had a population of 6,584. The population density was 3,179.1 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Gridley was 4,283 (65.1%) White, 55 (0.8%) African American, 98 (1.5%) Native American, 249 (3.8%) Asian, 3 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 1,552 (23.6%) from other races, and 344 (5.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,000 persons (45.6%).

The Census reported that 6,472 people (98.3% of the population) lived in households, 16 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 96 (1.5%) were institutionalized. There were 2,183 households, out of which 910 (41.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,087 (49.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 338 (15.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 134 (6.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 149 (6.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 520 households (23.8%) were made up of individuals, and 297 (13.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96. There were 1,559 families (71.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.54.

The population was spread out, with 1,892 people (28.7%) under the age of 18, 668 people (10.1%) aged 18 to 24, 1,681 people (25.5%) aged 25 to 44, 1,415 people (21.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 928 people (14.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.

There were 2,406 housing units at an average density of 1,161.7 /mi2, of which 2,183 were occupied, of which 1,262 (57.8%) were owner-occupied, and 921 (42.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 3,829 people (58.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,643 people (40.1%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy
Gridley is adjacent to the Sacramento metropolitan area, the fifth largest metropolitan area in California.

Tourism

 * The Gridley area is a sportsman's haven. Excellent hunting, fishing and naturalist opportunities are available on private and public lands. The Gray Lodge Wildlife Waterfowl Management Area, part of the Refuge Water Supply Program is located 10 mi southwest of Gridley. Its 8,400 acres form some of the most intensively used and developed wetlands in the entire Pacific Flyway.
 * Gridley is 24 mi away from the recreational facilities available at Lake Oroville. Lake Oroville and the Oroville Afterbay feed into the clear rolling waters of the Feather River, which provides some of the best salmon fishing in the state. The Oroville Dam is one of the 20 largest dams in the world, the largest earth filled dam in the US, and the tallest dam in the US. Lake Oroville has 15,500 surface acres for recreation and 167 miles of shoreline. Lake Oroville features an abundance of camping, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, sail and power boating, water-skiing, fishing, swimming, boat-in camping, floating campsites and horse camping. At the base of the Dam, the Feather River Fish Hatchery raises Chinook salmon and steelhead along the Feather River.
 * Lake Oroville Visitor Center is located in Kelly Ridge and overlooks the Oroville Dam and Lake Oroville. The visitor center is home to a museum with interpretive displays, the history of the dam and the State Water Project. A 47-foot viewing tower also allows the visitor the opportunity to have a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding areas.

Parks and recreation

Gridley has several trails and parks featuring playgrounds, picnic tables and benches. Boat Launch Park includes a new boat ramp and dock, restrooms, lighting, and a fish cleaning table. It is located 3 mi east of Gridley on East Gridley Road. The modern facility was largely funded by the California Division of Boating and Waterways.

Education
The Gridley Community is served by the Gridley Unified School District. Schools in the Gridley Unified School District include:
 * Gridley High School
 * Esperanza High School
 * Sycamore Middle School
 * McKinley Elementary School
 * Wilson Elementary School
 * Manzanita Elementary School

Higher education

 * California State University, Chico (Chico State)
 * Butte College
 * Yuba Community College
 * Cal Northern School of Law

Healthcare
Orchard Hospital is a general acute care facility in Gridley with emergency care.

Highways
Gridley is located in the Central Valley, along California State Route 99, 56 mi north of Sacramento. It is close to larger metropolitan areas. California State Route 70 and Interstate 5 are both within 20 mi.

Public transport
B-Line Butte Regional Transit is Butte County's regional public transit system. Area residents use B-Line to travel locally in Gridley, Chico, Oroville, and Paradise, or to travel between communities throughout Butte County. Passenger rail service is planned to be initiated to Gridley under the North Valley Rail project.

Airport
Sacramento International Airport is a public airport 52 mi south of Gridley, in Sacramento County, California. Southwest Airlines currently accounts for half the airline passengers. The Airport served more than 10 million passengers in 2016.

The Oroville Municipal Airport is located 11 mi to the northeast of Gridley on State Route 162 and west of State Route 70.

Notable people

 * G. Vernon Bennett, Los Angeles City Council member, 1935–49
 * Isaac Austin, retired NBA basketball player, 1991–2004
 * Wally Westlake, MLB All-Star baseball player
 * Leslie Deniz, Olympic silver medal, 1984 Los Angeles, Women's discus

title: Gridley, California


text:
Magalia, California

Magalia (formerly Butte Mills and Dogtown) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 11,310 at the 2010 census.

History
Originally established after the 1849 California Gold Rush as a mining camp, the town was first called Mountain View. A dog breeding operation started in 1850 which led to the name Dogtown. A post office opened in 1857, which was shared with the adjacent settlement of Mill City; the two eventually united. In 1861 the name was changed to Magalia after the Latin word for cottages.

On April 12, 1859, at the Willard Claim, a hydraulic mine in the Feather River Canyon northeast of the town, a 54-pound (20 kg) gold nugget was discovered, the largest in the world at the time. Dubbed the "Dogtown Nugget", it made the town famous.

2018 fire
The community suffered extensive damage in the Camp Fire, a wildfire which began on November 8, 2018. As of December 13, Butte County Sheriff's Department reported that at least seven people died in Magalia during the Camp Fire. Some survivors sheltered in place at a Baptist church along the only evacuation route north of the ridge.

Geography and natural history
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 14.1 sqmi, all of it land. There are numerous flora and fauna species found in the vicinity including mammals such as Black tailed deer, raccoon, and grey squirrel. A considerable number of amphibians are also found such as the Rough-skinned Newt, whose southern range in the California interior occurs near Magalia. The soil, deep reddish-brown loam for the most part, supports forest dominated by tall incense cedar and bull pine.

Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Magalia has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Magalia had a population of 11,310. The population density was 806.8 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Magalia was 10,398 (91.9%) White, 40 (0.4%) African American, 141 (1.2%) Native American, 90 (0.8%) Asian, 17 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 134 (1.2%) from other races, and 490 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 765 persons (6.8%).

The Census reported that 11,297 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 13 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,825 households, out of which 1,217 (25.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,483 (51.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 515 (10.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 278 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 311 (6.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 34 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,239 households (25.7%) were made up of individuals, and 623 (12.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34. There were 3,276 families (67.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.75.

The population was spread out, with 2,165 people (19.1%) under the age of 18, 789 people (7.0%) aged 18 to 24, 2,104 people (18.6%) aged 25 to 44, 3,573 people (31.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,679 people (23.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

There were 5,355 housing units at an average density of 382.0 /sqmi, of which 4,825 were occupied, of which 3,713 (77.0%) were owner-occupied, and 1,112 (23.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%. 8,212 people (72.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,085 people (27.3%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
At the 2000 census, there were 10,569 people, 4,395 households and 3,199 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 751.0 PD/sqmi. There were 4,752 housing units at an average density of 337.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.09% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 1.20% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. 4.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,395 households, of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.73.

Age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 27.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median household income was $32,337, and the median family income was $38,654. Males had a median income of $36,909 versus $21,892 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,904. About 9.2% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

title: Magalia, California


text:
Oroville, California

Oroville (Oro, Spanish for "Gold" and Ville, French for "town") is the county seat of Butte County, California, United States. Its population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 in the 2000 census. After the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed much of the town of Paradise, Oroville's population increased as many people who lost their homes moved there. The 2020 census recorded Oroville's population as 20,042.

Oroville is considered the gateway to Lake Oroville and Feather River recreational areas. The Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California is headquartered in Oroville.

Oroville is adjacent to State Route 70 and in close proximity to State Route 99, which connects Butte County with Interstate 5. The city of Chico is about 23 mi northwest of the city, and the state capital, Sacramento, around 70 mi to the south.

Oroville's nickname is the "City of Gold", which is essentially the Spanish name of the city in English. The National Arbor Day Foundation has declared Oroville a Tree City USA for 41 years.

History
Oroville is on the banks of the Feather River, which flows from the Sierra Nevada onto the flat floor of the California Central Valley. During the California Gold Rush, it was created as the Feather River's head of navigation to serve miners.

The town was originally named "Ophir City", but was renamed Oroville when the first post office opened in 1854 (oro is Spanish for "gold"). The City of Oroville was incorporated on January 3, 1906.

Gold was found at Bidwell Bar, one of California's first gold-mining sites, bringing thousands of prospectors to the Oroville area. Now inundated by the waters of enormous Lake Oroville, which was filled in 1968, Bidwell Bar is memorialized by the Bidwell Bar Bridge, an original remnant of the area and the first suspension bridge in California (California Historical Landmark #314). The Western Pacific Railroad built the all-weather Feather River Canyon route across the Sierra Nevada in the early 20th century, earning it the moniker "The Feather River Route". The California Zephyr made frequent stops at Oroville station during its 20-year existence. This was included on the Union Pacific Railroad's Feather River Canyon Subdivision in 1983. State Route 70, a significant thoroughfare, runs almost parallel to the train line that winds through the canyon.

The Chinese Temple (CHL No. 770 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places) was built in 1863 to cater to the biggest Chinese colony north of Sacramento. Chinese laborers established the Temple as a place of worship for followers of Chinese folk religion and the three major Chinese religions: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. It has a large collection of antiques as well as a garden.

The olive-canning industry was founded in Oroville by Freda Ehmann, credited as the "mother of the California ripe olive industry." She built a large cannery in Oroville and by 1900 was the president of the world's largest canned olive factory. Ehmann was a believer in women's suffrage and a friend of Susan B. Anthony

Ishi, Oroville's most famous resident, was the last of the Yahi people and is considered the last "Stone Age" Indian to come out of the wilderness and into Western civilization. When he appeared out of the hills in East Oroville in 1911, he was immediately thrust into the national spotlight. The Visitor's Center at Lake Oroville has a thorough exhibit and documentary film on Ishi and his life in society.

Archaeological finds place the northwestern border for the prehistoric Martis people in the Oroville area.

1881 lynching
On August 7, 1881, pioneer Jack Crum was allegedly stomped to death by local bully Tom Noacks in Chico, California. The young Noacks was feared by the locals of Butte County, not only because of his size and strength, but allegedly because he was mentally unbalanced and enjoyed punching oxen in the head.

Noacks was arrested and jailed in the Chico jail. Once word got out that the old pioneer had been murdered, the authorities moved Noacks to the Butte County county jail in Oroville for his safety. Crum's friends, knowing that Noacks was in the county jail, made their way to Oroville with rope in hand. Knocking on the jail door, the men told the jailer that they had a prisoner from the town of Biggs, California. Once inside the jail, they overpowered the jailer and dragged Noacks from his cell. They took Noacks to Crum's former farm and hanged him from an old cottonwood tree. Nobody was ever prosecuted for the lynching.

Hate groups
Hate groups began appearing in Oroville media stories beginning in 1976 with a neo-Nazi husband and wife couple killed in a shootout. In 1980, members of the American Nazi Party moved to Oroville from Tracy, California, to re-organize as Chico Area National Socialists. In September 1982, 17-year-old Joseph Hoover was murdered by his Nazi colleagues after he told police he helped spread anti-Black hate literature at Oroville High School. One thousand people marched in Oroville in protest of Nazi and Ku Klux Klan activity on December 11, 1982. Local Nazi leader Perry "Red" Wartham was convicted of Hoover's murder and sentenced to 27 years, and two more male high school–age Nazi recruits were convicted as accessories to murder. In 2016, an Oroville man was found spreading Nazi hate messages in Sacramento. In January 2004, a white power publication was distributed in the Kelly Ridge area south of Oroville.

Oroville Dam crisis
On February 7, 2017, after heavy rains, a defect formed in a spillway of Oroville Dam. For the first time since its construction, the secondary spillway was overtopped on February 11. Shortly after being put into service, this structure began to show signs of being undermined, raising fears of catastrophic failure. Owing to their inability to predict the continued safety of this spillway, the Butte County Sheriff ordered evacuations of downstream residents from Butte, Sutter, and Yuba counties.

COVID-19
In November 2021, citing alleged federal and state overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oroville city council passed a resolution declaring the city as its own "Constitutional Republic" and refused to enforce federal orders that it said violated its citizens' rights.

The resolution to declare the town a constitutional republic was an attempt to limit state and federal restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in California. One rural law expert stated that the designation was unclear and would not operate to shield the city from following state and federal laws.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a land area of 13.89 mi2.

Oroville is situated at the head of navigation on the Feather River. The Yuba River flows into the Feather River near Marysville, California and these flow together to the Sacramento River. Geologically, Oroville is situated at the meeting place of three provinces: the Central Valley alluvial plain to the west, the crystalline Sierra Nevada to the SE and the volcanic Cascade Mountains to the north. It has a Mediterranean climate.

Oroville sits on the eastern rim of the Great Valley, defined today by the floodplains of the Sacramento River and its tributaries. Around Oroville these sediments are dominated by thick fans of Feather River sediments, but just east of this there is a thin, N–S band of late Cretaceous sediments. These sit on top of the Sierran basement, which beneath eastern Oroville comprise greenschist-facies metavolcanic rocks of Jurassic age, giving way to granites of the Sierra batholith to the east. These are manifestations of a vigorous island arc sequence, built out over an east-dipping subduction zone of mid-to-late Mesozoic age. The gold veins lace this ancient arc, remobilized by Mesozoic shearing and intrusions of igneous rock. The crystalline foothills are locally overlain by a Cenozoic sequence of Eocene clean beach sands overlain by Neogene volcanics, including the Diamond Head-like profile of "Table Mountain".

Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Oroville has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

According to US climate data, on the average Oroville receives 30.7 in of precipitation per year, which is about 20% less than the national average, but somewhat higher than the average California rainfall total.

2010
The 2010 United States Census The racial makeup was 11,686 (75.2%) White, 453 (2.9%) African American, 573 (3.7%) Native American, 1,238 (8.0%) Asian, 56 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 554 (3.6%) from other races, and 986 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,945 persons (12.5%).

The Census reported that 14,662 people (94.3% of the population) lived in households, 72 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 812 (5.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 5,646 households, out of which 2,126 (37.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,893 (33.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,174 (20.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 430 (7.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 615 (10.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 33 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,699 households (30.1%) were made up of individuals, and 718 (12.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60. There were 3,497 families (61.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.22.

The population was spread out, with 4,267 people (27.4%) under the age of 18, 1,969 people (12.7%) aged 18 to 24, 3,940 people (25.3%) aged 25 to 44, 3,417 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,953 people (12.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

There were 6,194 housing units at an average density of 476.0 /mi2, of which 5,646 were occupied, of which 2,423 (42.9%) were owner-occupied, and 3,223 (57.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%. 6,293 people (40.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,369 people (53.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,004 people, 4,881 households, and 2,948 families residing in the city. The population density was 1061.4 PD/sqmi. There were 5,419 housing units at an average density of 442.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 77.2% White, 4.0% Black or African American, 3.9% Native American, 6.3% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 5.4% from two or more races. 8.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,881 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,911, and the median income for a family was $27,666. Males had a median income of $28,587 versus $21,916 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,345. About 16.2% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Oroville is home to a considerable number of ethnic Hmong. The Hmong migrated from Southeast Asia, especially from the country Laos, after the Vietnam War. The Hmong were allies of the American forces during the Vietnam War, many were recruited to help fight the Communist-aligned North Vietnamese forces in Laos and Vietnam. The Hmong people were given blanket political asylum after the fall of Saigon to the NVA in 1975. Every year there is an annual festival during autumn which was originally a harvest festival but now called the New Year celebration. In 2010, 773 people of Hmong descent lived in the city of Oroville, 726 in South Oroville, 640 in Thermalito, and 140 in Oroville East. In 2010, the Oroville/Chico Hmong community was the 9th largest in the Western US.

In the 1950s, a community of Romanians migrated from Europe, with 560 remaining at the time of the 2010 census.

Native Americans made up 3.7% of Oroville's population in 2010. The largest tribal group is the local Maidu. The Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California is headquartered in Oroville, with 306 members. The world's largest museum of Maidu culture is located in Oroville East, at the Lookout Museum.

Economy
The economy of Oroville is largely driven by tourism to Lake Oroville and the Feather River recreation areas. The largest industries in Oroville as of 2017 are: Healthcare and Social Assistance (20%), Retail Trade (11%), and Accommodation and Food Service (10%).

As the neighboring city of Chico experiences growth in retail, education, and technology industries, Oroville has experienced population growth associated with commuters attracted to lower property costs, and a smaller cost of living. Recently, Oroville has seen an increase in economic development. Oroville Hospital announced in 2018 a hospital expansion, and in 2019 received $200 million in bonds for a five-story hospital tower expected to be competed in 2022.

Top employers
According to the city's 2020–2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Tourism
The Oroville Municipal Airport is located south of State Route 162 west of State Route 70.
 * The Oroville Dam is the tallest dam in the US and one of the 20 largest dams in the world. This dam is 770 ft tall and 6920 ft long, and it impounds Lake Oroville, which has a capacity of 3500000 acre.ft of water, making it the second largest reservoir in California.
 * Lake Oroville is a man-made lake that was formed by the Oroville Dam. At 900 ft when full, the lake has a surface of 15500 acre for recreation and 167 mi of shoreline. Lake Oroville features an abundance of camping, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, sail and power boating, water-skiing, fishing, swimming, boat-in camping, floating campsites, and horse camping.
 * Lake Oroville Visitor Center is located in Kelly Ridge and overlooks the Oroville Dam and Lake Oroville. The visitor center is home to a museum with interpretive displays, the history of the dam and the State Water Project. A 47 ft viewing tower allows the visitor the opportunity to have a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding areas.
 * Mother Orange Tree, located in Oroville, is the oldest of all Northern California orange trees.
 * The Feather River Fish Hatchery raise Chinook salmon and steelhead along the Feather River. The annual Oroville Salmon Festival is held on the fourth Saturday of September at both the Hatchery and downtown Oroville.
 * Riverbend Park is a 210 acre park on the Feather River established in 2006. The river features boat access and fishing. Other available activities include disc golf, running and walking trails, a river beach, and water fountains to play in on hot days.
 * Brad Freeman Bike Trail – a 41 mi bike trail running along the Feather River up to the dam, down through the city then out to the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay.
 * Oroville Chinese Temple – built in 1863 by members of the Chinese Popular Religion.

Parks and recreation
Oroville has several parks featuring playgrounds, picnic tables and benches.

Parks

 * Riverbend Park
 * Bedrock Park
 * The C.F. Lott Home in Sank Park – A Victorian revival home built in 1856 by "Judge" Lott. Sank Park, a lush shaded garden with a gazebo, encompasses an entire city block that Judge Lott bought in 1855 for $200
 * Hammon Park
 * Hewitt Park
 * Rotary Park
 * Martin Luther King Jr. Park
 * Playtown USA Park
 * Gary Nolan Baseball Complex (Mitchell Field)
 * Nelson Sports Complex
 * Centennial Park

Trails

 * Feather River Bike Trail
 * Brad Freeman Trail
 * Dan Beebe Trail
 * North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
 * Kelly Ridge Recreation Area

Education
The Oroville Union High School District includes all of the greater Oroville area, including many neighborhoods that are not within the city limits of Oroville. The District includes two traditional high schools, Las Plumas High School and Oroville High School, and Prospect High School, which functions as a continuation/remedial high school. The city also has an adult school, Oroville Adult School.

Several small, rural school districts are in the surrounding areas.

Elementary schools

 * Oakdale Heights Elementary
 * Ophir Elementary
 * Stanford Avenue Elementary
 * Wyandotte Academy
 * STREAM Charter School
 * Helen Wilcox Elementary School
 * Golden Hills Elementary

Middle schools

 * Central Middle School
 * Ishi Hills Middle School
 * Palermo Middle School
 * Nelson Ave Middle School

High schools

 * Oroville High School
 * Las Plumas High School
 * Prospect High School

Higher education

 * Oroville Adult School
 * California State University, Chico (in Chico, 24 mi northwest of Oroville)
 * Butte Community College
 * Northwest Lineman College

Media
Oroville is home to KOYO-LP, a low-power community radio station owned and operated by the Bird Street Arbor Day Media Project. The station was built by numerous volunteers from Oroville and around the region in April 2002 at the second Prometheus Radio Project barnraising. KOYO-LP broadcasts music, news, and public affairs to listeners at 107.1FM.

Transportation
The Amtrak Thruway 3 provides thrice daily connections from Oroville (with a curbside stop at 2525 Feather River Blvd) to/from Sacramento and Stockton

Hospital
Oroville Hospital is a general acute care hospital and offers basic emergency care located in the City of Oroville.

Fire department
The Oroville Fire Department is responsible for calls within the city jurisdiction of approximately 13 sqmi with a population of 16,260 (as of 2015).

Superfund sites
Oroville has three designated superfund cleanup sites, two of which have been cleaned up and delisted: a Koppers Co. wood treatment plant, a Louisiana Pacific sawmill, and the Western Pacific railyard.

The Koppers Co. plant was listed on September 21, 1984, for pentachlorophenol (PCP), dioxin, furan, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), and heavy metals (copper, chromium, and arsenic) contamination due to chemicals spilled on unpaved areas.

The Louisiana-Pacific sawmill was listed on June 10, 1986, for pentachlorophenol PCP, dioxin, furan, heavy metals (arsenic, boron, and copper), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. Following remediation, the site was delisted on November 21, 1996. The sawmill was shut down in 2001.

The Western Pacific Railroad yard was listed on August 30, 1990, for volatile organic compound (VOC) and heavy metals (arsenic, lead, and chromium) contamination. Following remediation, the site was delisted on August 29, 2001.

Notable people

 * Isaac Austin, professional basketball player
 * Kevin Brown, professional baseball player for Milwaukee Brewers in early 1990s
 * Ishi, last surviving member of Yahi Native American Tribe
 * Hartford H Keifer (1902–1986), authority on eriophyid mites
 * Edward Abraham Kusel, photographer
 * Doug LaMalfa, U.S. Representative of California's 1st congressional district
 * Marilyn Nash, actress and casting director
 * Gary Nolan, professional baseball player
 * John Spence, first American combat frogman
 * Adolphus Frederic St. Sure, federal judge
 * Kendall Thomas, Nash Professor of Law and a co-founder of the Center for the Study of Law and Culture at Columbia Law School
 * Frank Tuttle, contemporary Native American artist
 * Robert H. Young, Korean War Medal of Honor recipient
 * Hubert Zemke, pilot

In popular culture
In the early 1970s, the movie The Klansman was filmed in Oroville.

Sister cities

 * 🇺🇸 – Salem, Massachusetts (United States) 2007

title: Oroville, California


text:
Oroville East, California

Oroville East or Kelly Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 8,280 at the 2010 census, down from 8,680 at the 2000 census. Most citizens are dependent on the commerce of Oroville, and the vast majority of high school students in Kelly Ridge (Oroville East) attend Las Plumas High School. The community of Kelly Ridge sits at Lake Oroville and offers direct access to boating, camping, fishing and a variety of water sports.

Geography
Oroville East is located at 39.51167°N, -121.50444°W (39.511805, -121.504345).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 22.3 sqmi, of which, 22.1 sqmi of it is land and 0.2 sqmi of it (0.79%) is water.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Oroville East had a population of 8,280. The population density was 370.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Oroville East was 6,830 (82.5%) White, 126 (1.5%) African American, 477 (5.8%) Native American, 294 (3.6%) Asian, 8 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 147 (1.8%) from other races, and 398 (4.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 702 persons (8.5%).

The Census reported that 8,265 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 15 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 3,349 households, out of which 856 (25.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,775 (53.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 348 (10.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 181 (5.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 245 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 25 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 847 households (25.3%) were made up of individuals, and 486 (14.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47. There were 2,304 families (68.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.91.

The population was spread out, with 1,665 people (20.1%) under the age of 18, 578 people (7.0%) aged 18 to 24, 1,490 people (18.0%) aged 25 to 44, 2,638 people (31.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,909 people (23.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

There were 3,674 housing units at an average density of 164.6 /sqmi, of which 3,349 were occupied, of which 2,701 (80.7%) were owner-occupied, and 648 (19.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%. 6,414 people (77.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,851 people (22.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,680 people, 3,709 households, and 2,618 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 419.6 PD/sqmi. There were 4,078 housing units at an average density of 197.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.65% White, 0.66% Black or African American, 3.19% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 3.01% from two or more races. 4.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,709 households, out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $41,195, and the median income for a family was $46,543. Males had a median income of $36,009 versus $25,214 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,508. About 4.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

title: Oroville East, California