About Chico, CA

Chico, California is the most populated community in the County of Butte. In 2010, the population of Chico was 86,187 residents, which is considerable greater than in 2000 when the population of Chico was 58,964 residents. This community is an educational, economic, and cultural hub of the northern Sacramento Valley and home to both Chico and the Bidwell Park, as well as California State University.

Some of the other communities that are located, close to the Chico Metropolitan Area are local villages and towns that include the unincorporated regions of Forest Ranch, Nord, Dayton, Cohasset, and Durham. Also, there are the incorporated communities that include Oroville and Paradise. The Chico Metropolitan Area is the 14th largest in the Metropolitan Statistical area in California.

The Mechoopda Maidu native Indians were the original inhabitants of the region that are currently as Chico. Generally, the downtown area of Chico is situated between Little Chico Creek and Big Chico Creek. There are numbered avenues and streets that usually run west-southwest to east-northeast. Usually, the blocks are addressed in hundreds to correspond to the numbered avenues and streets and avenues. However, the streets that run south-southeast to north-northwest are usually named after trees. The portion of the streets that are named after trees that cross the Chico State campus the word Chico is spelled out on Orange, Cherry, Ivy, Hazel, and Chestnut streets.

The primary roadway that runs southeast- northwest through Chico is SR Business 99, which is different than Highway 99. There are many common names for Business 99 that include Midway, Park Avenue, Oroville Avenue, Main Street, Broadway, as well as Southeast Esplanade and Southeast Esplanade.

There are numbered avenues and streets, both of which flow from west to the east. This confuses many people. The avenues are north of campus through the Esplanade, while the streets are south of the Chico State campus and run through downtown. There aren’t any left turns allowed onto any odd numbered avenue from The Esplanade, in either direction, except for West 11th Avenue.

In 1860, the settlement of Chico was established by a member of one of the first wagon trains to arrive in California in 1843, named John Bidwell, who later became a Brigadier General in the California Militia. During the Civil War, Camp Bidwell, was organized one a mile outside Chico, by a Lieutenant Colonel named A. Hooker with two infantries as well as a company of cavalry in 1863. This camp came to be known as Camp Chico in early 1865. When post known as Camp Bidwell was organized in northeast California, sometime later it came to be known as Fort Bidwell. The year 1872 brought the incorporation of Chico as a city.

When it first became incorporated, Chico had a considerable Chinese American community. However, in 1886, arsonists burned the Chinatown in Chico to the ground. The majority if the Chinese-Americans let the area.

Five events have been identified as the most important in the history of Chico. They include the establishment of the Army Air Base, which is currently known as the Chico Municipal Airport, the 1900 purchase of the Sierra Lumber Company by the Diamond Match Company, the 1887 establishment of the Northern Branch of the State Normal School, which sometime later came to be known as California State University, Chico, otherwise known as Chico State, the 1870 arrival of the California and Oregon Railroad, and the 1850 of John Bidwell.

Recently, there have been many other significant events have had considerable impact on Chico. These include the establishment of a Green Line on the westernmost city limits as protection of agricultural lands, in 1987, Playboy Magazine named Chico State the #1 party school in the country. The early 1960’s, relocation and construction of Route 99E through the community.