DISCOVER
CHICO CALIFORNIA

Thanks to its setting and relative isolation, Chico has managed to maintain that small town charm not usually associated with a city of over 100,000 people.

At the same time, the presence in downtown Chico of a California State University presents unique opportunities for big city style entertainment venues!

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Butte Creek Canyon

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Welcome to Downtown Chico
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Originally known as Rancho Arroyo Chico, Chico California is
Every Hometown, U.S.A., with families who have lived, worked, and raised their children in its smalltown environment for as many as five generations.

And, though it's grown both in size and in population since those early generations of Chicoans, the city of Chico and its surrounding areas have managed to maintain that smalltown feel.

Almonds in Bloom

Chico preserves its hometown-iness in part because it's never far from its agricultural roots.

Just outside the city limits you'll find almond orchards and walnut orchards galore -

The orchards are so abundant that the first time we came to Chico, my DH and I zigged when we should have zagged in the dark of night, got temporarily turned around, and lost our way on the roads among the nut orchards - we couldn't figure out which way back to town!

Nuts are so much a part of the agricultural and economic backdrop
of Chico that we even have a nut celebration every year - it's the California Nut Festival, and it takes place in April.

By the way, If you come to Chico, you'll want to know that almond
is pronounced ă-mond in these parts - "a" as in apple and the "l" doesn't exist. Just a little Insider Tip!

Chico Ranchers also grow pistachio, kiwi, olives, peaches, plums, pecans, strawberries, and acres and acres of rice! In fact, rice has been grown commercially in the area since 1912 and is the top ag commodity in Butte County.

California rice fields provide habitat and nourishment for about
seven million ducks and geese migrating along the Pacific Flyway each year, according to the California Rice Commission

And Chico is home to the ever popular annual Snow Goose Festival at the end of January. The festival celebrates the coming of the geese (and other migratory waterfowl).

I can't wait to share with you all the wonderful big city style entertainment Chico has to offer! And the great thing is, you can enjoy it without the big city hassles of traffic, long lines, and long waits!

The Blue Room Theater, above Collier's Hardware

The performing arts community in Chico is very active, offering everything from belly dancing, to sophisticated comedies, to cutting-edge theater.

From ballet, to Chico Summer Theatre Festival (the new Shakespeare in the Park).

With venues like the Blue Room Theater, the Pageant Theater, and Chico Performances at Laxon Auditorium, the performing arts are alive and well!

As for the media arts, Chico brings to mind chichi places like Carmel, Mendocino, and Napa because of the quality and quantity of artists and studios offering their works in a wide variety of media.

Did you know Chico was rated Number 10 out of The 100 Best Art Towns in America by author John Villani? It's true!

Downtown Chico is truly a
not-to-be-missed treat! You'll find no chain stores or major chain restaurants here (very few, anyway).

Everything is one-of-a-kind, only-in-Chico where you'll discover unique shopping, for clothing, gifts, jewelry, art, eateries, lodging, books, antiques, and much more, like Chico's unique and historic Diamond Hotel.

You'll also find CSU Chico and all that having a state university
pretty much right in the middle of downtown brings to the community's table.

Kendall Hall, CSU Chico

There are so many things that Chico California is famous for, I don't know where to begin, but I'll give it a shot:

• Chico is home to Orient & Flume Art Glass, and Satava Art Glass Studio
• And to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Bidwell Mansion

• It was home to John and Annie Bidwell, who - among many other things - founded Chico California in the 1800s
• It's been a temporary home to such people as Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland during the filming of The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh during the making of Gone With The Wind
• It was also home to the Hooker Oak. Purportedly the largest and oldest Valley Oak of its time, the tree was featured in The Adventures of Robin Hood as the Gallows Oak. On May 1, 1977 the tree fell and its loss is still mourned today by old-time Chicoans

Sycamore Pool in Bidwell Park; Photo by Wolf Rosenberg
For More Photos of Bidwell Park's One Mile

For instance, did you know that Chico California has one of the largest city parks in the United States?

The original parcel for Bidwell Park of 2500 acres was donated to the city of Chico by Annie Bidwell in 1905. Since then, the city of Chico has added additional land, and today's acreage totals 3,670 acres.

Considering the relatively small size of Chico as a city, Chicoans are quite proud of having such a spectacular and significant park!

Big Chico Creek runs right through the park, and at One Mile - which was given its name based on its distance from Bidwell Mansion - Sycamore Pool offers a unique swimming experience. The area was drained, cemented underneath, and then refilled by the WPA in the 1930s. Swimming at One Mile's Sycamore Pool is like being in a swimming pool, but with a creek running through!

There's plenty to entertain you in and around Chico California! Find out more about my Adopted Home Town! You may just be putting Chico California on your Bucket List of Things To Do Before You Die!

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