Chico is located in the northern Sacramento Valley and is home to California State University and to Bidwell Park which is the 26th largest municipal park in the US. In 2000 the population was just short of 60,000 and ten years later had climbed to over 86,000. However, in 2018 much of the neighboring town of Paradise was destroyed in a fire and many of the inhabitants moved to Chico. Last year, the US Census estimated the population at 103,301.
Chico has been named a Tree City USA for 31 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation and on the city seal it is nicknamed the “City of Roses”. Including Bidwell Park, which makes up 17% of the total area of Chico, the city has 23 parks in total including a skateboard park and children’s play park.
A Major Shopping Destination
Chico has always been a shopping destination and has the North Valley Plaza Mall which began life in 1965 and was the County’s largest mall until Chico Mall was built in 1988. Chico Mall has many national retailers including Target, Kohl’s, Forever 21, Best Buy, and Walmart. Chico’s downtown has many boutiques, coffee bars, restaurants, and independent retail shops, and there are farmers markets which attract crowds on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.
The Chico Museum is also in downtown and has a diverse range of displays, many of them temporary, while Chico air Museum opened in 2004 and sits next to a WWII hangar with several aircraft and displays. There is also the Chico Art Museum and – would you believe – the National Yo-Yo Museum which has classes available for those new to the yo-yo and also people who just want to improve their skills!
The main crop in the area is almonds, and it also produces rice, walnuts, kiwis, peaches, plums, and olives. Chico is a very bike-friendly city and was named America’s Best Bike Town by Bicycle Magazine in 1997.
If you are visiting Chico on business, perhaps as a visiting professor at Cal State University, then you will need somewhere to stay for the longer term, and at Key Housing we can help you with Chico corporate housing. This is so much better than staying in a hotel, paying hotel prices, and living out of a suitcase in a cramped bedroom.
