chico? (Sacramento, Redding, Marysville: home, neighborhoods, best schools)

[staceyccc]

Possibly moving to Chico, CA. Can't find a thread for this city. It must be pretty small. I have 3 young kids and am looking for the best schools and the most family-oriented neighborhoods. Any thoughts, suggestions? Cities surrounding Chico would be O.K. too.
Thanks.

[kettlepot]

You're in the wrong subgroup. I'll ask the mods to move your thread.

[pixistik1687]

Chico is a medium sized town- about 70,000. It is a college town- home to California State University, Chico. It's a pretty agricultural area- the lands surrounding Chico are mostly orchards, but the city itself is suburban. It has a beautiful park- Bidwell Park, and it's the 6th largest municipal park in the US. Chico certainly is a great place for people who like nature.
Overall, I'd say Chico is a great city.

[goatherder]

My brother lives there and he loves it, as stated it is a university town so you will want to avoid living too close to the school and it does get hot in the summer with 100 degree temps sometimes. I have visited several times and think it is a great town but do not know enough to give you specifics except it is beautiful and the folks seem nice.

[Tim Currie]

Here is the response I gave in another Chico thread:

Chico is an awesome small town. I went to school there and had a great time. If you're looking for a small town that is not like the urban areas of Ca (Bay Area, Sac, So Cal) then it is a good place.

Raising a family, I would assume it is good, it's a small town. Schools, dont know. Crime? Not really. Decent shopping...yeah, not city shopping. There is a small mall, and when I left, the town was slowly growing and more retail was going in. Things are a bit slow to get up there. Nearest military I know of is Beal AFB....about 45 min - an hour in Marysville.

It really feels rural (well... it is actually) cause it is up north and really isolated. You're 1.5 hrs from the nearest metro area which is Sacramento, and that is it. To the north is Redding which is a bit larger than Chico and other than that it is all small towns and agriculture. Chico is surrounded by agriculture on 3 sides and the foothills to the other.

You're in the central valley so it's hot in the summer and cool/rainy in the winter, beautiful spring and fall. Overall I think the town is very nice, middle class, some nice old neighborhoods, really cool downtown. Best small town downtown I have yet seen actually. Great place to walk, eat, relax, bars. Oh and then there's Bidwell park! GREAT city park that starts downtown and runs miles up into the foothills, it's really great. Most of it is natural once you're outside of the center of town but it's great with the creek running through it. Trails for hiking, biking, swiming holes, etc. Very nice.

Ok, that's all I got unless you have specific question.... I'll check back.

Tim

[moved]

Chico is fine if you already have an income. The college students are hired for all the jobs because they work for less money. I've been told that for every job posting, there are 150 applicants. Bidwell Park is nice, so if you like small towns, Chico is for you.