chico area? (San Jose, Sacramento, Redding: lender, relocating, jobs)

[jaada]

hello we are thinking of relocating to chico california area and i wanted to know some positives and negitives about it. how is the employment there? and i am a college student so i will be going to chico state college. thank you

[jaada]

there is no one here with any info on chico area??

[greatbasinguide]

Sure,,, no negatives, great town. Beer and college students and almonds.

[KidBlue]

Chico has grown quite a bit in the last few years and now has a population of about 100,000. Used to be an orchard farming area, but is now residential. Chico is mixed with areas that are high poverty and areas of middle class. Chico is definitely a college town so you should have no trouble fitting in. It has a reputation of a party town for college students, but I think they are trying to change this rep.

You should find affordable housing, lots of shopping, and there are jobs available. Chico has the same weather as Redding where it's hot and dry in the long summer, wonderful in the short spring and fall, and rainy and foggy in the winter. No snow. Lots of almonds!

[jaada]

thank you for your help. i love almonds lol

[Guingirl]

My grandmother ran a sorority house up there eons ago (50 yrs ago). Chico is definately a college town and I have been there a few times. It is very community driven and you will have a TON of fun there. They have tried to tone down the "partying" down and not even sure if they have "Pioneer Days" still (that used to get CRAZY!!).

[huali808]

I used to live in Chico and have been right next to it for 15 years. There are some good places in Chico and some places that you might not like. Chapman town is a place where many people are on welfare and it has more crime. The Esplanade is very nice..houses along Cussick, Shasta, Mangrove. The Esplanade is beautiful in the fall!! The leaves are all turning red and orange and it is like a forrest. It is a party town and the college is a big deal. It's not like all the students live for is drinking. Chico has great shopping and has a big mall. (JC Penny, Gottschalks..etc.) There is a lot of restaurants and lively people everywhere.

[apensity]

I have lived in Chico for the past 13 years. I completed my graduate education here and have began my family here as well. The University has a huge impact in town, however Chico is more and more focused on young families as time goes on. As far as Chico being a party school anymore, that's a joke. I partied harder at San Jose State than here. Chico had Pioneer Days that was a HUGE draw for the party crowd, and then Halloween as well. Both of those are stopped in Chico now. Local economy is strong and job opportunities are not extremely hard to find, but start early before the rest of the students get out to look for jobs as well. Housing is very expensive here, but where is it not in NorCal? EXCELLENT small town atmosphere as I see the same 1,000 people wherever I go (with a pop of about 100,000 now). Downtown is like Los Gatos in the 80's and commercial and industrial growth is starting to ramp up (Chico is trying to lead the alternative energy trend). I'm a commercial lender for one of the banks in town, so if you would like any stats, just let me know.

[scallawag]

Lots of people stay in Chico after they graduate. It's got a great downtown, by the Univ., and beautiful Bidwell Park, which stretches for miles, with trails for biking and walking. It is very hot in the summer, but school is out by then. Foggy in winter. There should be plenty of jobs...there's a mall, too. Lots of little shops that need employees, and count on the college crowd. You'll need a lot more money to buy a house than 4 years ago, though. Prices went through the roof, and are still way up there. Lots of Bay area people who cashed out and drove up the prices.

[volleyballer]

I went to college in Chico with my husband. We were a young couple, and we found plenty to do without the party scene. Bidwell Park cannot be beat. It's beautiful all year and there's plenty of shade in the sweltering hot summers. Downtown is diverse and wonderful with an awesome farmers' market on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Traffic is not a problem at all. The one down side, no jobs. I've read some other posts about great job opportunity, but these people must be lucky. I am a teacher in the Sacramento area, which is where most Chico State grads end up, and there are hundreds of fully credentialed teachers taking sub jobs just to teach there. With that said, we'd move back in a heartbeat if there were jobs.