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I've read multiple threads reviewing Chico and Paradise, with mentions of Magalia. Little to none about Forest Ranch.
I believe I have a good picture of life in Chico. So what I'm more interested in is information about Forest Ranch and Paradise. I included Chico in the title thinking it will register with more people and draw information others would also like to know about the outlying areas.
I'm PhD educated. Liberal/Progressive. Major nature/rural/mountain/hiking/camping/arts/music enthusiast. I get along just fine with liberals and conservatives, farmers, ranchers, activists, loggers, hippies, outdoors enthusiasts, indoors enthusiasts , middle of the roaders. Anyone who has a live and let live approach to life. I don't get along well with intolerance, extremists, etc. Chico sounds great to me. I prefer to live in the country and be able to access Chico, as that's where I'll be working.
My basic read on Paradise can be summarized like this:
- Primarily quite conservative with some liberals
- Many retirees
- Above summer fog. Below winter snow for the most part.
- Some storefronts/businesses closed up
- Nice neighborhoods
- Lower rents
- Basically a nice little town
- One disturbing post said that Paradise is distinctly prejudiced against non-caucasians. I realize that many posters are not too tightly-wound. Possibly had a bad experience, etc. Can anyone address this issue?
- Other posts implied or stated outright that the foothills above Chico contain a preponderance of "rednecks". They suggested that these places are where meth users concentrate. They noted that the foothills are highly religious. I would appreciate mature thoughts on these perceptions. I'm guessing these are the postings of people with extreme views. If not, I'd like to know. There was one mention of skin-heads in Magalia? Are there?
- The majority of posts on Paradise were positive in nature.
I find limited comment on Forest Ranch.
- What is the political nature of that area? Are there people with liberal views? Open to newcomers? Closed to newcomers?
- Do the negative things attributed to Paradise apply?
- How long of a drive from there to Chico?
- Is the area safe, crime-wise?
- I hate to seem naive', but I'm accustomed to living in places where crime isn't something you think much about. Are these outlying areas places where meth users live, run labs, etc. Are home-invasions a concern? Frequent burglaries?
Sorry that some of these items are negative in nature. My guess is that these places are somewhat more moderate than described and that the negative posts do not accurately represent reality. But, I'd rather ask and hope level-headed people will reply. Thanks in advance.
Hi! After living in Chico for a few months, I just bought a home in Paradise. It's been nice so far!
My job takes me all over Butte County, so here are my initial reactions and what I've heard from others.
Paradise - The average age is definitely higher than Chico! (I'm in my upper 20s) Property is cheaper (that's why I bought here!) than Chico as well. It's a pretty town and has pretty much everything you need (multiple grocery stores, some decent restaurants, a great hospital, etc.). I've had no experience with unpolite or hateful people here. My neighbors are all very nice. I'm in Upper Paradise so it takes about 25 minutes to drive to Chico Natural Foods.
Forest Ranch - It's on the ridge on the other side of Butte Creek Canyon (Gorgeous area!). It takes about 15-20 minutes to drive from FR into Chico. From what I understand from my co-worker who lives in Forest Ranch, it's a very nice (but small and spread out) town. The citizens tend to be active in the community as well (which is good). In the outskirts of town there may be some "grow operations" but they won't bug you if you don't bug them. With a small population, there are far less services in FR than in Paradise, so you would need to head to Chico more often. Because the 32 goes through FR, there's quicker access to the mountains for recreation.
On the next ridge over is Cohasset. That town has an even smaller population, is a little more spread out, and caters to those who want their privacy.
Check out Durham too. There's a bigger focus on Ag there and it's a nice town with an easy commute to Chico. I would have moved there just as easily if there was the right home available.
Hi! After living in Chico for a few months, I just bought a home in Paradise. It's been nice so far!
My job takes me all over Butte County, so here are my initial reactions and what I've heard from others.
Paradise - The average age is definitely higher than Chico! (I'm in my upper 20s) Property is cheaper (that's why I bought here!) than Chico as well. It's a pretty town and has pretty much everything you need (multiple grocery stores, some decent restaurants, a great hospital, etc.). I've had no experience with unpolite or hateful people here. My neighbors are all very nice. I'm in Upper Paradise so it takes about 25 minutes to drive to Chico Natural Foods.
Forest Ranch - It's on the ridge on the other side of Butte Creek Canyon (Gorgeous area!). It takes about 15-20 minutes to drive from FR into Chico. From what I understand from my co-worker who lives in Forest Ranch, it's a very nice (but small and spread out) town. The citizens tend to be active in the community as well (which is good). In the outskirts of town there may be some "grow operations" but they won't bug you if you don't bug them. With a small population, there are far less services in FR than in Paradise, so you would need to head to Chico more often. Because the 32 goes through FR, there's quicker access to the mountains for recreation.
On the next ridge over is Cohasset. That town has an even smaller population, is a little more spread out, and caters to those who want their privacy.
Check out Durham too. There's a bigger focus on Ag there and it's a nice town with an easy commute to Chico. I would have moved there just as easily if there was the right home available.
Thanks, StandingLenticular! That's great information.
I lived in Chico for three years and have found the area to be just awesome. I would say that in Chico politically it’s left and on the outskirts it’s a lot more right. I loved the time I spent in the Chico area and if I could have stayed, I would have. There’s so much to do from mountain biking to fishing. The job market is tough and shows no sign of improvement.
I say this tongue and cheek, but the Chico area is a bring your own girlfriend town for people over the age of 28. I found the dating pool for women to be pretty bleak unless you’re willing to settle for damaged goods. I guess the same could be said for women looking for men.
Although, now we are looking for other people within our age-bracket to get to know. It's harder making new friends as an adult that it was in college.
I previously lived in Chico, my family has had a second home in Paradise since 1975. Paradise has a TON of churches, more than I've ever seen for a smaller town. This doesn't mean that people are preachy or try to talk religion all the time. I believe that older people tend to be more church-going and Paradise certainly has a lot of those. As for the "rednecks" they are a definite demo of Paradise that I happen to notice in town. You will see properties that have rusty cars, trash piles, etc. mixed in with the well taken care of properties. Our neighbor across the street is the nicest guy and I'd consider him a redneck now that I think about it. I LOVE that Paradise feels like a mountain town. Lots of trees and hilly. You'll have a good selection of grocers and fast food. Restaurants are kind of slim but we'd always go to Chico if we wanted a chain restaurant type place.
Chico is great, I went to college there. Easy to get around town. Downtown is nice, walkable, quaint, fun. Flatlands, younger crowd, shopping and food is there. Chico has some nice neighborhoods too.
"One disturbing post said that Paradise is distinctly prejudiced against non-caucasians. I realize that many posters are not too tightly-wound. Possibly had a bad experience, etc. Can anyone address this issue?"
Paradise as a whole is not prejudiced towards non-whites. I've never heard any complaints about racism in Paradise, though I'm sure there's a fringe element there if you look for it. Oroville is a different story, but even in Oroville the racists are a fringe element and thousands of non-whites live and work in the area. Just about anybody can fit in who adopts generally to the culture of the region.
I will say that what most people think of as "hip hop culture" is unwelcome outside of Chico.
"Other posts implied or stated outright that the foothills above Chico contain a preponderance of 'rednecks'. They suggested that these places are where meth users concentrate."
Depends on what you mean by "rednecks". I'm college educated, well read, love classical music, inter-racially married, drive a minivan, drink lattes, etc., and just this last week someone from Chico called me a "redneck". I did not object. So, these small rural towns are not unlike small towns anywhere else. The folks living there have values, behaviors, attitudes, and manners which some cosmopolitan people consider "rednecky".
Having said that, if you're thinking about members of a tattoo-covered, beer-saturated, pit-bull breeding white underclass - prone to drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, overt racism, and other pathologies - yes, we've got them too. But they're not at all prominent in Paradise or Forest Ranch. These folks are more likely to be found in Concow, Cohasset, Oroville, and more remote locations, but even in these other places they are easy to avoid and ignore. If you live in Paradise or Forest Ranch you're more likely to read about them in the paper than encounter them in real life.
"They noted that the foothills are highly religious. I would appreciate mature thoughts on these perceptions."
My perception is that Paradise and Magalia are quite religious and conservative, while Forest Ranch is essentially as secular as Chico (though it may be too small to characterize one way or the other). Forest Ranch is a bedroom community of Chico, whereas Paradise and Magalia are older communities with their own identities.
"I find limited comment on Forest Ranch.
- What is the political nature of that area? Are there people with liberal views? Open to newcomers? Closed to newcomers?"
Forest Ranch has every kind of political persuasion. It's a newer, wealthier community that remains open to newcomers.
I've read multiple threads reviewing Chico and Paradise, with mentions of Magalia. Little to none about Forest Ranch.
I believe I have a good picture of life in Chico. So what I'm more interested in is information about Forest Ranch and Paradise. I included Chico in the title thinking it will register with more people and draw information others would also like to know about the outlying areas.
I'm PhD educated. Liberal/Progressive. Major nature/rural/mountain/hiking/camping/arts/music enthusiast. I get along just fine with liberals and conservatives, farmers, ranchers, activists, loggers, hippies, outdoors enthusiasts, indoors enthusiasts , middle of the roaders. Anyone who has a live and let live approach to life. I don't get along well with intolerance, extremists, etc. Chico sounds great to me. I prefer to live in the country and be able to access Chico, as that's where I'll be working.
My basic read on Paradise can be summarized like this:
- Primarily quite conservative with some liberals
- Many retirees
- Above summer fog. Below winter snow for the most part.
- Some storefronts/businesses closed up
- Nice neighborhoods
- Lower rents
- Basically a nice little town
- One disturbing post said that Paradise is distinctly prejudiced against non-caucasians. I realize that many posters are not too tightly-wound. Possibly had a bad experience, etc. Can anyone address this issue?
- Other posts implied or stated outright that the foothills above Chico contain a preponderance of "rednecks". They suggested that these places are where meth users concentrate. They noted that the foothills are highly religious. I would appreciate mature thoughts on these perceptions. I'm guessing these are the postings of people with extreme views. If not, I'd like to know. There was one mention of skin-heads in Magalia? Are there?
- The majority of posts on Paradise were positive in nature.
I find limited comment on Forest Ranch.
- What is the political nature of that area? Are there people with liberal views? Open to newcomers? Closed to newcomers?
- Do the negative things attributed to Paradise apply?
- How long of a drive from there to Chico?
- Is the area safe, crime-wise?
- I hate to seem naive', but I'm accustomed to living in places where crime isn't something you think much about. Are these outlying areas places where meth users live, run labs, etc. Are home-invasions a concern? Frequent burglaries?
Sorry that some of these items are negative in nature. My guess is that these places are somewhat more moderate than described and that the negative posts do not accurately represent reality. But, I'd rather ask and hope level-headed people will reply. Thanks in advance.
There is no summer fog there. You must be thinking of the WINTER tule fog.
Magalia can feel a little bit like Appalachia, especially cause it's a mobile home mountain town... If you drive around Paradise you do see more than average church presence... lots of people there like hunting and carry guns around... the surrounding woods definitely have some weirdos hanging around in summer but Paradise was named that for a reason, it's extremely beautiful area. Lots of wood burning there... so if you got lung problems you might think twice. I think ALL Sierra foothills have preponderance of rednecks and racists, and more conservative population, that's just how it rolls in the foothills... from north to south, it's not like SF or Chico. You move to that place, you mind your own business... your neighbor might be cookin meth (might happen in Magalia, you never know,...) or be ultra-christian-right-wing... might be not, main thing you're on your own property and keep your dogs out of his meth lab or whatever! I've seen a few no-trespassing and beware of dog signs in Magalia... may be stuff was being cooked there who knows.
Hi! After living in Chico for a few months, I just bought a home in Paradise. It's been nice so far!
Paradise - The average age is definitely higher than Chico! (I'm in my upper 20s) Property is cheaper (that's why I bought here!) than Chico as well. It's a pretty town and has pretty much everything you need (multiple grocery stores, some decent restaurants, a great hospital, etc.). I've had no experience with unpolite or hateful people here. My neighbors are all very nice. I'm in Upper Paradise so it takes about 25 minutes to drive to Chico Natural Foods.
Check out Durham too. There's a bigger focus on Ag there and it's a nice town with an easy commute to Chico. I would have moved there just as easily if there was the right home available.
I really enjoy Chico and Paradise as well. But, Kaiser is not available in that area. I am not sure what the local Health Care is like. Anyone have input on that?
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, middle of the roaders. Anyone who has a live and let live approach to life. I don't get along well with intolerance, extremists, etc. Chico sounds great to me. I prefer to live in the country and be able to access Chico, as that's where I'll be working.
