Chico Basic Data

City of Chico Rancho del Arroyo Chico
—  City  —
City Plaza in Chico
Seal
Nickname(s): City of Roses
Location of Chico in California
Coordinates: 39°44′24″N 121°50′8″W / 39.74°N 121.83556°W / 39.74; -121.83556 Coordinates: 39°44′24″N 121°50′8″W / 39.74°N 121.83556°W / 39.74; -121.83556
Country	United States
State	California
County	Butte
Settled	1843
Founded	1860
Incorporated	January 8, 1872
Founder	John Bidwell
Government
- Type	Charter city, Council-manager government
- Mayor	Ann Schwab
- City Council	Scott Gruendl Larry Wahl Ann Schwab Mary Flynn Tom Nickell Jim Walker
- City Manager	David Burkland
- State Leg.	Sen. Sam Aanestad (R) Asm. Dan Logue (R)
- U. S. Congress	Wally Herger (R)
Area
- City	27.8 sq mi (71.9 km)
- Land	27.7 sq mi (71.8 km)
- Water	> .01 sq mi (0.036 km)
Elevation	245 ft (74 m)
Population (2009)
- City	83,123
- Density	3,000.83/sq mi (1,172.2/km)
- Metro	212,968
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code	95926, 95927, 95928, 95929, 95973, 95976
Area code(s)	530
FIPS code	06-13014
Demonym	Chicoan
GNIS feature ID	1655890
Website	http://www.chico.ca.us

Photos of Chico and surrounding area

Chico History

Bidwell Mansion

The original inhabitants of Chico were the Mechoopda Maidu Native Americans.

The City of Chico was founded in 1860 by John Bidwell, a member of one of the first wagon trains to reach California in 1843. During the American Civil War, Camp Bidwell (named for John Bidwell, by then a Brigadier General of the California Militia), was established a mile outside Chico, by Lt. Col. A. E. Hooker with a company of cavalry and two of infantry, on August 26, 1863. By early 1865 it was being referred to as Camp Chico when a post called Camp Bidwell was established in northwest California, later to be Fort Bidwell. The city became incorporated January 8, 1872.

Chico was home to a significant Chinese American community when it was first incorporated, but arsonists burned Chico's Chinatown in February 1886, driving Chinese Americans out of town.

Historian W.H. "Old Hutch" Hutchinson identified five events as the most seminal in Chico history. They included the arrival of John Bidwell in 1850, the arrival of the California and Oregon Railroad in 1870, the establishment of the Northern Branch of the State Normal School in 1887, the purchase of the Sierra Lumber Company by the Diamond Match Company in 1900, and the development of the Army Air Base which is now the Chico Municipal Airport.

Several other significant events have unfolded in Chico more recently. These include: the construction and relocation of Highway 99E through town in the early 1960s; Playboy Magazine naming Chico State the number-one party school in the nation in 1987; and the establishment of a "Green Line" on the western city limits as protection of agricultural lands.

City Information

Never Married	(46.1%)
Married	(37.1%)
Separated (Married)	(1.6%)
Widowed	(5.4%)
Divorced	(9.9%)
Races
White Non-Hispanic	(77.2%)
Hispanic	(12.3%)
Other race	(5.7%)
Two or more races	(4.3%)
American Indian	(2.6%)
Other Asian	(2.1%)
Black	(2.0%)
Ancestries
German	(16.4%)
Irish	(12.4%)
English	(11.2%)
Italian	(6.3%)
United States	(4.1%)
French	(3.4%)
Schooling
High School	(87.3%)
Bachelors	(33.6%)
Graduates	(10.5%)