Chico, CA Reviews

Imperfect but still very nice - 4/11/2022
Chico is imperfect like most places, but it's still good. Any and all of it's issues proceed from it's main fault of growing increasingly liberal, which is to be expected with a major state university as the backbone of the community and negatively influencing much of it's culture.

What the town does have going for it, is that it retains much of it's "small town identity" (a characteristic often observed by many), though it still has an abundance of resources in the areas of food, culture, entertainment, education, retail, etc. To be sure, it doesn't have EVERYTHING, but it has plenty, and it's reasonable close to cities like Sacramento and San Francisco for those things it doesn't have.

This makes up for it's somewhat isolated location away from I-5 and any major cities (the nearest being Sacramento 90 miles south). It's a city for nature lovers, from the city's park which ranks nationally as one of the largest municipally owned parks, to it's direct access Read More

Decent. - 4/7/2022
Chico's decent. I've been living here for ~5 years now. Eveen though my brother loves Chico and would like to stay, I would like to leave. I have no issues with crime or transits, and I love the history, but it's mainly a college-town if you go to a certain part of downtown Chico. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Spring is usually randomly hot or cold, and fall is also spotty. Can get extremely windy at Read More

Crime in chico is not up stop believing the hype - 1/10/2022
I was born in Oroville and I grew up in Oroville and Biggs. I have heard all my life about crime in chico. Well I have lived in Chico near Chapman for almost 10 years and I can tell you the only real issues with Chico is the city council likes to push misinformation as an excuse to treat transient people like they are not people and problem number two is the rest of the county that Chico resides in. In reality our crime rates sit about average for the country and are lower than Oroville. Read More

Used to be nice, now it's a S hole - 5/4/2021
I'm from Monterey, CA. I worked a large project for the Department of Agriculture here in Chico region in 2010 and really liked the community. Since the Camp Fire the town has gone of the deep end.

I hear Gun shots and police sirens at least 1 or 2 times a week. Seems like every single day they are convicting another pedophile who is usually sold to them by the crack head moms for more meth. I just had a son myself and I would take a bullet before letting my son grow up here now. We have had to major city council overhauls and none of them are competent or capable of turning the city around. The Vice Major who identifies as Trans, has a AA Degree in Ceramics from the local Junior college and life experience peaked at volunteering part time at the art gallery before being elected Mayor. That was all the qualification needed to become a mayor in this town.

The far left city council has attracted 4x to homeless population since the Camp Fire with very robust Read More

Chico is not safe(or cheap) - 10/19/2020
I have lived in the neighboring city of Paradise most of my life which is 15 minutes drive from Chico. I've worked in Chico for many years and we would come to Chico frequently to shop and enjoy a night out. I now live in Chico out of necessity. Chico has always had a minor homeless problem. However, in the last few years, it has grown into a major issue. The city council and elected officials have created a very welcoming environment for the homeless population. I can only assume they receive state or federal funding for this as there is no other reason to completely erode the safety, cleanliness, and charm of the city.

Add to this that 2 years ago, a major fire burned the nearby town of Paradise (I was one of those that lost my home). This created a major outpouring of support and resources for those that lost their homes. Unfortunately, a significant number of homeless and transient people moved into the area to try and take advantage of the free services and people's Read More

Take Chico off your shortlist. - 6/15/2020
The city council is off the rails. What was once a wonderful hidden gem of a city is now going the way of criminals, druggies and transients. The PD is grossly understaffed. I've been here since 2008, and doubt I'll miss it once our family has escaped. If a warm, safe community feeling is what you long for, Chico in 2020 is not the town you're looking for. Read More

Couldn't imagine living anyplace else. - 12/16/2019
I have lived in Chico with a family (3 middle/high school aged children) for almost 7 years. My family loves it here. Chico is a friendly town with small-town charm and surprisingly good restaurant and cultural arts scene for a town of under 100,000. While it is one of the largest cities in CA north of Sacramento, Chico is still a relatively small community but it is a community of close-knit people working together to do good things. The surrounding parks and foothills provide numerous opportunities for outdoor exploring. Located in the northern Sacramento valley's lush agricultural region, Chico provides ample opportunities to sample local produce at our many farmer's markets. I grew up and lived most of my life on the east coast and I had a great distaste for California. Living here now, I love it and would hate to have to move away. Read More

Its not safe here anymore!! - 7/21/2019
I've lived here my whole life and I'm currently planning on moving to another state. Chico is not a safe place. Especially for a woman who is out by herself unfortunately. I own a very large, protective German Shepard and even with him by my side, people have still tried to mess with me. If you HAVE to move here, I suggest trying to find a place towards the outskirts of Chico or north Chico. The homeless and drug addicts are very active here and are more towards central and southern Chico. Please do not consider Chico to raise a family it is a very unsafe place. My children have had to face quite a few lock downs due to suspicious activity. I would advise people stay for maybe a week and see how they feel about the gangs, homeless, addicts, and violence to see if it is something you are willing to deal with. Good luck to anyone moving here. I hope this helps Read More

Chico - 2/11/2017
Hi, I was wondering if anyone who lives in/is familiar with Chico could give me some suggestions for safe areas of the town to rent an apartment. By safe I mean: Safe for a woman for walking/running without being harassed/mugged/... or no burglaries of your place. could you please give me some safe street/neighborhood names. How is downtown or areas close to CSU? Thank you. Read More

Petty Crime Rampant/ Little Help from Police - 9/13/2016
I am a retired Chico State professor and have witnessed a marked deterioration in public safety, particularly in recent years. My beautiful home has been vandalized, with damages approaching $50,000 and a local gang regularly steals from my small ranch property. The police are too busy to do anything, yet are extremely vigilant when it comes to issuing tickets for California stops" and parking violations (easy violations that produce revenue). My step-son rented a business downtown and had so many problems with the homeless that he had to close. Again, he got no help from the police. A large part of the program is poor funding for the sheriff and police departments. Chico is no longer a safe place to raise a Read More