Reviews & Comments
Oroville, CA
This Town Will Grow On You, For Certain! -
4/30/2022We have lived here for 15 years now and have come to love it here. There are good and bad places everywhere and to be honest, in comparison to some other municipalities I routinely travel through, it simply is not that bad. I would suggest however, that if you wish to avoid the unsavory neighborhoods, stay out of South Oroville. It's just a small portion of the town and actually it's not THAT bad it's just that there are probably more drugs and crime in that area. It's a shame though because Southside Oroville actually has some really beautiful homes in it-- problem is those nice spots are surrounded by homes with trash filled yards and the like.
Anyway, enough about the bad. The good is plentiful; from the beautiful views from the world renowned Oroville Dam spillway, the lovely windy backroads in the foothills that lead everywhere, the ever improving old timey feel of the Downtown area storefronts and restaurants (including the newly renovated State Theatre) and so much more. Let's not forget the Native American owned & operated casinos-- huge favorites of the locals! We have personally stayed in the onsite hotels in both the Gold Country Casino & Feather Falls Casino and the rooms are nothing short of spectacular. Gold Country is our favorite-- they usually will upgrade your room to a suite for no charge (no promises though lol) and the jacuzzi tubs are the best. Both casinos have onsite campgrounds that include every amenity imaginable. There are summertime concerts in the park at the Riverbend Park that is situated along the Feather River, just off highway 70 as well as gazebos and barbecue pits to enjoy. The restaurants are pretty decent; some I can recommend would be: Mike's Grande Burger, The Cow, Oroville Tacos & Burritos plus more fast food joints than you can imagine.
The schooling is subpar, however. Not long ago, the schooling situation was something that could be bragged about but now (especially since COVID), with the shortage of teaching staff, kids seem to have been left behind in this regard (whatever happened to "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND"!).... There are 2 regular public high schools and more than one public charter school and they all leave a lot to be desired. The charter school unfortunately was forced to send all the high school students to do independent study this year and I have seen firsthand what kind of devastation this has had on the students. The middle and elementary schools have been on the decline as well.
Housing prices are currently in the black and rental prices seem to be leveling off some. Gas is pretty cheap comparatively speaking; we have not paid more than $4.99/gal during this nationwide gas crunch.
Oroville is also the county seat which for many rural towns across America brings a sense of pride.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading my review! I hope this helps you.