24/7 Trauma and Biohazard Cleanup in Chico, CA

Chico was founded in 1860 by John Bidwell, who had arrived in California in 1843 with one of the first wagon trains to cross the Sierra Nevada, and the city incorporated on January 8, 1872.

Chico grew out of Rancho del Arroyo Chico, a Mexican-era land grant made by Governor Manuel Micheltorena in 1844.

With 101,475 residents in the 2020 census, Chico is the most populous city in Butte County and the largest city in California north of Sacramento.

Chico has about 42,900 households with roughly 2.29 people per household, reflecting its large student population.

California State University, Chico was founded in 1887 and makes Chico a classic college town and the cultural and economic center of the northern Sacramento Valley.

Bidwell Park covers 3,670 acres and stretches nearly 11 miles along Big Chico Creek from downtown into the Sierra Nevada foothills, making it the third largest municipal park in California and one of the largest city parks in the United States.

Bidwell Park was created in 1905 when Annie Bidwell, widow of founder John Bidwell, donated roughly 2,500 acres to the city, with later purchases expanding it to its present size.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, one of the pioneering American craft breweries, was founded in Chico in 1980 and built its landmark brewery and taproom there.

During the Civil War, Camp Bidwell was established a mile outside Chico in August 1863, named for John Bidwell, by then a brigadier general of the California Militia.

Chico's name is Spanish for 'boy' or 'small,' a nod to the 'arroyo chico,' the little creek running through Bidwell Park.