Community Profiles

Butte County encompasses 1,640 square miles of the Sacramento Valley eastern region. Before being largely displaced by settlers beginning in the 1830s, central Butte County was home to the Mechoopda Tribe around Little Butte Creek and the Konkow Tribe. The surrounding, mostly mountainous areas were also home to the Yana Tribe, Konkow Tribe and Maidu Tribe. Despite decades of restrictive “assimilation” laws and removal policies, the Mechoopda, Maidu, and Konkow Tribes now own multiple Rancherias in Butte County and support strong associations that aim to preserve their traditions. The Sacramento River flows through the east side of the county, while the west side features the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Half of the 205,592 Butte County residents live in Chico, while the county seat, Oroville, remains the second most populous community with 20,041 residents. About 1/3rd of the population resides in small, rural communities in the outskirts of Butte County. The population has declined significantly since 2018, by 12.4%, mostly due to a series of ravaging fires that displaced a large percentage of Magalia, Concow, Paradise, Feather Falls, and Berry Creek residents. The poverty rate is higher than the national average, at 18.3%. The area is accessible via Highway 99, Highway 70, and is only a 20 minute drive from Interstate 5. Although Butte County has a higher-than-average climate disaster rate, the communities encompassing it have shown interconnectedness when addressing emergencies and ongoing crises of all kinds. Butte County residents find community in locally owned businesses, art markets, farmers markets, safe spaces for disenfranchised community members, public parks, public concerts, support groups, special interest clubs, volunteer events, and other arenas that promote social capital