Butte County, California

County of Butte
—  County  —
Butte County, with a view of the Sutter Buttes in the background
Seal
Nickname(s): The Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	USA
State	California
Region	Sacramento Valley
Incorporated	1850
County seat	Oroville
Largest city	Chico
Area
- Total	1,677.11 sq mi (4,343.7 km2)
- Land	1,639.49 sq mi (4,246.3 km2)
- Water	37.62 sq mi (97.4 km2)
Population (2010)
- Total	220,000
- Density	131.2/sq mi (50.6/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Website	www.buttecounty.net

Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville.^[1] Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."

Butte County is watered by the Feather River and the Sacramento River. Butte Creek and Big Chico Creek are additional perennial streams, both tributary to the Sacramento. The county is the home of California State University, Chico and of Butte Community College.

There are four major hospitals and the State of California defines Butte County as being inside Health Service Area 1. A special district, the Butte County Air Quality Management District, regulates airborne pollutant emissions in the county. It does this following regional regulations, state, and federal laws. For example, in recent years, the agency changed rules that used to allow residents to burn household trash outdoors.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,677.11 square miles (4,343.7 km²), of which 1,639.49 square miles (4,246.3 km²) (or 97.76%) is land and 37.62 square miles (97.4 km²) (or 2.24%) is water.^[2]

South Table Mountain Near Oroville

The county is drained by the Feather River and Butte Creek. Part of the county's western border is formed by the Sacramento River. The county lies along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the steep slopes making it prime territory for the siting of hydroelectric power plants. About a half dozen of these plants are located in the county.

Cities and towns

Butte County is home to Bidwell park in Chico, one of the largest municipal parks in the United States.

A photo of Bidwell Mansion in Chico.

Kendall Hall, the administration building at Chico State University in Chico

• Biggs
• Chico, home of CSU Chico
• Gridley
• Oroville
• Paradise

Unincorporated communities

• Bangor
• Cherokee
• Cohasset
• Concow
• Durham
• Forest Ranch
• Magalia
• Oroville East
• Palermo
• Richvale
• South Oroville
• Stirling City
• Thermalito
• Yankee Hill

Ghost towns

• Hamilton – the original county seat of Butte County, this city has long been forgotten; the only reminder of it is now an overgrown cemetery.
• Bidwell's Bar – now located under Lake Oroville
• Forks of Butte

Adjacent counties

• Yuba County, California – south
• Sutter County, California – south
• Colusa County, California – southwest
• Glenn County, California – west
• Tehama County, California – north
• Plumas County, California – east

National protected areas

• Butte Sink National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Lassen National Forest (part)
• Plumas National Forest (part)
• Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Transportation infrastructure

Major highways

• State Route 32
• State Route 70
• State Route 99

Public transportation

Butte Regional Transit or the B-Line, provides service in and between Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Gridley and Biggs. Chico is also a connection point for Glenn Ride buses to Glenn County and Plumas Transit Systems buses to Plumas County.

Greyhound buses stop in Chico.

Airports

General Aviation airports in Butte County include:

• Chico Municipal Airport
• Oroville Municipal Airport
• Paradise Airport
• Ranchaero Airport
• Richvale Airport

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	3,574		—
1860	12,106		238.7%
1870	11,403		−5.8%
1880	18,721		64.2%
1890	17,939		−4.2%
1900	17,117		−4.6%
1910	27,301		59.5%
1920	30,030		10.0%
1930	34,093		13.5%
1940	42,840		25.7%
1950	64,930		51.6%
1960	82,030		26.3%
1970	101,969		24.3%
1980	143,851		41.1%
1990	182,120		26.6%
2000	203,171		11.6%
2010	220,000		8.3%

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Butte County had a population of 220,000. The racial makeup of Butte County was 180,096 (81.9%) White, 3,415 (1.6%) African American, 4,395 (2.0%) Native American, 9,057 (4.1%) Asian, 452 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 12,141 (5.5%) from other races, and 10,444 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31,116 persons (14.1%).^[3]

Population reported at 2010 United States Census
The County	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Butte County	220,000	180,096	3,415	4,395	9,057	452	12,141	10,444	31,116
Incorporated cities and towns	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Biggs	1,707	1,302	11	54	9	1	252	78	580
Chico	86,187	69,606	1,771	1,167	3,656	210	5,437	4,340	13,315
Gridley	6,584	4,283	55	98	249	3	1,552	344	3,000
Oroville	15,546	11,686	453	573	1,238	56	554	986	1,945
Paradise	26,218	24,129	112	301	330	24	416	906	1,836
Census-designated places	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
Bangor	646	543	5	17	4	1	18	58	47
Berry Creek	1,424	1,249	8	48	13	3	13	90	98
Butte Creek Canyon	1,086	1,011	0	20	18	1	8	28	48
Butte Meadows	40	38	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Butte Valley	899	782	0	19	9	1	42	46	89
Cherokee	69	48	0	2	8	0	0	11	1
Clipper Mills	142	131	0	3	0	0	2	6	5
Cohasset	847	764	8	14	2	1	20	38	43
Concow	710	611	0	24	5	3	10	57	56
Durham	5,518	5,088	19	55	35	9	165	147	614
Forbestown	320	262	4	15	10	0	4	25	23
Forest Ranch	1,184	1,116	8	6	4	1	20	29	52
Honcut	370	248	6	14	4	0	85	13	145
Kelly Ridge	2,544	2,287	20	56	35	7	43	96	204
Magalia	11,310	10,398	40	141	90	17	134	490	765
Nord	320	233	1	6	16	0	48	16	122
Oroville East	8,280	6,830	126	477	294	8	147	398	702
Palermo	5,382	3,901	39	221	246	4	642	329	1,281
Rackerby	204	193	0	1	0	0	3	7	18
Richvale	244	216	0	11	0	0	10	7	27
Robinson Mill	80	74	0	1	0	1	0	4	11
South Oroville	5,742	3,407	406	245	885	9	361	429	851
Stirling City	295	264	1	11	0	0	1	18	17
Thermalito	6,646	4,594	61	257	1,102	37	270	325	713
Yankee Hill	333	305	2	7	4	0	5	10	22
Unincorporated communities	Total Population	White	African American	Native American	Asian	Pacific Islander	other races	two or more races	Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
All others not CDPs (combined)	29,123	24,497	259	531	791	55	1,879	1,111	4,486

2000

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 203,171 people, 79,566 households, and 49,410 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile (48/km²). There were 85,523 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.52% White, 1.39% Black or African American, 1.90% Native American, 3.32% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 4.82% from other races, and 3.90% from two or more races. 10.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.2% were of German, 11.1% English, 10.2% Irish, 7.8% American and 5.6% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 87.9% spoke English, 7.8% Spanish and 1.4% Hmong as their first language.

There were 79,566 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.70% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.90% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 13.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,924, and the median income for a family was $41,010. Males had a median income of $34,137 versus $25,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,517. About 12.20% of families and 19.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Butte County vote
by party in presidential elections

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2008	47.6% 46,706	49.9% 49,013	2.7% 2,606
2004	53.7% 51,662	44.1% 42,448	2.1% 2,047
2000	54.5% 45,584	37.4% 31,338	8.1% 6,799
1996	49.0% 38,961	38.5% 30,651	12.5% 9,938
1992	37.2% 31,608	38.2% 32,489	24.6% 20,917
1988	56.0% 40,143	42.5% 30,406	1.5% 1,082
1984	63.1% 45,381	35.3% 25,421	1.6% 1,162
1980	57.1% 38,188	29.6% 19,520	12.6% 8,304
1976	51.8% 28,400	44.1% 24,203	4.1% 2,251
1972	57.6% 28,819	36.8% 18,401	5.6% 2,808
1968	56.7% 22,225	32.9% 12,887	10.5% 4,099
1964	48.4% 19,574	51.5% 20,831	0.0% 14
1960	57.6% 20,838	41.9% 15,163	0.5% 174
1956	58.4% 18,382	41.1% 12,933	0.5% 147
1952	63.3% 19,248	35.9% 10,913	0.9% 263
1948	49.4% 10,948	45.7% 10,133	5.0% 1,100
1944	46.8% 7,852	52.6% 8,811	0.6% 105
1940	40.5% 7,433	58.2% 10,684	1.4% 255
1936	32.0% 5,103	65.9% 10,490	2.1% 335
1932	29.1% 4,322	65.0% 9,645	5.8% 865
1928	60.5% 6,306	37.8% 3,946	1.7% 180
1924	42.3% 4,382	12.5% 1,299	45.2% 4,691
1920	65.7% 5,409	27.5% 2,262	6.8% 563

Local

The citizens of the county of Butte are represented by the five member Butte County Board of Supervisors.

Tribal

The Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians of California is headquartered in Oroville. The Berry Creek Rancheria operates Gold Country Casino.

The Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California is also headquartered in Oroville. The Mooretown Rancheria operates Feather Falls Casino.

The governmental headquarters of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria is located in Chico.

State

Most of Butte County falls within California's 3rd Assembly District with the southwest corner of the county being in the 2nd Assembly District. The 3rd district is represented by Dan Logue (R-Chico), and the 2nd by Jim Nielsen (R-Richvale) in the California State Assembly. All of Butte County falls within the 4th senate district, represented by Doug LaMalfa (R, Grass Valley) in the California State Senate.

On Nov. 4, 2008 Butte County voted 56.7 % for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

Federal

Most citizens of Butte County are represented in California's 2nd congressional district by Republican Wally Herger, while the rest of the county is represented in California's 4th congressional district by Republican Tom McClintock.

Butte is a Republican-leaning county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, although Bill Clinton and Barack Obama won pluralities in 1992 and 2008, respectively.

Educational institutions

There are roughly 90 public schools in the county according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. The schools are operated by the County Office of Education and 15 school districts, which are:

• Bangor Union Elementary School District
• Biggs Unified School District
• Chico Unified School District
• Durham Unified School District
• Feather Falls Union Elementary School District
• Golden Feather Union Elementary School District
• Gridley Unified School District
• Manzanita Elementary School District
• Oroville City Elementary School District
• Oroville Union High School District
• Palermo Union School District
• Paradise Unified School District
• Pioneer Union Elementary School District
• Thermalito Union School District

Butte County contains the following colleges and universities:

• Butte College
• California State University, Chico

Public libraries

Butte County Library provides library services to residents of the County through six branches in Biggs, Chico, Durham, Gridley, Oroville and Paradise. The mission of the Butte County Library is to provide all individuals, regardless of age, ethnic background, educational or economic level, with free access to ideas, information, and technology.

The library bookmobile provides library services to rural and mountain communities. The library serves low-literacy adults through several programs of the Butte County Library Literacy Services division, including the Adult Reading Program, Families for Literacy and the Literacy Coach, a 36-foot (11 m) vehicle that provides mobile programming like story times, parent meetings, workshops, and computer and teacher trainings.

The library operates as a department of the county of Butte, governed by the Butte County Board of Supervisors.

As film location

Several movies have been filmed in Butte County, including Gone with the Wind, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Friendly Persuasion, Magic Town, The Klansman, Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Under Wraps.

See also

• List of California counties
• List of school districts in Butte County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Butte County, California
• Hiking trails in Butte County

Sources

• US Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics.
• State of California, Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/California/. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Butte County local government
• Butte County Search and Rescue
• Butte County Fire/Rescue
• CSU Chico (Chico State)
• Butte College
• Butte County Association of Governments
• Butte County Library
• Diseño of a portion of Butte County, Calif. : showing ranchos at The Bankcroft Library

Coordinates: 39°40′N 121°36′W / 39.66°N 121.60°W / 39.66; -121.60