Best Web Design in Chico, CA (2026)

Web Design for Chico, California

The largest city in Butte County in California's northern Sacramento Valley, Chico was founded in 1860 by pioneer John Bidwell and grew as an agricultural-processing hub for almonds, rice, and orchard fruit. It is defined by tree-shaded Bidwell Park (one of the largest municipal parks in the country), California State University, Chico, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The name is Spanish for 'small' or 'boy.'

AppWT works with Chico, CA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Chico

Also known as. City of Trees. City of Roses.

History. The area's first known inhabitants were the Mechoopda Maidu, whose village near present-day Chico was recorded as Bah-hahp'-ke, meaning 'straight tree' John Bidwell, who arrived with one of the first overland wagon trains to California in 1843, founded the city in 1860 on his Rancho Chico lands Chico incorporated as a city on January 8, 1872 Bidwell, a rancher, horticulturist, and congressman, developed the town as an agricultural-processing center, especially for almonds, rice, and fruit California State University, Chico traces its roots to a state normal school founded in 1887 on land donated by Bidwell

Local economy. An agricultural processing center; almonds are now the leading local crop, recently surpassing rice, alongside walnuts, olives, kiwis, peaches, and plums (a walnut variety is even named 'Chico') California State University, Chico is one of the largest employers, with roughly 2,000 workers Enloe Medical Center employs about 2,000 people Sierra Nevada Brewing Company employs roughly 1,050 and is a national craft-beer leader Tri Counties Bank and other firms round out an economy weighted toward education, health, retail, and food services

Culture and community. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, founded in Chico in 1980 by Ken Grossman, offers tours and hosts live music in its Big Room venue The downtown Thursday Night Market runs spring through fall, alongside Saturday and Wednesday farmers markets A strong cycling and outdoors culture, including the Wildflower Century 100-mile ride each April; Chico is a designated gold-level bicycle-friendly community Bidwell Park is a nationally regarded disc golf and swimming destination The historic Senator Theatre (1928) and downtown galleries and murals anchor the arts scene

What makes Chico distinct. Bidwell Park stood in for Sherwood Forest in the 1938 Errol Flynn classic The Adventures of Robin Hood; the crew filmed there for about six weeks in late 1937, even spraying leaves with dye for Technicolor The National Yo-Yo Museum houses the world's largest wooden yo-yo, roughly four feet across NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers grew up in Chico, and writer Raymond Carver studied at Chico State Bidwell Mansion, the city's founding icon, was gutted by an arson fire on December 11, 2024

A Sacramento Valley college town anchored by California State University, Chico and home to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Chico Landmarks and Local Life

• Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park - Victorian mansion completed in 1868
• California State University, Chico - Public university founded in 1887
• National Yo-Yo Museum - Holds the country's largest collection of yo-yo artifacts
• Bidwell Park - One of the largest municipal parks in the U.S., running about 5 miles from downtown into the foothills

Chico at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: About $67,929
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: About 41.3%
• Housing: About 44% of housing units are owner-occupied, reflecting a large student-renter population
• Housing: Roughly 52% of homes are single-family houses