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Paradise, California
Welcome to Paradise sign in 2011
Welcome to Paradise sign in 2011
Flag of Paradise, California
Flag
Official seal of Paradise, California
Seal
Location within Butte County and California
Location within Butte County and California
Country United States
State California
County Butte
Incorporated November 27, 1979
Area
 • Total 18.33 sq mi (47.47 km2)
 • Land 18.32 sq mi (47.44 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)  0.08%
Elevation
1,778 ft (542 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,764
 • Density 244.38/sq mi (94.35/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
95967, 95969
Area code 530
FIPS code 06-55520
GNIS ID 277573

Paradise is a town in Butte County, California, United States in the Sierra Nevada foothills above the northeastern Sacramento Valley. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 26,218. On November 8, 2018, a major wildfire, the Camp Fire, destroyed most of Paradise and much of the adjacent communities of Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon, and Concow.

Geography

The town of Paradise is 10 miles (16 km) east of Chico and 85 miles (137 km) north of Sacramento. The population was 26,283 as of 2013, down from 26,408 at the 2000 census.

It spreads out on a wide ridge between deep canyons formed by the west branch of the Feather River to the east and Butte Creek to the west. The Paradise area extends northward from Paradise to include the unincorporated town of Magalia, and such smaller communities as Stirling City, eleven miles north. Elevation of the town is 1,778 feet (542 m), according to the GNIS. The town is approximately eight miles east of the city of Chico, and ten miles north of the Oroville area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.3 square miles (47 km2), over 99% of it land.

Soils are mostly well drained reddish brown loam, gravelly in some cases and often grading to clay loam or clay with increasing depth. They have developed on volcanic material. Paradiso is by far the most common soil series in town.

History

The first post office was established at Paradise in 1877; it closed for a time in 1911, but was re-established later that year, when the post office at Orloff was closed. Paradise incorporated in 1979. For many years, the Butte County Railroad operated trains along the ridge, serving mines and sawmills.

A legend persists that the town was named because it was the home of the Pair o' Dice Saloon, an idea supported by the fact than an official 1900 railroad map referred to the town as "Paradice". However, according to folklorist Barbara Mikkelson of Snopes.com, there is no documentation of such an establishment, nor an explanation of how the map's spelling of the town originated. Gene Sylva, a former mayor of the nearby town of Oroville, has stated that the saloon story is false, and that the true etymology of the town's name is traced to his great-great-grandfather, William Pierce Leonard, who named the town on a summer day in 1864, after a hot and dusty ride from the Sacramento Valley. Arriving at his sawmill while the staff were on break, Leonard "took a deep breath of the cool, clean air, and exclaimed, 'Boys, this is paradise.'" Mikkelson, however, suggests that Sylva's explanation may also be "pleasingly inventive historical fiction", but surmises that the town was probably named for it being a pleasant place to live.

Humboldt and Camp Fires

In June 2008, a wildfire, named the "Humboldt Fire" for its point of origin, swept over 22,800 acres (92 km2) of land between Chico and Paradise. As many as 9300 people were forced to evacuate southwestern Paradise until the fire could be brought under control. Also in July 2008 another fire, the Camp Fire, burned on the northern side of Paradise in the canyon where the Feather River is located. Again, thousands were evacuated from their homes, but the fire failed to cross the river.

Climate

Paradise has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) according to the Köppen climate classification system.

Climate data for Paradise (1957-2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 79
(26)
81
(27)
83
(28)
90
(32)
101
(38)
106
(41)
108
(42)
113
(45)
108
(42)
100
(38)
90
(32)
79
(26)
113
(45)
Average high °F (°C) 53.8
(12.1)
56.5
(13.6)
60
(16)
66
(19)
74.8
(23.8)
84.1
(28.9)
91.7
(33.2)
90.5
(32.5)
85.2
(29.6)
74.2
(23.4)
60.6
(15.9)
53.8
(12.1)
70.9
(21.6)
Average low °F (°C) 38.1
(3.4)
40.4
(4.7)
42.4
(5.8)
45.8
(7.7)
51.8
(11.0)
58.7
(14.8)
64.4
(18.0)
63.4
(17.4)
59.7
(15.4)
52.3
(11.3)
43.6
(6.4)
38.1
(3.4)
49.9
(9.9)
Record low °F (°C) 18
(−8)
17
(−8)
25
(−4)
23
(−5)
32
(0)
40
(4)
42
(6)
41
(5)
38
(3)
29
(−2)
26
(−3)
14
(−10)
14
(−10)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 10.46
(266)
9.07
(230)
7.95
(202)
4.09
(104)
1.87
(47)
0.7
(18)
0.08
(2.0)
0.23
(5.8)
0.79
(20)
3.13
(80)
6.88
(175)
9.58
(243)
54.84
(1,393)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.1
(2.8)
0.4
(1.0)
0.3
(0.76)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.4
(1.0)
2.2
(5.6)
Average precipitation days 12 11 12 8 5 2 0 1 2 5 10 11 79
Source: WRCC

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960 8,268
1970 14,539 75.8%
1980 22,571 55.2%
1990 25,408 12.6%
2000 26,408 3.9%
2010 26,218 −0.7%
2019 (est.) 4,476 −82.9%
CA Dept. of Finance

Paradise is statistically classified within the Chico Metropolitan Area.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Paradise had a population of 26,218. The population density was 1,430.9 people per square mile (552.5/km2). The racial makeup of Paradise was 24,129 (92.0%) white, 112 (0.4%) African American, 301 (1.1%) Native American, 330 (1.3%) Asian, 24 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 416 (1.6%) from other races, and 906 (3.5%) from two or more races. There were 1,836 people (7.0%) of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race.

The Census reported that 25,810 people (98.4% of the population) lived in households, 139 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 269 (1.0%) were institutionalized.

There were 11,893 households, out of which 2,574 (21.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,227 (44.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,308 (11.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 511 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 742 (6.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 94 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,038 households (34.0%) were made up of individuals, and 2,126 (17.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17. There were 7,046 families (59.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.73.

The age distribution was 4,501 people (17.2%) under the age of 18, 1,858 people (7.1%) aged 18 to 24, 4,822 people (18.4%) aged 25 to 44, 8,466 people (32.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,571 people (25.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

There were 12,981 housing units at an average density of 708.5 per square mile (273.5/km2), of which 11,893 were occupied, of which 7,975 (67.1%) were owner-occupied, and 3,918 (32.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 17,381 people (66.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,429 people (32.1%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,408 people, 11,591 households, and 7,244 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,447.1 people per square mile (558.7/km2). There were 12,374 housing units at an average density of 678.1 per square mile (261.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.73% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 1.07% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races. 4.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,591 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the town the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,863, and the median income for a family was $41,228. Males had a median income of $35,419 versus $25,231 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,267. About 9.7% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

There are not many options for transportation within Paradise. The Paradise/Magalia area is served by the "B-Line" Butte County Transit. Butte Community College also runs bus service for students.

Paradise's link with Chico, Skyway Road (referred to locally as simply "Skyway"), begins in the Sacramento Valley, at Highway 99 in Chico, and runs up the ridge as a four-lane divided highway until it reaches Paradise. Through the town, it is a four-lane undivided highway, which becomes a two-lane road as it continues up the Sierra's ridge to Magalia and into numerous smaller communities to the north. Paradise is connected to Oroville via Highway 191, otherwise known as Clark Road upon entering the town.

The Paradise Memorial Trail is a paved pedestrian and bicycle path which runs through town on the path of the former railroad tracks leading up the ridge. However, aside from points along this path, the very hilly terrain of the town, coupled with the large spacing of commercial areas and large land area made Paradise difficult to navigate on foot or on a bicycle, in addition to the lack of sidewalks.

Paradise Skypark (FAA identifier: CA92) is an airport located parallel to State Route 191 and south of the town.

Education

Paradise is served by the Paradise Unified School District, as well as by several independent charter and private schools.

Paradise Unified School District schools include:

  • Paradise High School (9–12)
    • The high school was virtually undamaged in the 2018 Camp Fire and reopened for the 2019–20 school year. Enrollment was expected to be about 600, but about 900 showed up for the first day of classes, with some displaced students traveling more than an hour each way.
  • Ridgeview High School (continuation)
  • HomeTech Charter School (K–12)
  • Paradise Intermediate School (6–8)
  • Paradise Charter Middle School (6–8)
  • Children's Community Charter School (K–8)
  • Cedarwood Elementary School (K–5)
  • Paradise Elementary School (K–5)
  • Ponderosa Elementary School (K–6)
  • Pine Ridge School (K–8)
  • Honey Run Academy Elementary & Secondary (2 community day schools)
  • Pearson Center (school for 18-22-year-old significantly disabled special education students)

Other Paradise schools include:

  • Achieve Charter School
  • Paradise Adventist Academy
  • Paradise Elearning Charter (Online 9–12)
  • Butte College

Notable people

  • Actress Carla Gugino moved to Paradise with her mother at the age of 5.
  • Norton Buffalo died in Paradise on October 30, 2009.
  • Luther Kelly resided in Paradise for the last 13 years of his life.
  • Former NFL wide receiver Jeff Maehl is from Paradise.
  • Musician Richard Campbell grew up in Paradise, graduated from Paradise High School in 1977, and went on to perform with Natalie Cole, Three Dog Night, Dave Mason, Edgar Winter and America.
  • Musician Lazy Lester moved to Paradise to live with his longtime girlfriend. He died at his home in Paradise on August 22, 2018, of cancer.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Paradise (California) para niños

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