Introduction

The fact you are holding this paper—a special annual publication from the Chico News & Review—in your hands means you’ve arrived. Welcome. This publication is designed to introduce newcomers, particularly students, to the wonders, delights, secrets and possible pratfalls of their new home.

We’ve tried to cover everything you need to know, from the basics to the sublime and most of what’s in between. That is what the paper itself tries to do on a weekly basis, exploring the wide variety of entertainment, politics and developments that are part of the Chico experience.

As for the town itself, we confidently believe there is no finer college community in the country. Chico State University is a residential rather than commuter college. That means there is a divergent mix of people from all over the world living and studying here, enhancing the locals with different cultures and ideas.

Though growing, as are most California communities, Chico has maintained its small-town feel with a vibrant, attractive downtown from which stretches the third-largest municipal park in America. And the campus itself is as ivory covered and picturesque as any. The geography ain’t bad, either. Chico is nestled beneath a great canopy of trees between two creeks at the base of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade foothills. Though it rarely snows in the valley, plenty of the white stuff falls in the foothills not 20 minutes from here, and winter recreation is abundant within a two-hour drive.

Closer to home, the opportunities abound for biking, hiking, swimming, climbing, running, walking, fishing, hunting or just sitting on the front porch watching it all go by. Being a college town, Chico is the intellectual and cultural hub of the region, with concerts, movies, stage shows, art and a great nightlife.

As you will come to learn, Chico offers just about everything a person needs to enjoy the ultimate college experience. Ask any of the many Chicoans who came here to attend college and ended up staying long after they’d graduated. Four of them, all Chico News & Review writers, have penned short personal essays describing their first impressions of Chico. Look for them in this issue.

Enjoy.