Sustaining excellence

Best of Chico has been around for 23 years. That’s not a round number like 30, the age of the Chico News & Review, but it’s a pretty impressive streak. Talk about sustainable …

This year we got thousands of votes across 94 categories. Our readers validated quite a few familiar favorites, but they also crowned some new ones—and not just in the categories we’ve added to recognize eco-friendliness. Why eco-friendliness? Green, trees and Chico—what’s more natural than that?

Plenty of our readers live or work in Paradise, Magalia and Oroville—distinct communities with their own points of distinction. Best of Chico doesn’t quite fit them, so for the first time we’re bestowing awards for the Best of Oroville and Best on the Ridge. The inaugural selections come in the form of editors’ picks; next year, we’ll create Internet ballots just for them.

We don’t claim to hold monopolies on wisdom or good taste. If you disagree with our picks, or have some alternate suggestions, please drop us a line.

(By the way, no trees were harmed in the making of the cover, and as few as possible were turned into newsprint. Recycled paper—also sustainable.)