The Chicoan

It’s hard to leave and easy to come back. Anyone who has lived in Chico for any length of time has heard that bittersweet comment on life in this low-wage/high-quality town. Even those who have left Chico and made a life in other areas can’t get Chico out of their blood, and group of them have created this online newspaper of columns and stories to keep the ties of our humble NorCal community tight. The writers thus far are mostly Blue Room alums—Denver Latimer, Dylan Latimer, Haley Hughes, Dan Kowta, Jesse Karch, Forrest (Ed) Gillespie, Scotty Imp—who’ve moved to New York, L.A. and other parts (though a couple are still in Chico or in and out of it). The writing on the simple, handsome site is great, with random diary entries, editorials and memories about Chico life as well as stories of ex-pats’ lives in their new communities. There’s even a “Manifesto!” An excerpt: “Shit! I slept in! I missed the barbecue. Oh well: I will see you at the bar. One bar does not a community make but a street with seven bars is a modest empire!