Chico ( CHEE-koh; Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 101,475, reflecting an increase of 15,288 from the 86,187 counted in the 2010 Census, and making it the largest California city north of Sacramento. Following the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed much of the neighboring town of Paradise, the population of Chico surged as many people who lost their homes in the fire moved to Chico. In 2019, the US Census estimated the population of Chico was 103,301. The city is the cultural, economic, and educational center of the northern Sacramento Valley and home to both California State University, Chico and Bidwell Park, the country's 26th largest municipal park and the 13th largest municipally-owned park. Bidwell Park makes up over 17% of the city.
Other cities in the Chico Metropolitan Area (population 212,000) include Paradise and Oroville, while local towns and villages (unincorporated areas) include Durham, Cohasset, Dayton, Nord, and Forest Ranch. The Chico Metropolitan Area is the 14th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in California.
The nickname "City of Roses" appears on the Seal of the City of Chico. The city has long been called the "City of Trees", and has been designated a Tree City USA for 31 years by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
