Chico, California - Home of AVL Looms

Chico, AVL's home town, is a laid-back yet sophisticated town voted as both one of the best places to live and one of the top small towns for the arts. Chico boasts its artistic heritage through public art as well as being the home to many fine artists. Annually, the city hosts its Open Studios event, where the artists invite the public into their private studios.

However, Chico is most known for having the 3rd largest municipal park in the US. Bidwell Park spans almost 3,700 acres! The picture to the right is of Big Chico Creek, one of the many scenic spots. Incidentally, Big Chico Creek runs quite near my home.

With approximately 100,000 people and 31 square miles, it's the kind of place where it doesn't take long to run into friends. We find it a great place to live; so much so, that we purchased AVL just to move here.

Here are a few important links in getting to know more about Chico:

• Official Chico website
• Chico Art - contains most of the art attractions in Chico.
• The Chico Art Center
• 101 Things to Do in Butte County - Hey, I couldn't resist! (But, please note that the address is wrong.)
• Attractions in Chico and surrounding areas
• California State University at Chico
• Chico Chamber of Commerce