ZIP Code 95969

Paradise is a town in Butte County, California, United States in the Sierra Nevada foothills above the northeastern Sacramento Valley. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 4,764. On November 8, 2018, a major wildfire, the Camp Fire, destroyed most of Paradise and much of the adjacent communities of Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon, and Concow. In January 2019, the state of California reported 4,600 residents, and a door-to-door count in April 2019 found 2,034. A legend persists that the town was named because it was the home of the Pair o' Dice Saloon, an idea supported by a 1900 railroad map referring to the town as Paradice. No documentation has been found to prove the establishment existed, nor an explanation of the spelling of the town's name on the map. In June 2008, a wildfire, named the "Humboldt Fire" for its point of origin, swept over 22,800 acres (9,200 ha) of land between Chico and Paradise. It was part of a larger complex of fires called the Butte Lightning Complex or BTU Complex, which also included the Belden and Pit fires (This was a different fire from the 2018 fire of the same name.) In July 2008, another fire burned on the northern side of Paradise in the canyon where the Feather River is located. Again, thousands were evacuated from their homes, but the fire failed to cross the river. In 2010, the U.S. Census reported 11,000 properties, reported to take a year to clean up.

History

The first post office was established at Paradise in 1877. A legend persists that the town was named because it was the home of the Pair o' Dice Saloon, an idea supported by a 1900 railroad map referring to the town as Paradice. In June 2008, a wildfire swept over 22,800 acres (9,200 ha) of land between Chico and Paradise. As many as 9,300 people were forced to evacuate southwestern Paradise until the fire could be brought under control. In the U.S. Census reported a population of 26,800 in 2010, the population declined by more than 90%. In January 2019, the state of California reported 4,600 residents, and the town has a door-to-door count of 2,034. In April 2019, a year after the fires, the town's football team, which achieved an undefeated season, said "The whole town of Paradise stands, so its really our only event right now, so it means everything." The town has been known in the past by four different names or spellings: Leonards Mill, Poverty Ridge, Pair-O-Dice, and Paradice, according to GNIS. In July 2008, another fire burned on the northern side of Paradise in the canyon where the Feather River is located. It was part of a larger complex of fires called the Butte Lightning Complex or BTU Complex, which also included the Belden and Pit fires. (This was a different fire from the 2018 fire of the same name.).

Geography

Paradise is located 10 miles (16 km) east of Chico and 85 miles (137 km) north of Sacramento. The town is spread out on a wide ridge between deep canyons formed by the west branch of the Feather River to the east and Butte Creek to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.3 square miles (47 km²); over 99% of it is land. The area encompassing Paradise has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) according to the Köppen climate classification system. This area is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The Paradise area extends northward to include the unincorporated town of Magalia, as well as Stirling City, eleven miles (18 km)North. Elevation of the area where the town is located is 1,778 feet (542 m). The town itself is approximately eight miles (13 km)East of the city of ChICO, and ten miles (14 km) North of the Oroville area. The elevation of the town itself is 1,779 feet (1,722 m) East of the Chico city limits, and 1,723 feet (723 m) west of Oroville city limits. It is located in the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and is located on the east side of the Sacramento River. It was founded in the early 1800s.

Demographics

Paradise is statistically classified within the Chico Metropolitan Area. The 2010 United States Census reported that Paradise had a population of 26,218. The racial makeup of Paradise was 24,129 (92.0%) white, 112 (0.4%) African American, 301 (1.1%) Native American, 330 (1,3%) Asian, 24 (0,1%) Pacific Islander, 416 (1, 6%) from other races, and 906 (3.5%) from two or more races. There were 12,981 housing units at an average density of 708.5 per square mile (273.6/km²), of which 11,893 were occupied, of which 7,975 were owner-occupied, and 3,918 (32.9%) were occupied by renters. The median income for a household in the town was $31.3, and the median for a family was $42.9. The town is located in the northern part of the Sacramento Valley. The population of Paradise is estimated to be 26,000. The city is located on the California Gold Rush Highway, which runs through the town. The U.S. Geological Survey says the town has an area of 1.7 square miles (2.4 square kilometers) and has a land area of 2.2 square miles. The area is the largest of the Gold Rush areas in California. The average household size is 2.17, and there are 7,046 families (59.2%) in Paradise.

Government

Feather River Hospital was a general acute care hospital (GACH) in Paradise with basic emergency care as of August 22, 2006. Since the 2018 Camp Fire, the hospital has been permanently closed, with no plans to reopen at this time. The hospital is located on the banks of the Feather River in the town of Paradise, California. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch, or see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. For support in the Philippines, call the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1 800 273 8255.

Education

Paradise is served by the Paradise Unified School District, as well as by several independent charter and private schools. The high school was virtually undamaged in the 2018 Camp Fire and reopened for the 201920 school year. Enrollment was expected to be about 600, but about 900 showed up for the first day of classes, with some displaced students traveling more than an hour each way. Other Paradise schools include: Achievement Charter School, Paradise Adventist Academy, Paradise Elearning Charter (Online 912) and Butte College. The town is home to the U.S. Air Force's Camp Pendleton Air Force Base, which is located in California's Yreka Air Force Auxiliary Base, near the town of Chico. The U.N. has a base in Paradise, California, which was established in the early 1900s. It is also home to several private schools, including Paradise Christian School and Paradise Christian Academy, which were founded in the 1950s. The city is also the site of the California State University, Chico, which opened in the 1960s and has a campus in the town's historic downtown area. It also has a chapter of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which began in the 1970s. In the 1990s, the California Department of Education added a charter school program to the state's system. The state also added a private school program in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it has since been shut down. The district has also added an independent charter school, Paradise Charter School.

Transportation

Paradise's link with Chico, Skyway Road (referred to locally as simply "Skyway"), begins in the Sacramento Valley, at Highway 99 in Chico. The Paradise Memorial Trail is a paved pedestrian and bicycle path which runs through town on the path of the former railroad tracks leading up the ridge. The very hilly terrain of the town, coupled with the large spacing of commercial areas and large land area made Paradise difficult to navigate on foot or on a bicycle, in addition to the lack of sidewalks. Paradise is connected to Oroville via Highway 191, otherwise known as Clark Road upon entering the town. Paradise Skypark (FAA identifier: CA92) is an airport located parallel to State Route 191 and south of the city. The town is served by the "B-Line" Butte County Transit. Butte Community College also runs bus service for students. It is located on the northern edge of the Sierra Nevada foothills, near the town of Magalia. It has a population of about 2,000 people, with the majority of its residents living in the northern part of the community. It was founded in the early 1900s by a group of farmers who moved to the area to escape the harsh winters of Northern California. The area has a history of violence, with many residents killed in the 1950s and 1960s. It also has a reputation for being a good place to hang out with friends and family, as many residents are known to frequent local bars and restaurants.

In popular culture

Paradise was also used in the comic strip Pickles, by Brian Crane, on June 22, 2011. The HGTV show Rustic Rehab featured homes based in and near Paradise. The 2020 movie Rebuilding Paradise, directed by Ron Howard, is about the 2018 Camp Fire. The PBS show This Old House season 41 included 4 episodes on rebuilding Paradise. A 1959 Maverick episode, The Cats of Paradise, is set in Paradise. An episode of Maverick called The Dogs of Paradise is also set in the town. The town was featured in the film Gone with the Wind, which was shot in the early 1950s. It was also the setting for the TV series Maverick, which aired from 1959 to 1961. The movie Paradise was based on a true story about a fire that ravaged the town of Paradise in the 1950s and 1960s. The film was directed by Tom Hanks and is set to be released in 2020. It will be the first film about the Camp Fire, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people. The fire is also the deadliest fire in U.S. history, killing more than 1,200 people and injuring thousands more. It has been dubbed the "Camp Fire of the Century" by the National Park Service. It is located on the banks of the San Francisco Bay, near the city of San Francisco. The city's name is derived from the word "paradise" which means "home" or "place" in Spanish.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Paradise, Butte County, California = 14.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 68. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 30. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Paradise = 4.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 5,339 individuals with a median age of 47.5 age the population dropped by -1.24% in Paradise, Butte County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 244.38 residents per square mile of area (94.35/km²). There are average 2.22 people per household in the 11,464 households with an average household income of $41,356 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.00% of the available work force and has dropped -4.26% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.48%. The number of physicians in Paradise per 100,000 population = 202.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Paradise = 55.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 2.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 77. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 250. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 37.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 55, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Paradise, Butte County, California which are owned by the occupant = 65.08%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 36 years with median home cost = $150,780 and home appreciation of -18.48%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.93 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,980 per student. There are 20.8 students for each teacher in the school, 2529 students for each Librarian and 744 students for each Counselor. 7.67% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.72% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.68% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).