Oroville, California

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Oroville, California
Location of Oroville in California
Coordinates: 39°30′31″N 121°33′16″W / 39.50861, -121.55444
Country	United States
State	California
County	Butte
Government
- Mayor	Steve Jernigan
Area
- Total	12.3 sq mi (31.8 km²)
- Land	12.3 sq mi (31.7 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	167 ft (51 m)
Population (2007)
- Total	13,004
- Density	1,061.4/sq mi (409.8/km²)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	95940, 95965, 95966
Area code(s)	530
FIPS code	06-54386
GNIS feature ID	0277570
Website: http://www.cityoforoville.com

Oroville is the county seat of Butte County, California. The population was 13,004 at the 2000 census; as of 2007, the population is 14,443. The estimated population of the Greater Oroville area is around 55,000 people.

Contents 1 Commerce and culture 2 Geography 3 History 3.1 Points of Interest 4 Demographics 5 Politics 6 Education 6.1 Oroville Elementary School District 6.2 Oroville Union High School District 6.3 Higher Education 7 Media 8 Superfund sites 9 Sister Cities 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Commerce and culture

The Oroville Municipal Airport is located south of State Route 162 west of State Route 70 at 39°29′19″N, 121°29′19″W.

The Berry Creek Rancheria (Tyme Maidu Tribe) has tribal government offices listed on Tyme Way off State Route 162 with an approximate latitude/longitude of 39°30′08″N, 121°30′16″W.

The State of California, Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development defines Oroville Hospital as a General Acute Care Hospital in Oroville with a Level III Trauma Center and Basic emergency care as of 08/22/2006. The facility is located near (NAD83) latitude/longitude of 39.5048594605 degrees N, -121.542808921 degrees W.

In recent days, as Chico has grown as a regional commercial giant, more people have been drawn to Oroville for close shopping, but cheap property. It has been speculated that Oroville has undergone more construction of homes in the last four years than it has in the last 30 before it. A possible reason for this could be that the skyrocketing of property values in the San Francisco Bay Area has caused migration of new families to the North State. Oroville's commercially abandoned downtown area has been quickly filling up with local businesses, as well as larger chains, such as Big 5 athletic supplies.

[edit] Geography

Oroville is located at 39°30′31″N, 121°33′16″W (39.508651, -121.554560)^[1]. It is situated at the head of navigation on the Feather River. The Yuba River flows into the Feather River near Marysville, California and these flow together to the Sacramento River. Geologically, Oroville is situated at the meeting place of three provinces: the Central Valley alluvial plain to the west, the crystalline Sierra Nevadas to the SE and the volcanic Cascade Mountains to the north. It has a Mediterranean climate.

The geology of the Oroville area is fascinating. Oroville sits on the eastern rim of the Great Valley, defined today by the floodplains of the Sacramento River and its tributaries. Around Oroville these sediments are dominated by thick fans of Feather River sediments, but just east of this there is a thin, N-S band of late Cretaceous sediments. These sit on top of the Sierran basement, which beneath eastern Oroville comprise greenschist-facies metavolcanic rocks of Jurassic age, giving way to granites of the Sierra batholith to the east. These are manifestations of a vigorous island arc sequence, built out over an east-dipping subduction zone of mid- to late Mesozoic age. The gold veins lace this ancient arc, remobilized by Mesozoic shearing and intrusions of igneous rock. The crystalline foothills are locally overlain by a Cenozoic sequence of Eocene clean beach sands overlain by Neogene volcanics, including the Diamond Head-like profile of Table Mountain.

[edit] History

Oroville is situated on the banks of the Feather River where it flows out of the Sierra Nevada onto the flat floor of the California Central Valley. It was established as the head of navigation on the Feather River to supply gold miners during the California Gold Rush.

Gold found at Bidwell Bar, one of the first gold mining sites in California, brought thousands of prospectors to the Oroville area seeking riches. Now under the enormous Lake Oroville, Bidwell Bar is memorialized by the Bidwell Bar Bridge, an original remnant from the area and the first suspension bridge in California (California Historical Landmark #314). In the early 20th century the Western Pacific Railroad completed construction of the all-weather Feather River Canyon route through the Sierra Nevadas giving it the nickname of "The Feather River Route". Oroville would serve as an important stop for the famous California Zephyr during its 20 year run. In 1983, this became a part of the Union Pacific Railroad as their Feather River Canyon Subdivision. A major highway, State Route 70, roughly parallels the railroad line through the canyon.

The Chinese Temple (CHL #770 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-76000478)) is another monument to Oroville's storied past. Chinese laborers from the pioneer era established the Temple as a place of worship for followers of Chinese Popular Religion and the three major Chinese religions: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The Chinese Temple and Garden, as it is now called, has an extensive collection of artifacts and a serene garden to enjoy.

Ishi, Oroville's most famous resident, was the last of the Yahi Indians and is considered the last "Stone Age" Indian to come out of the wilderness and into western civilization. When he appeared in Oroville around 1911, he was immediately thrust into the national spotlight. The Visitor's Center at Lake Oroville has a thorough exhibit and documentary film on Ishi and his life in society.

[edit] Points of Interest

The Oroville Dam, perhaps Oroville's most famous site, is one of the 20 largest dams in the world, the largest earth filled dam in the US, and the tallest dam in the US. This dam is 770 feet (235 m) tall and 6920 feet (2109 m) long, and it impounds Lake Oroville, which has a capacity of 3,500,000 acre feet (4.3 km³) of water, making it the second largest reservoir in California. This is one of the most important parts of the California State Water Project (see also the Central Valley Project, a Federal undertaking). Both systems move water from water-rich Northern California to water-poor Southern California. This facility is operated by the California Department of Water Resources which is undergoing contract renewal with the City of Oroville and Butte County. The state has not paid any taxes on this facility nor developed the lake for recreation as originally promised which have been a bone of contention with the local government and residents.

The Mother Orange Tree, located in Oroville, California, is the oldest of all Northern California orange trees.

This Is Oroville, a novelty song recorded and released as a 45rpm single in 1987 by local teacher Steve Herman, is generally considered to be among the more popular California 'city songs.'

[edit] Demographics

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.3 square miles (31.8 km²), of which, 12.2 square miles (31.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.16%) is water.

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 13,004 people, 4,881 households, and 2,948 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,061.4 people per square mile (409.9/km²). There were 5,419 housing units at an average density of 442.3/sq mi (170.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.23% White, 4.03% Black or African American, 3.93% Native American, 6.34% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 2.78% from other races, and 5.42% from two or more races. 8.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,881 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,911, and the median income for a family was $27,666. Males had a median income of $28,587 versus $21,916 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,345. About 16.2% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Politics

In the state legislature Oroville is located in the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Sam Aanestad, and in the 3rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Rick Keene. Federally, Oroville is located in California's 4th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +11^[3] and is represented by Republican John Doolittle.

[edit] Education

The Oroville Union High School District includes all of the greater Oroville area, including some neighborhoods that are not within the city limits. The District includes two traditional high schools, Las Plumas High School and Oroville High School, as well as Prospect High School, which functions as a continuation school.

The Oroville Elementary School District includes five primary schools and two middle schools, Central Junior High School and the recently-opened Ishi Hills.

There are also many small rural school districts in the surrounding area.

Higher educational opportunities are found at Butte Community College, just north of town, and at nearby California State University, Chico.

[edit] Oroville Elementary School District

Elementary

• Bird Street Elementary
• Oakdale Heights Elementary
• Ophir Elementary
• Stanford Avenue Elementary
• Wyandotte Avenue Elementary

Middle Schools

• Central Middle School
• Ishi Hills Middle School

[edit] Oroville Union High School District

High Schools

• Oroville High School
• Las Plumas High School
• Challenge Charter High School
• Prospect High School

[edit] Higher Education

• California State University, Chico (in Chico, 24 miles northwest of Oroville)
• Butte Community College

[edit] Media

Oroville is home to KRBS-LP, a low power community radio station owned and operated by the Bird Street Media Project. The station was built by numerous volunteers from Oroville and around the region in April 2002 at the second Prometheus Radio Project barnraising. KRBS broadcasts music, news, and public affairs to listeners at 107.1FM.

[edit] Superfund sites

Oroville has three designated superfund cleanup sites, two of which have been cleaned up and delisted: a Koppers Co. wood treatment plant, a Louisiana Pacific sawmill, and the Western Pacific railyard.

The Koppers Co. plant was listed on September 21, 1984 for pentachlorophenol (PCP), dioxin, furan, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), and heavy metals (copper, chromium, and arsenic) contamination due to chemicals spilled on unpaved areas.^[4][5]

The Louisiana-Pacific sawmill was listed on June 10, 1986 for pentachlorophenol PCP, dioxin, furan, heavy metals (arsenic, boron, and copper), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. Following remediation, the site was delisted on November 21, 1996. The sawmill was shut down in 2001.^[6][7]

The Western Pacific Railroad yard was listed on August 30, 1990 for volatile organic compound (VOC)and heavy metals (arsenic, lead, and chromium) contamination. Following remediation, the site was delisted on August 29, 2001.^[8][9]

[edit] Sister Cities

• - Van, Turkey (Turkey) 2007

^[10]

• - Salem, Massachusetts (U.S.) 2005

^[11]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• State Water Project
• Oroville Dam
• The Oroville Dam Train Crash
• The World's Largest Dams
• Lake Oroville
• The Oroville Mercury-Register (newspaper)
• KRBS Low Power Community Radio
• City of Oroville

• Oroville, California is at coordinates 39°30′31″N 121°33′16″W / 39.508651, -121.55456 (Oroville, California)Coordinates: 39°30′31″N 121°33′16″W / 39.508651, -121.55456 (Oroville, California)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Butte County, California
County seat: Oroville
Cities and towns	Biggs | Chico | Gridley | Oroville | Paradise
CDPs	Concow | Durham | Magalia | Oroville East | Palermo | South Oroville | Thermalito
Unincorporated communities	Bangor | Berry Creek | Brush Creek | Butte Meadows | Camp Eighteen | Centerville | Cherokee | Cohasset | Dayton | DeSabla | East Biggs | Feather Falls | Forbestown | Forest Ranch | Inskip | Merrimac | Nord | Oregon City | Pulga | Richvale | Stirling City

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