A Little About Oroville & Area

Founded in the 1840's with the beginning of the California Gold Rush, Oroville is rich in history ready to be rediscovered. Oroville is a picturesque and prosperous community that blends small-town charm with a diverse business economy. Blessed with a wide variety of recreation, housing, employment, and educational opportuities, Oroville is the perfect place to live or visit. View a glimpse of the city profile here. Questions? Call us toll free 800-655-4653. Local calls 530-538-2542.

You won't want to miss all there is to do in Oroville. We're glad to sendyou brochures and other information or you can click here for a list of things to do and places to see. Oroville’s historic downtown has museums, antique stores and specialty shops. The historic Chinese Temple and Gardens is a registered California landmark.

Another unique feature is that Oroville is a Mission Olive Region, the only one in the U.S. If it’s not from Oroville, it's not Mission Olive. Roughly 50 percent of California olive oil comes from Oroville. Wineries are making their presence known in the area; Oroville boasts three wineries. Other agricultural pursuits include oranges and several varieties of mandarins.

Oroville is best known for its abundance of recreational opportunities. Lake Oroville, which was created via the construction of the Oroville Dam, is one of the recreational gems of California. With nearly 16,000 surface acres of water and 167 miles of forested shoreline, hundreds of campsites, world-class fishing, boating, sailing, fishing, picnicking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, fish hatchery tours, educational exhibits, scenery and wildlife, Lake Oroville is truly the great outdoors on a Western scale. It is also the second largest reservoir in California. Lake Oroville is not overly crowded, and easily accessible by several highways.

The Oroville Dam, which is the tallest and one of the largest earthen dams in the world, was completed in 1968 and stands 770 feet high with a crest 6,920 feet long. Over 80 million cubic yards of material were needed to build the Oroville Dam. A giant cavern (almost as large as the State Capitol Building) was hollowed out to hold six power generation units beneath the dam. Coupled with four additional units in the Thermalito Power plant, more than 2.8 billion kilowatt-hours of power are generated annually.

White 77.2%
Black or African American 4%
American Indian 3.9%
Asian 6.3%
Other race 2.8%
Two or more races 5.4%
Hispanic 12.5%

Schools

(Includes outlying areas)

18 - Elementary Schools grades K-5
7 - Middle Schools grades 6-8
5 - High Schools grades 9-12
Butte College
Northwest Lineman's College
Oroville Adult Education

Butte County 2,367
Butte College 1,200
Pacific Coast Producers 280 reg / 1,400 seasonal
Oroville Hospital 950
Gold Country Casino
Feather Falls Casino
Wal-Mart
Lundberg Family Farms
Sierra Pacific Industries