Paradise, California


Paradise is a town in Butte County, California, United States in the Sierra Nevada foothills above the northeastern Sacramento Valley. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 26,218. 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.

History

The first post office was established at Paradise in 1877. It closed for a time in 1911, but was re-established later that year, when the post office at Orloff was closed. Paradise incorporated in 1979. For many years, the Butte County Railroad operated trains along the ridge, serving mines and sawmills.

Naming

According to GNIS, the community has been known in the past by four different names or spellings: Leonards Mill, Poverty Ridge, Pair-O-Dice, and Paradice.
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. However, no documentation has been found to prove the establishment existed, nor an explanation of the spelling of the town's name on the map.
Gene Sylva, a former mayor of the nearby town of Oroville, has stated that the saloon story is false, and that the true etymology of the town's name can be traced to his great-great-grandfather, William Pierce Leonard, who named the town on a summer day in 1864, after a hot and dusty ride from the Sacramento Valley; arriving at his sawmill while the staff were on break, Leonard "took a deep breath of the cool, clean air, and exclaimed, 'boys, this is paradise.'" According to Snopes, Sylva's explanation may be "pleasingly inventive historical fiction", and it is more likely that the town was named for it being a pleasant place to live.

2008 fires

In June 2008, a wildfire, named the "Humboldt Fire" for its point of origin, swept over 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 July 2008, a 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. 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.

2018 fire

On November 8, 2018, a wildfire called the Camp Fire was reported at 6:33 a.m. PST, close to Camp Creek Road near Pulga. Shortly after the fire erupted, the Butte County Sheriff's Office ordered the evacuation of the eastern quarter of Paradise, and the remaining portions one hour later. However, many residents never received an evacuation warning, while others chose not to leave because the warnings did not convey the urgency of the situation. Other locations were also issued evacuation orders or warnings, and emergency shelters were established.
On the same day, much of the town of Paradise and the communities of Concow and Magalia were destroyed by this fire. Scott McLean, a Cal Fire Deputy Chief, said, "We're talking devastated.... The town center is completely on the ground. The south side as well as the north side has been hit very hard, as well."
Eighty-six people died in the Camp Fire, tens of thousands were displaced, and 18,804 buildings were destroyed. Only 5% of buildings in the town remained without serious damage after the fire. It was the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.

Camp Fire recovery

The first two building permits were reissued for Paradise, after almost five months, on March 28, 2019. Local public policymakers want to promote rebuilding with higher standards for fire-resistant construction, upgraded infrastructure, and using the recommended 2009 redesigns for enhanced fire safety, which include expanded road capacity to increase evacuation capacity and to provide better access for emergency equipment. Two weeks of rain in early March 2019 slowed removal of debris; it was prohibited to dump waterlogged waste in landfills. Some 1,000 truckloads of material are expected to be removed daily from properties in Paradise, Concow, and Magalia. Cleanup, anticipated to take a year, involves 11,000 properties.
In 2010 the U.S. Census reported a population of 26,800. After the Camp Fire the population declined by more than 90%. In January 2019 the state of California reported 4,600 residents, and a door-to-door count in April 2019 found 2,034.
One year after the fires, the town united behind the Paradise High School football team, which achieved an undefeated season by "playing for the brothers we lost". One team member commented, "You look at the stands, the whole town of Paradise is here, so it’s really our only event right now, so it means everything."

Geography

Paradise is located east of Chico and 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. The Paradise area extends northward to include the unincorporated town of Magalia, as well as Stirling City, eleven miles north. Elevation of the area where the town is located is. The town itself is approximately eight miles east of the city of Chico, and ten miles north of the Oroville area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, over 99% of it land.
Soils are mostly well-drained reddish brown loam, gravelly in some cases and often grading to clay loam or clay with increasing depth. They have developed on volcanic material. Paradiso is by far the most common soil series in town.

Climate

The area encompassing Paradise has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate according to the Köppen climate classification system.

Demographics

Paradise is statistically classified within the Chico Metropolitan Area.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Paradise had a population of 26,218. The population density was 1,430.9 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Paradise was 24,129 white, 112 African American, 301 Native American, 330 Asian, 24 Pacific Islander, 416 from other races, and 906 from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1,836 persons.
The Census reported that 25,810 people lived in households, 139 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 269 were institutionalized.
There were 11,893 households, out of which 2,574 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,227 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,308 had a female householder with no husband present, 511 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 742 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 94 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,038 households were made up of individuals and 2,126 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17. There were 7,046 families ; the average family size was 2.73.
The age distribution was 4,501 people under the age of 18, 1,858 people aged 18 to 24, 4,822 people aged 25 to 44, 8,466 people aged 45 to 64, and 6,571 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
There were 12,981 housing units at an average density of 708.5 per square mile, of which 11,893 were occupied, of which 7,975 were owner-occupied, and 3,918 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 17,381 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,429 people lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,408 people, 11,591 households, and 7,244 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,447.1 people per square mile. There were 12,374 housing units at an average density of 678.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 93.73% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 1.07% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races. 4.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 11,591 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,863, and the median income for a family was $41,228. Males had a median income of $35,419 versus $25,231 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,267. About 9.7% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The State of California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development defines Feather River Hospital as a general acute care hospital 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.

Education

Paradise is served by the Paradise Unified School District, as well as by several independent charter and private schools.
Paradise Unified School District schools include:
Other Paradise schools include:
There are not many options for transportation within Paradise other than driving an automobile. The Paradise/Magalia area is served by the "B-Line" Butte County Transit. Butte Community College also runs bus service for students.
Paradise's link with Chico, Skyway Road, begins in the Sacramento Valley, at Highway 99 in Chico, and runs up the ridge as a four-lane divided highway until it reaches Paradise. Through the town, it is a four-lane undivided highway, which becomes a two-lane road as it continues up the Sierra's ridge to Magalia and into numerous smaller communities to the north. Paradise is connected to Oroville via Highway 191, otherwise known as Clark Road upon entering the town.
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. However, aside from points along this path, 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 Skypark is an airport located parallel to State Route 191 and south of the town.

Media

Eclectic Internet radio station Radio Paradise was founded in Paradise.
The local newspaper is the Paradise Post.

In popular culture

Scenes from Gone with the Wind were filmed in Paradise off of Stark Lane. Paradise was also used in the comic strip Pickles, by Brian Crane, on June 22, 2011.

Notable people