Kathy and I moved from Oregon to Chico in 1978 and we have been in this area ever since. We sometimes get "itchy wheels" and dream about moving somewhere else but when we consider just how unique and wonderful Chico is, we don't know where we would go. Chico has grown a lot since we first move here when it was about 50,000 and now, the population is nearly 90,000. While the size of our community offers all the goods and services we need, it is not large enough to have serious traffic problems. Chico is  central to the ocean, mountains or deserts. Unlike some areas of southern California, it is easy to drive for 10 minutes and virtually be by ourselves. As far as the weather, the winters are mild and snow is rarely seen in Chico. The worst weather feature we contend with is the sometimes, long hot summers with some heat spells with temperatures over 100 f, sometimes lasting for weeks. Sometimes we are blessed with long springs and falls which we enjoy. The following are some of the scenes in our area which make this town special.