Chico, CA The Avenues

In the latter part of the 19th century, Chico founder John Bidwell subdivided a swath of farmland that stretched north from his mansion home. Today, that sprawling area is Chico Vecino, also known as The Avenues - an urban forest, with a densely populated grid of housing, schools and businesses. Chico Vecino is varied. Walk for only a few blocks and you will see dozens of species of trees and plants. Some houses are single-story homes with picket fences, others are multi-leveled with citrus trees in the yard. There are porches, patios and power lines. Sidewalks stop and start but the charm continues throughout the neighborhood. As one of the oldest Chico communities it shows its age but it also shows its character and history. Enloe Hospital and Chico Nut are by far the largest businesses in this neighborhood but they only add to the local diversity of the area.