Oroville, California 2025

Oroville is a city in Butte County, California, in the United States. The population of Oroville was 19,012 at the 2020 census. Oroville is located around 43 miles (69 km) north of Sacramento, the state capitol, in the Sacramento Valley.

Oroville is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where the valley floor meets the first Sierra Nevada mountain range to the east. The city is located in what was once the heart of the California Mother Lode, the richest gold-mining region in North America. To this day, the local area around Oroville is rich in gold mining history, in addition to the surrounding communities of Chico, Paradise, and Gridley.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,506, up from 13,008 at the 2000 census. Oroville is connected to nearby Chico, 11 miles (18 km) to the northwest, by the two-lane State Route 99, which allowes by the Oroville Dam and Thermalito Diversion Dam. Their construction created Lake Oroville, which flooded the valley south of the dams, now serving as a moderately sized lake. Oroville is known for recreation, including hiking, biking, snowmobiling, fishing, and skydiving. There are numerous trails for ATV and dirt bike riding, including the 20-mile (32 km)Ja Sheehan Memorial Trail.

The Butte County public fairgrounds are located in Oroville. The annual Butte County Fair is held annually in August. During the fair, local youth exhibit cattle, swine, sheep, poultry, goats, rabbits, horses, public speaking, arts, crafts, sewing, collectables, and agriculture. The fair also has a stage for live entertainment, ranging from local bands to national acts.

The Butte County Libraries' Oroville Branch is located in downtown Oroville. The Oroville Branch was one of four branches that opened in November 1901. It moved several times before a new 3,300-square foot (307 square meter) building opened on January 10, 27, 1968. A 2,655-square foot (246.6 m2) addition provide additional space in 1979. In 1990, the branch moved to the old B Street location and was expanded to 6,099 square feet (566.4 square meters). The branch moved to its current location in 2007 at 1820 Mitchell Avenue.

The Chinese Temple and Museum is a tourism attraction located in Oroville. A temple was built in 1863 to serve as a place of worship for Chinese gold miners who had come to California to dig for gold. It was eventually abandoned and was left to decay. In 1932, a group of concerned citizens of Oroville had the temple preserved and rebuilt. It has been said that it is the only temple of its kind open to the general public in the United States.

Feather River anthropomorphic effigy quipu, discovered in the Feather River Canyon by Samuel W. Wood in the 1850s, is on display at the Oroville Museum.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 square miles (64.3 km2), of which 24.6 square miles (63.7 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2) (0.63%) is water.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Oroville had a population of 15,506. The population density was 674.8 people per square mile (260.2/km2). The racial makeup of Oroville was 12,087 (77.7%) White, 284 (1.8%) African American, 425 (2.8%) Native American, 1,002 (6.5%) Asian, 54 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 4,686 (30.4%) from other races, and 888 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9,140 persons (58.8%).