Butte County is named for the visually striking +2,000-foot (610 m)Sutter Buttes in neighboringSutter County.[10] Butte County was incorporated as one of California's 27 original counties on February 18, 1850. The county went across the present limits of theTehama,Plumas,Colusa, andSutter Counties.[11] Suffragists from Butte County includingMinnie Sharkey Abrams played a notable role in the women's suffrage campaign in 1911.
Between November 8 and 25, 2018, a major wildfire, theCamp Fire, destroyed most of the town ofParadise, the adjacent community ofConcow, and a large area of rural, hilly country east of Chico. More than 80 people were killed, 50,000 were displaced, over 150,000 acres were burned, and nearly 20,000 buildings were destroyed.[12][13] The Camp Fire was California's most destructive and deadliest fire.[14]
On July 24, 2024, thePark Fire ignited four miles south of downtownChico in Bidwell Park. This was due to an act ofarson by Chico resident Ronnie Dean Stout II, as he revved the engines of his mom's 2007Toyota Yaris because he got stuck in the grass, causing the surrounding area to catch fire.[15][16] Over the course of the next 64 days, the fire crossed the county line withTehama County, burned 429,603 acres, killed one person, and destroyed 709 structures.[17] It became the largestwildfire caused by arson in the state's history, the fourth largest fire in the state's history, the largest fire of the2024 California Wildfire Season, and the second largest single fire in the state's history (as opposed to acomplex fire, with multiple ignition points).
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,677 square miles (4,340 km2), of which 41 square miles (110 km2) (2.4%) are covered by water.[6]
The county is drained by theFeather River andButte Creek. Part of the county's western border is formed by the Sacramento River. The county lies along the western slope of theSierra Nevada, the steep slopes making it prime territory for the siting ofhydroelectric power plants. About a half dozen of these plants are located in the county, one of which, serves theOroville Dam.
As of the2020 census, Butte County had a population of 211,632. The median age was 37.9 years, 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18, and 19.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.[25]
79.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 21.0% lived in rural areas.[26]
There were 83,268 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[25]
The county's population was 70.7% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 2.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.0% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.6% from some other race, and 11.7% from two or more races;Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 19.0% of the population.[27]
There were 90,133 housing units, of which 7.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.2% were owner-occupied and 43.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.[25]
Butte County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The2010 United States census reported that Butte County had a population of 220,000. Theracial makeup of Butte County was 180,096 (81.9%) White, 3,415 (1.6%) African American, 4,395 (2.0%) Native American, 9,057 (4.1%) Asian, 452 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 12,141 (5.5%) from other races, and 10,444 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31,116 persons (14.1%).[31]
As of the census[32] of 2000, there were 203,171 people, 79,566 households, and 49,410 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile (48 people/km2). There were 85,523 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.5%White, 10.5% of the population wereHispanic orLatino, 3.3%Asian, 1.9%Native American, 1.4%Black orAfrican American, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 4.8% fromother races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 87.9% spoke English, 7.8% Spanish and 1.4%Hmong as their first language.
There were 79,566 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,924, and the median income for a family was $41,010. Males had a median income of $34,137 versus $25,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,517. About 12.2% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
There are four major hospitals and the State of California defines Butte County as being inside Health Service Area 1. A special district, the Butte County Air Quality Management District, regulates airborne pollutant emissions in the county. It does this following regional regulations, state, and federal laws. For example, in recent years, the agency changed rules that once allowed residents to burn household trash outdoors.
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.
The Butte County Sheriff's Office provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Butte County, serving as the equivalent of thecounty police for unincorporated areas of the county as well asincorporated cities within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services (known as "contract cities" in local jargon). It also holds primary jurisdiction over facilities operated by Butte County, such as local parks, marinas and government buildings; provides marshal service for theButte County Superior Court; operates thecounty jail system; and provides services such as laboratories and academy training to smaller law enforcement agencies within the county. The first sheriff of Butte County was Joseph Q. Wilbur. Kory Honea has been the sheriff since 2014.[36]
Butte County Library provides library services to residents of the County through six branches inBiggs,Chico,Durham,Gridley,Oroville andParadise. The mission of the Butte County Library is to provide all individuals, regardless of age, ethnic background, educational or economic level, with free access to ideas, information, and technology.
For many years, the library served rural and mountain communities through regularly scheduled bookmobile visits; however, due to budget cuts, this service was discontinued in 2009 and the bookmobile was sold. The library serves low-literacy adults through several programs of the Butte County Library Literacy Services division, including the Adult Reading Program, Families for Literacy and the Literacy Coach, a 36-foot (11 m) vehicle that provides mobile programming like story times, parent meetings, workshops, and computer and teacher trainings.
In August 1851, the county was divided into sixjudicial (civil) townships, the four marked by asterisks below, plus Quartz and Mineral, which were separated from Butte County with the formation ofPlumas County in 1854.
Between 1851 and 1861, there were several additions and other realignments of the township boundaries; from 1861, the townships were:
Bidwell
Chico
Concow
Hamilton*
Kimshew
Mountain Spring
Ophir*
Oregon*
Oro*
Wyandotte
Townships created and dissolved between 1851 and 1861 were Benton, Eureka, and Cascade.[46]
Hamilton - Butte County's first permanent county seat,John Bidwell discovered gold at Hamilton in 1848, and the settlement arose. It was located on the west side of the Feather River, 15 mi (24 km) downstream from Oroville.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^Wells, Frank T. Gilbert, W. L. Chambers, Harry Laurenz; Gilbert, Frank T.; Chambers, W. L. (1882).History of Butte County, California. H.L. Wells. pp. 134–139.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^M; October 16, i Bierly Updated; EDT, 2013 at 06:05 AM."Sons of Anarchy recap: Son Summit".EW.com. RetrievedNovember 22, 2022.{{cite web}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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