Welcome! Come and join us and find out for yourself what makes our special area of Northern California such a great place to live, learn and play in. 

Community – When attending Butte College, the majority of our international students choose to live in the city of Chico. Chico is a small city made up of about 100,000 people and has been consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States by a variety of sources. Since 1999 and as recently as 2010, Chico has been chosen as one of the best cities to live in by sources such as Money magazine, Forbes and most recently Men’s Journal, a national men’s magazine. 

Friendly and Fun - It is no accident that the city of Chico is ranked so high again and again. With both Butte College and California State University, Chico in town, Chico is most certainly a “college town”. As a result of so many students, Chico is filled with art, vibrancy, diversity and culture of a much larger city to an otherwise small safe city. Friendly people can be found chatting with friends at one of the many local coffee houses, soaking up the sun or hiking together in Bidwell Park, one of the United States largest municipal parks. 

Recreation - Whether you enjoy hiking, cycling, water sports, photography or just playing in the outdoors with friends, there are a myriad of choices for you to participate in. Summer and winter sports and activities are to be found easily. Lassen Peak, Mount Shasta, Lake Oroville and Bidwell Park are all close-by and contain some of the best outdoor recreational spots around. Had enough of nature for a while? Large cities like San Francisco are just a day trip away for weekend shopping and fun!

Come join us to live and study in one of the best cities to live in the Unites States. We would love to welcome you! 

Still have questions? -  Perhaps one of the best ways to get a feel of the culture of a city is to ask a local resident. Please feel free to email a Tim Phelps, Butte College staff member here for any questions: phelpsti@butte.edu or check out our International Club Facebook page and post a discussion topic or check out the pictures taken by our club members.