@Anthony Leung@Jon Crosby Welcome! Jon is correct about the college being the big draw. Chico does have some other businesses with big draws such as Enloe Medical Center, Sierra Nevada Brewery, Build.com, United Health Care as well as many Agriculture products like Almonds, Rice, Walnuts etc. Our big Natural draw is Bidwell Park with 1 Mile rec area and 5 mile rec area. They filmed Robinhood with Errol Flynn in this park many moons ago. Cycling the 10 plus miles on the paved Bidwell park which has the creek running along the entire path is beautiful. I tried some research on the Air BNB rentals in Chico and the results weren't that good but maybe I was doing it wrong as I am not versed in Air BnB. Great college type town and more businesses are here compared to when I was younger but not a Sacramento type area. Chico is the most desired town in the North State ahead of Redding and others. The Camp Fire has brought much more travel to the area for insurance personal, builders, lawyers, PGE crews etc but not sure how long that will last. Good luck on your research and keep us posted.
@Anthony Leung Chico's primary and only draw is the colleges (Chico State/Butte College) I would imagine. For that, a short term rental would appeal to parents visiting their kids in college or perspective students checking out the campuses, which might have strong demand at certain times of year, but my guess is the real money in real estate in Chico is standard rentals for the students. But renting to college students comes with its own set of challenges I'm sure. : )
Thanks for the reply! It was listed in an article as a really good place for short term rentals so I was curious. It looks good from the stats, but needed more qualitative context.
@Anthony Leung@Jon Crosby Welcome! Jon is correct about the college being the big draw. Chico does have some other businesses with big draws such as Enloe Medical Center, Sierra Nevada Brewery, Build.com, United Health Care as well as many Agriculture products like Almonds, Rice, Walnuts etc. Our big Natural draw is Bidwell Park with 1 Mile rec area and 5 mile rec area. They filmed Robinhood with Errol Flynn in this park many moons ago. Cycling the 10 plus miles on the paved Bidwell park which has the creek running along the entire path is beautiful. I tried some research on the Air BNB rentals in Chico and the results weren't that good but maybe I was doing it wrong as I am not versed in Air BnB. Great college type town and more businesses are here compared to when I was younger but not a Sacramento type area. Chico is the most desired town in the North State ahead of Redding and others. The Camp Fire has brought much more travel to the area for insurance personal, builders, lawyers, PGE crews etc but not sure how long that will last. Good luck on your research and keep us posted.
Due to the rebuilding efforts after the Paradise fire there are roughly 6500 contractors commuting into Chico/Paradise daily. The retail tenants and grocery stores that survived have sales increases of 25%+. The mall stores are posting massive sales increases so retailers that ignored Chico are now moving in. The area is flush with insurance money.
19,000 homes burned. Read that again, 19000 homes. That influx of insurance money and contractors will not end anytime soon.
This is just my opinion and it may be a bit blunt but I think Chico is on the verge of an upswing. The fire cleared out the townies that had a weird methy vibe. The number of grown men riding around on BMX bikes has diminished. They got pushed elsewhere along with a huge population of older people that just didn’t have the time and energy to rebuild so they took their insurance check and left. A fair amount of young families are moving in to the area and I see that trend continuing. It has the amenities and youthful energy you see in college towns. It’s still very affordable in comparison to the rest of CA. It’s attractive to employers because there are a few colleges to pull talent from and the cost to operate rivals the less expensive states. It’s a great area for outdoorsman. The Butte Sink is one of the top duck hunting destinations in the world and Redding is a top fly fishing spot.
There is a lot more to it than just parents visiting their kids at Chico State. I have relationships with some of the best agents in the area if you want a referral.
Thanks for the great information. There is definitely a potential upswing in that market and the costs more affordable compare to the rest of the State. Me and my partner are looking to create a local team in that area and any referrals (agent, contractor, etc.) would be much appreciated.