Oroville

History

Oroville is on the banks of the Feather River, which flows from the Sierra Nevada onto the flat floor of the California Central Valley. During the California Gold Rush, it was created as the Feather River's head of navigation to serve miners. The original inhabitants of Oroville were the Konkow subdivision of Maidu people. In their native language, the Oroville area is ʔópamtani. The town was originally named "Ophir City", but was renamed Oroville when the first post office opened in 1854 (oro is Spanish for "gold"). The City of Oroville was incorporated on January 3, 1906. Gold was found at Bidwell Bar, one of California's first gold-mining sites, bringing thousands of prospectors to the Oroville area. Now inundated by the waters of enormous Lake Oroville, which was filled in 1968, Bidwell Bar is memorialized by the Bidwell Bar Bridge, an original remnant of the area and the first suspension bridge in California (California Historical Landmark #314). The Western Pacific Railroad built the all-weather Feather River Canyon route across the Sierra Nevada in the early 20th century, earning it the moniker "The Feather River Route". The California Zephyr made frequent stops at Oroville station during its 20-year existence. This was included on the Union Pacific Railroad's Feather River Canyon Subdivision in 1983. State Route 70, a significant thoroughfare, runs almost parallel to the train line that winds through the canyon. The olive-canning industry was founded in Oroville by Freda Ehmann, credited as the "mother of the California ripe olive industry". She built a large cannery in Oroville and by 1900 was the president of the world's largest canned olive factory. Ehmann was a believer in women's suffrage and a friend of Susan B. Anthony. Ishi, Oroville's most famous…

Most-observed species

• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,878
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  2,523
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,466
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,262
• Ring-billed Gull

  Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 · Aves
  2,172
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,059
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  2,038
• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  2,024

Largest nearby schools

• Las Plumas High
  High · Oroville · 1,287 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• Oroville High
  High · Oroville · 936 students · 21.3:1 ratio
• Helen M. Wilcox Elementary
  Elementary · Oroville · 516 students · 21.5:1 ratio
• Nelson Avenue Middle
  Middle · Oroville · 457 students · 20.8:1 ratio
• Ophir Elementary
  Elementary · Oroville · 447 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• STREAM Charter
  Elementary · Oroville · 428 students · 25.2:1 ratio
• Stanford Avenue Elementary
  Elementary · Oroville · 421 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• Palermo
  Middle · Palermo · 404 students · 16.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.65 — 2026-09-19
  22 km ENE of Red Bluff, CA
• M 2.72 — 2026-09-02
  5 km W of Hamilton City, CA
• M 2.54 — 2026-08-11
  9 km E of Rancho Tehama Reserve, CA
• M 2.54 — 2026-08-04
  15 km S of Hamilton City, CA
• M 3.01 — 2026-06-27
  4 km WSW of Johnsville, CA
• M 3.2 — 2026-06-14
  2 km ESE of Prattville, CA