Richvale, CA

Richvale is a tiny agricultural community of around two hundred residents, settled in the flat farmlands south of Chico and west of Oroville. Green rice fields and quiet irrigation canals surround the small grid of homes, giving the area an open, peaceful feel that changes with the farming seasons. Long known as the heart of Northern California rice growing, the town is deeply tied to the surrounding land and the thousands of waterfowl that visit the flooded fields each winter. It offers a very slow, private way of living, with residents heading a short drive up the highway into Chico whenever they need groceries, schools, or dining.