On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Oroville is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #323 of 847 in California. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Oroville’s overall grade.
Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so South Oroville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (31% of California towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.0 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about South Oroville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 7,695 in 2000; 3,235 people lived here in 2020.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Oroville’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
South Oroville on the map, 1912 to 1970
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Oroville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1912Palermo sheet · 1:31,680
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South Oroville.
The story so far
South Oroville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Oroville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
South Oroville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 3,235 at the 2020 census, down from 5,742 at the 2010 census. For all practical purposes, South Oroville is tied to Oroville proper. South Oroville contains a negligible number of businesses, and all residents are dependent on the commercial centers of Oroville, and sometimes Chico if they choose. In fact, there is no clear divide between South Oroville and the Oroville city limits. This also applies to Thermalito, Oroville East, and Palermo. Las Plumas High School is located in South Oroville, and most high school students go to school there.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 5,742 to 3,235 (-44%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
South Oroville is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #323 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in South Oroville?
11% of South Oroville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1967.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
