Oroville

Seat of Butte County, northern-central California, USA, on the Feather River, at the western base of the Sierra Nevada, 106 km/66 mi north of Sacramento; population (2000) 13,000. Formerly one of the largest towns established during the Californian gold rush, Oroville (settled 1849) has many surviving relics of its mining past. It is now a tourist destination, and the processing and distribution point for an area producing citrus fruit, olives, vegetables, and lumber. Oroville Dam (1967), 230 m/755 ft high, is a major power generation source. Situated to the northeast on the Feather River, it forms Lake Oroville, part of the California State Water Project and a popular recreational centre.

The reservoir, which lies at an elevation of 900 ft/274 m, is many-fingered, with a shoreline over 266 km/165 mi long. Oroville was founded in an area of the Sierra Nevada known as the Mother Lode. Waves of miners of diverse nationalities peopled the town; Chinese prospectors built the Temple of Assorted Deities in 1863.