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Chico State

Chico in the Summer Time

Chico State Campus

By Alison Healey, Senior, Marketing & Recreation

Some may call Chico “boring” in the summer, but I think it’s one of the greatest times. If you’re a student like I am, it’s the time you get to spend with the few friends who stayed in town and get to know them even better. It’s the time to eat at that restaurant that you never went to because the waiting list was too long. And it’s the time when you’re not rushing to class, so you’re able to slow down and capture the beauty of the community.

Chico State CampusChico during the summer is a completely different feeling and experience than in the fall or spring. If I could use only one word to describe Chico in the summer time it would be “calm.” Most students choose not to be in Chico over summer, which leaves the town feeling a little less full. Streets are usually bumper to bumper with parked cars, but in the summer it’s rare to not find a close parking spot.

The heat is probably what keeps most students away in the summer (OK, and the fact that summer jobs are hard to find). The norm is in the mid-90’s and as a girl who came from the bay area, where the weather rarely goes past 85 degrees, 90-anything is really HOT! But, unlike the bay, Chico is filled with places to cool down. One Mile, the Sacramento River, and the WREC pool have been my go-to places to cool down after WREC Poolwork and on the weekends. Even these places are calmer in summer. Toward the end of spring semester the WREC pool would be packed all day with students, and finding a lounge chair was almost impossible. Now I can go to the WREC when I please and I know I’ll be able to get a lounge chair.

To me, the calm atmosphere of Chico is the perfect summer vacation.

What is your favorite part of Chico in the summer time?