COLUSA COUNTY
County Offices
546 Jay Street
Colusa 530-458-0500
www.countyofcolusa.com
Chamber of Commerce
2963 Davison Court
Colusa 530-458-5525
www.colusachamber.org
Brimming over with historic significance, Colusa County encompasses vast picturesque acres of agricultural lands in the heart of the Sacramento River Valley in the north-central interior of California. Unspoiled by widespread development, this fertile farming region protects one of the last bastions of Western frontier. The county is well-served by easy access to Interstate 5, the county’s north-south business corridor, and also divided by Highway 20 for easy access to region destinations.
Framed on its eastern and western sides by the Sacramento River and coastal mountain ranges, this region offers a panoramic landscape. The varied topography is crowned by the 7,000-foot peak of Snow Mountain in the county’s western edge in the Mendocino National Forest. World-famous wildflowers grace the range lands at the mountain base and across the western third of the county. Eventually, the foothills ease into the rich, fertile soil of the Sacramento Valley.
Services
Founded in 1877 as a small rural medical facility, Colusa Regional Medical Center operates a county-wide health system that is anchored by a 48-bed acute-care hospital and skilled nursing facility. Affiliated rural health clinics are located in the communities of Williams, Stonyford, and Colusa to ensure that most routine needs can be met close to home. CRMC has evolved over the decades into a vital regional healthcare resource, rivaling the care in the finest of rural community hospitals. The comprehensive range of services available at CRMC includes childbirth services, adult medical and surgical care, emergency medicine, long-term skilled nursing care, laboratory services, imaging and radiographic services, physical rehabilitation, home health and palliative care, and outpatient clinic services. Skilled staff members offer expertise in most specializations such as family practice with obstetrics, internal medicine with infectious disease, general surgery, gynecology, pulmonary and sleep medicine, radiology, cardiology, emergency medicine, pathology, dermatology, podiatry, and industrial medicine.
Support for quality educational opportunities is strong in Colusa County, anchored by the public school system in four progressive districts. Yolo County is south of Colusa County, home to the highly respected public institution of the University of California at Davis. UC Davis has evolved into a prestigious public research university with emphasis on the arts, humanities, life sciences, health sciences, and engineering. Graduate programs are equally renowned, anchored by the UC Davis School of medicine, the UC Davis Medical Center, and the School of Law. The campus for California State University at Chico is easily accessible in nearby Butte County to the northeast. Butte County is also home to Butte College in Oroville, an exceptional community and technical college that enjoys the largest campus in California. Colusa is also home to a Cooperative Extension for the University of California, where campus-based specialists work in teams with county-based farm, home, and youth advisors. Programs are tailored around local needs to encompass a wide variety of locations and approaches.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Colusa County will discover vast acres of open space and untouched land as well as productive farms and agricultural activity. At the same time, this region of friendly small cities and quiet farming communities offers close proximity to some of the most exciting cosmopolitan centers in the world, including San Francisco and Sacramento in California and Seattle in Washington State. Colusa County is located approximately midway between Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles. The pioneering heritage of this area is still evident throughout the county, where Southern antebellum architecture and country charm have made it an ideal location for many movie sets. Ghost towns, a popular casino resort, hot springs, panoramic vistas, and friendly neighbors are just a few of the attractions that give Colusa County a distinctive personality.
Common pastimes in Colusa County include fishing, camping, hunting, hiking, biking, boating, and water sports. Those who enjoy outdoor recreation will appreciate the Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area, with a boat ramp and more than 60 acres of camping areas and picnic sites. Local recreational amenities include lush parks, local sports leagues, swimming pools, tennis courts, softball and soccer fields, and golf courses. East Park Reservoir in western Colusa County is open to the public for water-oriented activities, while the Mendocino National Forest draws visitors to an alpine paradise. The Stonyford ranger district covers 146,500 acres, highlighted by a 30-acre trout lake and magnificent views of the valley from Goat Mountain Lookout. Indoor thrills are available in the Las Vegas-style Colusa Casino Resort, where gaming opportunities combine with first-rate dining and entertainment. Special events dot the annual calendar with festivals and celebrations that bring friends and family together for old-fashioned good times. Regardless of where you decide to settle, Colusa County is synonymous with the pleasures of country living.
Arbuckle
County Offices
530-458-0500
Chamber of Commerce
530-458-5525
www.colusachamber.org
The unincorporated community of Arbuckle is nestled in the southern section of Colusa County, just 45 minutes north of Sacramento. Newcomers will find a developing community with a number of lush parks, recreational amenities, small-town friendliness, and the country charm of panoramic agricultural views. This active community hosts a number of lively events throughout the year, including the annual Crab Feed, the Spring Fiesta, the Carnitas Cook-Off, and the Car Show & Train Depot Birthday celebration. Arbuckle is approximately 20 miles from the county seat and leading city of Colusa. New residents can choose from a medley of housing choices that include single-family residences in varying styles and sizes as well as some multi-family developments. Picturesque farm fields surround the town, combining active orchards with those that are not being maintained for production. Regional access is efficiently provided by the north-south Interstate 5, and new homes that appeal to commuters are on the increase.
Colusa
Municipal Offices
530-458-4941
www.cityofcolusa.com
Chamber of Commerce
530-458-5525
www.colusachamber.org
Hugging the banks of the rolling Sacramento River, Colusa offers a tranquil and close-knit community where the streets are lined with majestic, towering trees. Elegant Victorian structures and magnificent architectural elements create a city with turn-of-the-century charm and historic appeal. Minutes from the city, the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 42,000 acres of habitat and resting places for thousands of birds that migrate across the Pacific Flyway. Much of the land that surrounds the city is devoted to agriculture, which is the principal economic activity of the entire county. Colusa is home to a popular casino resort that draws tourists to the area for gaming, dining, and entertainment. The city manages local parks with sports fields, tennis courts, grassy play areas, picnic sites, a community swimming pool, and many other recreational amenities.
Williams
Municipal Offices
530-473-2955
http://cityofwilliams.org
Chamber of Commerce
530-458-5525
www.colusachamber.org
Approximately 40 miles southwest of Chico and 55 miles northwest of Sacramento, the city of Williams provides a family-oriented atmosphere and small-town appeal. Newcomers will find a welcoming community that is more pedestrian and bicycle friendly than many towns of comparable size. The majority of residents are commuters to regional employment centers who were drawn to the low real estate taxes, affordability, and serenity of Williams. Recreational opportunities are outstanding throughout the Sacramento Valley, from the Colusa-Sacramento State Recreation Area to the gaming thrills of Colusa Casino. Although this area may remind many of the small Midwestern towns that are spaced about 10 miles from each other and separate by vast stretches of farmland, the character of Williams is beginning to shift with a surge of new construction as the metropolitan reach of Sacramento moves ever northward.
