Chico station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chico, CA
Chico station in January 2021
Location	450 Orange Street, Chico, California
Coordinates	39°43′24″N 121°50′46″W / 39.7233°N 121.8461°W / 39.7233; -121.8461
Owned by	City of Chico
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Bus operators	Greyhound Lines
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	CIC
History
Opened	1870 (Southern Pacific) April 25, 1982 (Amtrak)
Closed	1957 (SP)
Rebuilt	1892, 1988
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	12,154  7.53% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Sacramento toward Los Angeles Coast Starlight Redding toward Seattle
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Marysville (1982-99) toward Los Angeles Coast Starlight Redding toward Seattle Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Durham toward Oakland Pier Shasta Route Via East Side Sacramento Valley Vina toward Portland
Southern Pacific Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Chico, California, USA
Architectural style	Carpenter Gothic
NRHP reference No.	87000001
Added to NRHP	January 29, 1987

Chico is a passenger station in the South Campus Neighborhood of Chico, California served by Amtrak. It is located at West Fifth and Orange streets and is used by Amtrak's Coast Starlight service. The station was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1892.

The terminal is partially wheelchair accessible, has an enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public pay phones, free short-term and long-term parking. Trains run between Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles with a northbound and a southbound train departing from the station daily. The Greyhound bus station is also located at Fifth and Orange Streets.

History

Chico station in 1969

The station was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1892, replacing an older structure built in 1870.

The station was shown in the 1947 film Magic Town when James Stewart's character arrives in the fictional town of Grandview. During his 1952 Vice Presidential campaign, Richard Nixon was talking on the pay phone at the station when he got the news from the campaign headquarters that he would have to respond to the Checkers issue with the 'Checkers speech'.

Passenger rail service to Chico ceased in 1957, but was reactivated when Amtrak rerouted the Coast Starlight to its current alignment in 1982. The city and the Chamber of Commerce saved the current structure from demolition through an agreement with the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1987. That same year, the depot was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Southern Pacific Depot. The building is also home to the Chico Art Center.

While the Butte County Association of Governments has looked in to establishment of weekday bus service from Chico to Sacramento, their plan called for the bus to depart not from the station but rather a park and ride facility on Fir Street. A different North State Intercity Bus route received TIRCP funding in 2018 and will provide weekday feeder service to Sacramento from the Chico station.

See also

In Spanish: Estación Chico para niños