Tag: Richvale
Richvale (also, Richland, Silbys Switch, Silsby) is a small census-designated place (population 244) in Butte County, California, USA, south of Chico and west of Oroville. The primary crop grown in the area surrounding Richvale is rice, irrigated from the Oroville Dam on the Feather River. Several farmers in the area are known for organic farming. The population was 244 at the 2010 census.
Richvale is located at 39° 29′ 38″ North, 121° 44′ 41″ West, 108 feet (33 m) above sea level.
The ZIP Code is 95974. The community is inside area code 530.
Legend says that the name “Richvale” (meaning “fertile valley”) was coined by con men to sell worthless plots of land to wheat farmers from Nebraska and Kansas. The developers (Richvale Land Company) changed the name from Selby Switch (a railroad siding) to Richvale in 1909. The place was settled in 1911, and a post office opened that same year.
Farmers in the Midwest were shown lush pictures of California’s San Joaquin Valley and Central Valley…
