I live between Chico and Redding. Chico is a college town with lots of students during the school year. A lot of them clear out for the summer. Like the comments before, it gets very hot here in the summer, but the rest of the year it is beautiful. North of Redding is really nice. Just a little snow in the winter..nothing terrible. This area is great for water sports, hiking, skiiing. And the big city (SF) is only 3 hours away.