Butte County is a place of natural beauty with countless opportunities for recreation in both rural and urban environments. The County is committed to protecting and enhancing agriculture as the backbone of the local economy and contributes to the open-spaces that make Butte County a beautiful place to live and work. Rising from the Sacramento River, its western boundary, to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, its eastern perimeter, Butte County’s elevation spans from 90 to 7,800 feet above sea level making the County geographically diverse. The County encompasses 1,636 square miles of land with a population of 220,000 residents . The majority of Butte County residents live in one of the five incorporated towns or cities: Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville or Paradise. The County Board of Supervisors is the governing body for the County and is comprised of five supervisorial districts. Butte County government provides services to residents through 23 diverse departments. Services include elections, road maintenance, public safety, solid waste disposal, health and human services to name a few. Providing services to residents in areas with low populations, and great distances between them, may at times propose a challenge to the local government. County departments and agencies are proud to provide quality services to residents throughout this diverse County.