Chico is quite liberal
Although Butte County is one of the more conservative in California, Chico itself is rather liberal in nature.
I too recall the OC threads for the Chico OC guy, but it sounded to me like he was having a hard time of it.
I am also moving up to Chico in the next few days, so it is good to see that there will be a few people of like mind up there.
It would be interesting to see some OC at the Downtown Farmers Market (I think it is still Thursday nights). But be careful, there is a private school that the GFSZ seems to infringe into the 4th/5th and Broadway area.