Forest Ranch, California

Forest Ranch, California
Unincorporated community
Location of Forest Ranch in Butte County, California.
Forest Ranch, California Location in California
Coordinates: 39°52′56″N 121°40′22″W / 39.88222°N 121.67278°W / 39.88222; -121.67278
Country	United States
State	California
County	Butte County
Area [1]
• Total	13.923 sq mi (36.060 km2)
• Land	13.923 sq mi (36.060 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation [2]	2,415 ft (736 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	1,304
• Density	94/sq mi (36/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code	95942
Area code	530
GNIS feature IDs	260256; 2612481
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forest Ranch, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Forest Ranch, California

Forest Ranch is an unincorporated community and census-designated place^[4] in Butte County, California. It includes Forest Ranch Charter School (K-8), its own post office, and a CDF and Volunteer fire stations. The community's ZIP code is 95942, and is shared with the community of Butte Meadows. The area code is 530. Forest Ranch's population was 1,184 at the 2010 census.

In late July 2024, the community was affected by the Park Fire. Several structures were destroyed.

The US Geological Survey reports the town's elevation as 2,415 feet (736 m) above mean sea level. The eastern end of the community is about 3,500 feet (1,067 m): about 1,000 feet (305 m) higher. This is high enough that residents occasionally get "snowed in." Residents east of the center of the community report the snowfall is heavy enough to prevent driving about one to three days each year. This is only true of homes not located along State Route 32. Some residents commute to work in Chico, about fifteen driving miles west on SR32.