Survey
Confirm inventory, access, packing needs and both addresses.
LONG-DISTANCE ROUTE / TX → CA
Austin → Chico. One Move Plan.
A practical route guide for planning the load, timing and delivery between Austin, TX and Chico, CA.
USDOT 3421940 · MC 1416634 · Licensed & Insured
AUSTIN → ROUTE → CHICO → DELIVERY
- Distance
- 1,852 miles
- Drive estimate
- 27-28 hours
- Move window
- 3-4 days
- Primary route
- I-35 south to San Antonio, then I-10 west through El Paso, Tucson and Phoenix to I-5 north, continuing up Highway 99 through the northern Sacramento Valley into Chico
CORRIDOR NOTES
What This Route Changes.
Distances and drive times are planning estimates. Exact access, timing and delivery details are confirmed for each address before the move.
Chico is the northernmost of Murdock’s home yards and sits roughly 1,852 miles from Austin, making this one of our longer cross-country runs. The truck leaves Austin on I-35 south to San Antonio, then follows I-10 west the length of the Sun Belt through El Paso, Tucson and Phoenix before entering California. From there it climbs onto I-5 north and later Highway 99, tracing the Sacramento Valley all the way up to Butte County and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
Every mile is handled by Murdock’s as the licensed, owner-operated carrier. Since Chico is one of our own operating hubs, the crew and truck that load your home in Austin deliver it directly to your door in Chico with no broker, no line-haul handoff and no reload along the way. Expect a realistic three to four days in transit for a haul this long, all under a single flat-rate quote set before we leave Austin.
ORIGIN → ROUTE → DESTINATION
The Long-Distance Checkpoints.
Plan
Set the crew, equipment, route and communication expectations.
Protect + Load
Prepare furniture and the home before loading begins.
Deliver
Work through arrival access, placement and the final walkthrough.
DESTINATION BRIEF
Arriving in Chico.
- A relaxed, walkable university-town lifestyle centered on downtown Chico and the sprawling Bidwell Park
- Far lower housing costs than the Bay Area or coastal California, making it an affordable way into the state
- Abundant outdoor recreation in the Sierra foothills, along Butte Creek and the Sacramento River, and up toward Lassen
- Jobs and community tied to California State University, Chico and the regional healthcare and education sectors
- A tight-knit small-city feel with a strong local food, farmers-market and craft-beer scene
Chico is a classic Northern California college town, built around California State University, Chico and the enormous, tree-lined Bidwell Park that threads through the middle of the city. Where Austin has a big-city tech economy, Chico offers a smaller, walkable downtown of brick storefronts, coffee shops and breweries, wrapped by almond orchards and the rising Sierra foothills. It draws students, university staff, remote workers and families who want an outdoorsy, laid-back pace and a genuinely affordable slice of California.
The community has also spent recent years absorbing and recovering from regional wildfire impacts, most notably after the 2018 Camp Fire displaced many nearby residents into Chico, which reshaped local housing demand. Newcomers today find a mix of established neighborhoods near downtown and the university, quieter areas in south Chico, and newer development pushing toward the foothills. Nearby Paradise, Durham and Oroville round out the options for people who want more land or a smaller town.
For a Murdock’s delivery, Chico typically means residential streets, older homes near campus with the occasional stairs, or newer single-family houses on the edges of town with easy garage access. As one of our operating hubs, it is territory our crews know well, which keeps the final leg of a long Austin-to-Chico move smooth.
NEXT DISPATCH
Tell Us Where You’re Going.
Tell us the Austin origin, the Chico destination and what needs to move. We’ll help build the route plan.