Anons, I think something is strange about Paradise. It had over 25,000 people and yet no real industry. It wasn't really thought of as a vacation town either. CIA town?
The only difference is that Paradise's size is what makes it creepy. After Chico and Oroville it is like the 3rd largest town in the northern Sierra. Just sort of odd. No real downtown. A town that just sort of appeared in the 1980s.
Quite possibly
IT definitely had its share of retirees, but I just think there was more to the story, at least as to why it was built I the first place. It is very remote for your typical retirement community of 25,000 people, even being close to Chico.