Stirling City is a census-designated place[4] in Butte County, California, located on Paradise Ridge in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Stirling City is located at 39°54′28″N 121°31′41″W / 39.90778°N 121.52806°W / 39.90778; -121.52806, around 32 miles (45 km) northeast of Chico, California.

It was founded in 1903 by the Diamond Match Company[5] of Barberton, Ohio, as a center for processing cut lumber from the surrounding forests.

Diamond Match official Fred Clough named the city, taking the name from the boiler used at Diamond's Baberton plant, made by the Stirling Boiler Company.

The land surrounding Stirling City is still harvested for timber, and the cleared area is farmed for cattle, fruit, and nuts.

Stirling City is categorized as being within the 8a USDA hardiness zone, meaning temperatures can get as low as 10 to 15 °F.