Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and in Riverside County, and is about southeast of downtown

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. It is also part of the

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Co ...

area. Riverside is the 61st-most-populous city in the United States and 12th-most-populous city in California. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 314,998. Along with San Bernardino, Riverside is a principal city in the nation's 13th-largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (pop. 4,599,839) ranks in population just below San Francisco (4,749,008) and above Detroit (4,392,041). Riverside was founded in the early 1870s. It is the birthplace of the California

citrus industry Citrus production encompasses the production of citrus fruit, which are the highest-value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit: * The fresh fruit market * The processed citrus fruits market (m ...

and home of the Mission Inn, the nation's largest Mission Revival Style building. It is also home to the Riverside National Cemetery and the Eastern Division of the Federal District Court for the Central District of California. The University of California, Riverside, is in the northeastern part of the city. The university hosts the

Riverside Sports Complex The Riverside Sports Complex, in Riverside, California, is the home field of the University of California, Riverside baseball team. The stadium seats 2,500 and features a home team locker room built personally by Troy Percival, a UC Riverside alum ...

. Other attractions in Riverside include the Fox Performing Arts Center,

Museum of Riverside The Museum of Riverside is a museum of regional history and culture, Indigenous culture, and natural history located in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California, United States. The museum, formerly known as the Riverside Metr ...

, which houses exhibits and artifacts of local history, the California Museum of Photography, the

California Citrus State Historic Park California Citrus State Historic Park is an open-air museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the historic cultural landscape of the citrus industry. The park’s museum exhibits and interpretive features shar ...

, Castle Park, and the Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree, the last of California's two original navel orange trees.

History

In the late 18th century and the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by

Cahuilla The Cahuilla , also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California.Serrano people The Serrano are an indigenous people of California. They use the autonyms of Taaqtam, meaning "people"; Maarrênga’yam, "people from Morongo"; and Yuhaaviatam, "people of the pines." Today the Maarrênga'yam are enrolled in the Morongo Band ...

. Californios such as Bernardo Yorba and Juan Bandini established ranches during the first half of the 19th century. In the 1860s, Louis Prevost launched the California Silk Center Association, a short-lived experiment in sericulture. In the wake of its failure, John W. North purchased some of its land and formed the Southern California Colony Association to promote the area's development. In March 1870, North distributed posters announcing the formation of a colony in California. North, a staunch temperance-minded abolitionist from

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

, had formerly founded

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W ...

. Riverside was

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

-minded, and Republican. There were four saloons in Riverside when it was founded. The license fees were raised until the saloons moved out of Riverside. Investors from England and Canada transplanted traditions and activities adopted by prosperous citizens. As a result, the first golf course and polo field in southern California were built in Riverside. The first orange trees were planted in 1871, with the citrus industry Riverside is famous for beginning three years later (1874)Brown and Boyd, Vol 1, p. 429 when

Eliza Tibbets Eliza Tibbets (born Eliza Maria Lovell; 1823–1898) was among early American settlers and founders of Riverside, California; she was an activist in Washington, D.C., for progressive social causes, including freedmen's rights and universal suffr ...

received three

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian

navel orange An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus � ...

trees sent to her by a personal friend, William Saunders, a horticulturist at the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

in Washington, D.C. The trees came from

Bahia, Brazil Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest by ...

. The Bahia orange did not thrive in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, but its success in southern California was phenomenal. The three trees were planted on the Tibbets' property. One of them died after it was trampled by a cow during the first year it was planted. After the trampling, the two remaining trees were transplanted to property belonging to Sam McCoy to receive better care than L.C. Tibbets, Eliza's husband, could provide. Later, the trees were again transplanted, one at the Mission Inn property in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt (this tree died in 1922), and the other at the intersection of Magnolia and Arlington avenues.

was honored with a stone marker placed with the last tree. That tree still stands to this day inside a protective fence abutting what is now a major intersection. The trees thrived in the southern California climate and the navel orange industry grew rapidly. Many growers purchased bud wood and then grafted the cuttings to root stock. Within a few years, the successful cultivation of many thousands of the newly discovered Brazilian navel orange trees led to a California

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

of a different kind: the establishment of the citrus industry, which is commemorated in the landscapes and exhibits of the

and the restored packing houses in the downtown's Marketplace district. By 1882, there were more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half of which were in Riverside. The development of refrigerated railroad cars and innovative irrigation systems established Riverside as the richest city in the United States (in terms of income per capita) by 1895. As the city grew, a small guest hotel designed in the popular Mission Revival style, known as the Glenwood Tavern, eventually grew to become the Mission Inn, favored by presidents, royalty and movie stars. Inside was housed a special chair made for the sizable President William Howard Taft. The hotel was modeled after the missions built along the California coast by Franciscan friars in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Although Spanish missionaries came as far inland as San Bernardino– San Bernardino de Sena Estancia—east of Riverside, there was no actual Spanish mission in what is now Riverside.) Postcards of lush orange groves, swimming pools and magnificent homes have attracted vacationers and entrepreneurs throughout the years. Many relocated to the warm, dry climate for reasons of health and to escape Eastern winters. Victoria Avenue, with its scattering of elegant turn-of-the-century homes, and citrus-lined paseo, serves as a reminder of European investors who settled here.

Geography

Riverside is the 61st-largest city in the United States, the 12th-largest city in California, and the largest city in California's Inland Empire metro area. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and (0.37%) is water. The elevation of downtown Riverside is . Hills within the city limits include Mount Rubidoux, a city landmark and tourist attraction. Riverside is surrounded by small and large mountains, some of which get a dusting of winter snow. Many residents also enjoy the many beaches of Southern California. Riverside is about a drive to the Pacific Ocean and is close to Orange County and Los Angeles County.

Cityscape

Landmarks

Riverside is home to the historic Mission Inn, the

Beaux-Arts style Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporat ...

Riverside County Historic Courthouse Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural mu ...

(based on the Petit Palais in Paris, France), and the

Riverside Fox Theater The Riverside Fox Theater, also known as the Fox Performing Arts Center, was built in 1929, and is a Spanish Colonial Revival style building in the heart of downtown Riverside, California. The theater is the centerpiece of Riverside's Arts ...

, where the first showing of the 1939 film '' Gone with the Wind'' took place. The theater was purchased by the city and refurbished as part of the Riverside Renaissance Initiative. The Fox Theater underwent extensive renovation and restoration, which was completed in 2009, to turn the old cinema into a performing arts theater. The building was expanded to hold 1,600 seats and the stage was enlarged to accommodate Broadway-style performances. In January 2010, singer Sheryl Crow opened the newly remodeled Fox Theater in a nearly sold-out show. Victorian Historical House

Riverside is the home of the "World's Largest Paper Cup" (actually made of concrete), which is over three stories (68.10 ft; 20.76 m) tall. The "

Dixie Cup A paper cup is a disposable cup made out of paper and often lined or coated with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world. History Paper ...

" landmark is on Iowa Street just north of Palmyrita, in front of what was once the Dixie Corporation's manufacturing plant (now closed down). Three notable hills are in Riverside's scenic landscape:

Box Springs Mountain Box Springs Mountain is the highest peak in the Box Springs Mountains range, standing tall. The mountain is in northwestern Riverside County, Southern California. Geography The mountain is east of downtown Riverside, and northwest of Moreno V ...

, Evans (Jurupa) Hill and Tecolote Hill; all of which are preserved open spaces. South of Riverside is Lake Mathews. There is also the well-known landmark/foothill Mount Rubidoux, which is next to the Santa Ana River and one of the most noticeable landmarks in the downtown area. This foothill is the dividing line between the town of Rubidoux and the city of Riverside. March Joint Air Reserve Base borders Riverside on the east serving as a divider between the city and

Moreno Valley Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's p ...

. March ARB, founded in 1918, is the oldest operating Air Force base west of the Mississippi River. At the entrance to Riverside from the 60 freeway sits Fairmount Park. This extensive urban oasis was designed by the firm founded by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

, which had designed New York's Central Park. It includes a lovely stocked pond that is home to many species of birds. On nearby private land is the former site of Spring Rancheria, a

Cahuilla The Cahuilla , also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California. The city of Riverside has 28 designated "neighborhoods" within the city limits. These include Airport, Alessandro Heights, Arlanza, Arlington, Arlington Heights, Arlington South, Canyon Crest, Casa Blanca, Downtown
Eastside
Grand, Hawarden Hills, Hillside Hunter Industrial Park, La Sierra, La Sierra Acres, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South, Magnolia Center, Mission Grove, Northside, Orangecrest, Presidential Park, Ramona, Sycamore Canyon Park, Sycamore Canyon Springs, University, Victoria and Wood Streets. East of downtown is the originally named "Eastside". which grew out of a ''colonia'' inhabited by Mexican immigrant workers in the orange groves, other orchards and produce fields. The area these people lived in was originally a settlement called La Placita that predated the city, being founded in 1843. Mexican communities were also formed in the barrio of Casa Blanca during the early 20th century.

Annexations

The City Council has proposed many

annexations Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

of nearby unincorporated communities that would increase Riverside's population and land area significantly. Most notable is the Lake Hills/Victoria Grove area, which would extend the city's southwestern borders to Lake Mathews.

Current proposals

* 97 Berry Road * 103 Barton/Gem * 104 I-215 Corridor * 105 Sycamore/Central * 106 East Blaine * 107 Alta Cresta Remainder * 108 Lake Hills/Victoria Grove * 111 University City * 112 Kaliber * 113 Barton/Station

Potential annexations

* A Center Street * B Highgrove * C Spring Mountain Ranch (92) * D Canyon Ridge * E Woodcrest * F Gateway

Features

Riverside is home to the University of California, Riverside. The UCR Botanical Gardens contains of unusual plants, with four miles (6 km) of walking trails. The city prides itself on its historic connection to the navel orange, which was introduced to North America from Brazil in 1874. Riverside is home to the one surviving Parent Navel Orange Tree, from which all American West Coast navel orange trees are descended. There are three hospitals in Riverside. * Riverside Community Hospital is a General Acute Care Hospital with Basic Emergency Services and a Level I Trauma Center as of 2020. * Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center is a General Acute Care Hospital with Basic Emergency Services as of 2006. * Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Riverside is a General Acute Care Hospital with Basic Emergency Services as of 2006. Riverside is also home to the Riverside Public Library system. Branches include: Arlanza, Arlington, La Sierra, Marcy, Main, Orange Terrace, Eastside Cybrary, and Casa Blanca. Convention facilities are available at several locations. The

Riverside Convention Center The Riverside Convention Center is a convention center in downtown Riverside, California. The convention center hosts conventions and events in 70,000 sq. ft. of total meeting space and 30,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. It has 26 meeting rooms wit ...

, remodeled in 2014, offers indoors and of outdoor space. Also available is the Riverside

Marriott Marriott may refer to: People *Marriott (surname) Corporations * Marriott Corporation, founded as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in 1927; split into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation in 1993 * Marriott International, international hot ...

with indoors, and the Mission Inn with indoors and outdoors. All three facilities are located within walking distance of one another in downtown Riverside. Meetings with an academic focus are also held at the University of California, Riverside.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries in Riverside include: * Crestlawn Memorial Park; notable burials include

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient

George Alan Ingalls George Alan Ingalls (March 9, 1946 – April 16, 1967) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War. Biography Ingalls joined the Ar ...

, baseball player Mike Darr, actor

Roland Harrah III Roland Edward Harrah (January 20, 1973 – January 3, 1995) was an American film and television child actor, actor, songwriter, musician, singer, and artist.Obituary, '' The Press-Enterprise'', Riverside, California, January 6, 1995. Biography ...

, and actor Darwood Kaye. * Evergreen Cemetery; notable burials include Marcella Craft, Frank Augustus Miller, John W. North,

, and

Al Wilson Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, an ...

. * Olivewood Memorial Park; notable burials include

recipient

Jesus S. Duran Jesus Santiago Duran (July 26, 1948 – February 17, 1977) was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Biography Duran was born, July 26, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico. He was the sixth of twelve siblings. Duran ...

, Travis Alexander, Dorothy Burgess, Mayor Ben H. Lewis, Del Lord, Gloria Ramirez, and Eric Show. * Riverside National Cemetery, established in 1976, is the largest cemetery managed by the National Cemetery Administration, and since 2000 has been the most active in the system based on the number of interments. * Sherman Indian High School Cemetery, Home Gardens

Climate

Riverside experiences a semiarid climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''BSh'') bordering on an arid climate (

''BWh'') with hot, dry summers and mild, relatively wet winters. Normal monthly mean temperatures range from in December to in August. On average, temperatures reach the freezing mark and on 3.5 and 21.6 days annually, respectively. Record temperatures range from on January 15, 1911, up to on July 17, 1925, June 16, 1917, and July 6, 2018. On average, Riverside receives of precipitation annually, with measurable precipitation occurring on 35 days, with almost all of it between November and April, with February the wettest month.

Environment

The Riverside area faces issues of smog and above-average levels of

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different type ...

. In a comparison by the National Campaign Against Dirty Air Power (2003), the Riverside- San Bernardino-

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

area was found to be one of the most polluted regions based on year-round particle measurements when compared to other U.S. cities. The city made efforts to reduce pollution by incorporating additional means of mass transit ( Metrolink) and equipping its entire fleet of buses with

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

. Smog decreased considerably over the next few years as local municipalities and counties worked with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to implement measures to improve regional air quality. In 2020, the American Lung Association rated Riverside County one of the nation's worst counties for smog. Most of Riverside's smog problems are the result of the prevailing wind patterns that blow the smog from the

Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an anomalous group of east-west trending chains of mountains collectively known as the ...

and particulates generated by southern California's multitude of vehicles, and the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach into the Inland Empire.

Demographics

2010

As of the 2010 census reported that Riverside had a population of 303,871. The population density was . The racial makeup of Riverside was 171,669 (56.5%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 21,421 (7.0%)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 3,467 (1.1%) Native American, 22,566 (7.4%) Asian (1.7% Filipino, 1.6% Chinese, 1.1% Korean, 1.0% Vietnamese, 1.0% Indonesian, 0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Pakistani), 1,219 (0.4%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 68,111 (22.4%) from other races, and 15,418 (5.1%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 148,953 persons (49.0%); 41.8% of Riverside's population is Mexican, 1.1% Guatemalan, 1.0% Salvadoran, 0.7% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Cuban, 0.2% Nicaraguan, and 0.2% Colombian. Non-Hispanic Whites were 34.0% of the population in 2010, down from 82.1% in 1970. The Census reported that 292,322 people (96.2% of the population) lived in households, 8,925 (2.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2,624 (0.9%) were institutionalized. There were 91,932 households, out of which 38,939 (42.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 45,398 (49.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 13,845 (15.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 6,372 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 6,392 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 746 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 18,284 households (19.9%) were made up of individuals, and 6,262 (6.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18. There were 65,615 families (71.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.67. The population was spread out, with 81,406 people (26.8%) under the age of 18, 47,126 people (15.5%) aged 18 to 24, 82,482 people (27.1%) aged 25 to 44, 66,615 people (21.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 26,242 people (8.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males. There were 98,444 housing units at an average density of , of which 51,185 (55.7%) were owner-occupied, and 40,747 (44.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%. 168,888 people (55.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 123,434 people (40.6%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States Census, Riverside had a median household income of $56,403, with 17.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 255,166 people, 82,005 households, and 58,141 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,261.5/km² (3,267.2/mi²). There were 85,974 housing units at an average density of 425.0/km² (1,100.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.3%

, 7.4%

, 1.1% Native American, 5.68% Asian, 0.4%

, 21.0% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. 38.1% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 82,005 households, out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.54. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,646, and the median income for a family was $47,254. Males had a median income of $36,920 versus $28,328 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,882. 15.8% of the population and 11.7% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total population, 18.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Religion

Riverside is largely Christian and is home to Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Protestant, and Universalist Unitarian churches, an Islamic mosque, Jewish synagogue, Hindu temple, and several Buddhist temples. Riverside is also home to the Inland Empire Atheists and Agnostics organization. Large Seventh-Day Adventist populations, due to La Sierra University, are located in Riverside and proximity to

Loma Linda Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the ...

near San Bernardino. There is also a large

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...

population, as well as in the San Bernardino area, as

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

has missions in Riverside and Redlands near their

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. Several religious celebrations take place on top of the city's Mount Rubidoux. One is an annual Easter Sunrise service, which is the nation's oldest continual non-denominational outdoor Easter service The 100th anniversary of the event was held April 12, 2009. Each December, a 2½-mile (4 km) procession from Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine to the top of Mount Rubidoux promotes awareness of

Juan Diego Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as Juan Diego (; 1474–1548), was a Chichimec peasant and Marian visionary. He is said to have been granted apparitions of the Virgin Mary on four occasions in December 1531: three at the hill of Tepeyac an ...

's walk up Tepeyac hill, in 1531, where he reportedly saw a Marian apparition known as Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 2012, a controversy erupted regarding the cross atop Mount Rubidoux, which was on city-owned land and maintained by the city. Due to constitutional issues regarding separation of church and state, the Riverside City Council sold the cross and the land under it (0.43 acres; 1740.15 sq m) to a private entity for $10,500.

Economy

Riverside Convention Center - aerial view

Riverside's economy consists largely of light-industry and generates a range of products including aircraft components, automotive parts, gas cylinders, electronic equipment, food products, and medical devices. Supporting the manufacturing sector are several industrial parks, including those in the Hunter Industrial Park, Sycamore Canyon Industrial Park and Airport Industrial Areas. As the county seat of Riverside County and the most populous city in the Inland Empire, Riverside also houses several legal, accounting, engineering, and banking firms. Citrus production and packing houses still exist within the city, but the industry is in decline. American electronics company

Bourns, Inc. Bourns, Inc. is an American electronics company that develops, manufactures and supplies electronic components for a variety of industries including automotive, industrial, instrumentation, medical electronics, consumer equipment and portab ...

is among the companies based in Riverside. Citrus is in decline in many areas of the Inland Empire where urbanization and water scarcity have made the industry uneconomic. ;Top employers According to the City's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Film and television

Riverside's close proximity to Hollywood, combined with its many unique architectural features, has made it a frequent filming choice by film studios, starting with the 1919 film ''Boots'', which starred Dorothy Gish and was filmed at the Mission Inn. Episodes of the 2013 television celebrity diving program ''Splash'' are taped at Riverside Community College's aquatics complex, and a local gay bar named V.I.P. was the setting for the second episode of Season Five of the Bravo TV reality show ''

Tabatha Takes Over ''Tabatha Takes Over'' (formerly ''Tabatha's Salon Takeover'') is an American reality television series on the Bravo network, in which former ''Shear Genius'' contestant and hair salon owner, Tabatha Coffey helps failing salons turn around in on ...

''. The HBO show '' Enlightened'' (2011–2013), which starred Laura Dern, was also set in Riverside.

Retail

Retail shopping centers include the open-air Riverside Plaza, and the Galleria at Tyler mall. The Main Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown is the site of several unique shops.

Arts and culture

Museums

Museum *

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry of the Riverside Art Museum, or The Cheech, is an art museum and academic center in Riverside, California, United States. The center will focus on the presentation and study of chicano ...

Entomology Research Museum The UCR Entomology Research Museum is the insect collection of the Department of Entomology of the University of California, Riverside. It contains approximately 4 million total insect specimens, over 3 million of which are pinned, roughly 400, ...

at the University of California, Riverside (not open to the public). * Heritage House Museum *

March Field Air Museum The March Field Air Museum is an aviation museum near Moreno Valley and Riverside, California, adjacent to March Air Reserve Base. History The museum was founded in 1979 as March Air Force Base Museum. One of the first exhibits at the museum was ...

* Mission Inn Museum *

Riverside Art Museum Riverside Art Museum is an art museum in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California. The museum is a non-profit organization which focuses on addressing social issues and offers art classes as well as other events in order to in ...

* Sherman Indian Museum at the Sherman Indian High School *

Sweeney Art Gallery Sweeney may refer to: People * Sweeney (name) *Clan Sweeney, an Irish clan of Scottish origin Places *Sweeney Mountains, Palmer Land, Antarctica *Sweeney Ridge, a national park in California, United States Arts and entertainment *'' The Madness ...

, an extension of the University of California, Riverside * The Stahl Center Museum of Culture at the La Sierra University * University of California, Riverside California Museum of Photography * World Museum of Natural History at the La Sierra University * Southern California Railway Museum

Festivals and events

Several festivals occur throughout the year in Riverside, many focused on the downtown area. Each year in February The Riverside Dickens Festival is held to "enhance a sense of community among citizens of Riverside County and Southern California by creating a series of literary events and to provide educational, family-oriented, literary entertainment and activities such as plays, musical performances, pageants, living history presentations, workshops, lectures, classroom study, exhibits and a street bazaar with free entertainment, vendors and costumed characters." The Riverside Airshow takes place in March at the Riverside Municipal Airport. The event attracts around 70,000 people and includes aerial performers, over of aircraft displays, a car show and military vehicle display, children's activities, food and refreshments, helicopter displays and community group exhibits. The March Field Airfest, also known as Thunder Over the Empire, is a biennial air show held at March Air Reserve Base. The air show is among the largest events in the Inland Empire and Riverside County. The show has featured such performers as the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, the Air Combat Command demonstrations teams and many other military and civilian demonstrations. 2010 saw the Patriots Jet Team as the highlight demonstration team of the show. Attendance for the 2010 show was estimated at over 150,000. The Riverside International Film Festival (RIFF) takes place in April and features films from around the world. Sponsored by the city of Riverside, local universities, and many businesses, past festivals have featured over 175 films. Old Riverside Foundation, a local nonprofit focused on historic preservation of the built environment, hosts an annual Vintage Home Tour in May that showcases private historic homes, open to the public for one day only. In October, the California Riverside Ballet sponsors the Ghost Walk, which in 2013 celebrated its 22nd year. The event is a walk around some of the city's oldest and most historic buildings, with volunteers leading tours and telling ghost stories. Also, in October, for one evening, from late afternoon until midnight, the Long Night of Arts & Innovation is held in Downtown Riverside. This event is designed to showcase the area's talent in the visual and performing arts, science and technology from its universities, community college, school districts, and innovative companies and arts organizations. It is also designed to encourage school children to seek careers in the arts and STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) by connecting them to professors, artists, professionals and performers from these institutions. The Riverside Festival of Lights centers around

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa The Mission Inn, now known as The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, is a historic landmark hotel in downtown Riverside, California. Although a composite of many architectural styles, it is generally considered the largest Mission Revival Style building ...

, located downtown. Decoration of the Inn begins in October and a lighting ceremony that includes speakers, fireworks, and live musicians takes place the day after Thanksgiving Day. Carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides, and ice skating all color the festival. Restaurants, cafes, and community groups all contribute to the festival. The festival runs through New Year's Day. Also during the week of Thanksgiving, the

Festival of Trees Festival of Trees is the name taken by a number of (apparently independent) charity events/organizations that hold annual events around Christmas time to raise money for some local charity many for children hospitals and other organizations (ofte ...

is held at the

. Held since 1990, the event seeks to raise money for the

Riverside County Regional Medical Center The Riverside University Health System - Medical Center, or ''RUHS-MC'', formerly Riverside County Regional Medical Center, or ''RCRMC'', and also formerly Riverside General Hospital University Medical Center, or ''RGH UMC'', is a public teaching ...

children's units including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Child Abuse and Neglect Unit, and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Attracting 25,000 people per year, the event has raised over $5 million since its inception. At the Festival of Trees, many professionally decorated Christmas trees are judged, auctioned, and then displayed for public viewing.

Government

Local government

Riverside is governed by a mayor and city council. The mayor is elected in a citywide election. The city council has seven members, each elected from single member wards. A city manager is responsible for ongoing city services. In Riverside's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, the city's government accounts were reported to have $244 million in revenues and $365 million in expenditures, with the deficiency made up by the issuance of long-term debt and transfers from the city-owned utilities (including electric and water). The report also indicates that over the prior nine years, the number of city employees increased by 23.6% to 2,686 FTE, outpacing the 12.5% increase in the number of residents.

Federal and state representation

Under the electoral maps drawn by the Citizens' Redistricting Commission, which were first used in the 2012 elections and will remain in effect through at least 2020, Riverside's state and federal legislative districts have changed substantially. In the California State Legislature, the City of Riverside is in . In the California State Assembly, it is split between , and . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, nearly all of Riverside is in , while a tiny portion of the city is part of . In the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

, California is represented by Democrats

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she wa ...

and

Alex Padilla Alejandro Padilla ( ; born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Padilla served as the 30th secretary of state of California from ...

Courts

* Federal ** United States District Court, Central District of California, Eastern Division ** United States Bankruptcy Court, 9th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel ** United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California * State ** California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division Two ** Superior Court of California, County of Riverside

Crime

Riverside's crime rate has shown a drop over the past several years. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics database, from 2002 to 2014 violent crime fell to 1,384 from 2,026 events, and property crime to 9,864 from 13,135 events. During this time, the population of the city rose by 21%. To help reduce gang-related crime, the city developed Project Bridge, an anti-gang program under the city of Riverside's Park and Recreation Department. Gang activity has been reported to center in the Casa Blanca, Arlanza and Eastside neighborhoods. Of the 60 largest U.S. police departments in 2015, the Riverside Police Department was the only department whose police did not kill anyone that year.

Education

Colleges and universities

Institutions of higher learning include: * California Baptist University *

California Southern Law School California Southern Law School (CSLS) was a private part-time evening law school in Riverside, California. It admitted its last entering class in Fall 2016 and closed after the Spring 2020 semester. It is registered with the California State Bar ...

(to close in 2020). * La Sierra University * National University (branch campus in Riverside) * Riverside City College *Riverside Royals College * University of California, Riverside

Vocational schools

Brightwood College Brightwood College, formerly Kaplan College, was a system of for-profit colleges in the United States, owned and operated by Education Corporation of America. Main qualifications offered included health, business, criminal justice, information ...

* UEI College * Platt College * American College of Healthcare * Masters Vocational College * US College * Northwest College

Secondary schools

Public school districts and high schools

Riverside is served by two school districts: * Riverside Unified School District serves eastern Riverside. ** High schools include: *** Arlington High School *** Martin Luther King High School *** John W. North High School *** Riverside Polytechnic High School also known as Poly High School *** Ramona High School *** Riverside Virtual School *** Riverside STEM High School ** Continuation high schools include: *** Abraham Lincoln High School (continuation) *** Raincross High School (continuation) *** Summit View High School (continuation) *

Alvord Unified School District Alvord Unified School District (AUSD) is a school district headquartered in Riverside, California, United States. The district boundaries encompasses the western portion of the City of Riverside, the eastern portion of the city of Corona, and s ...

serves western Riverside. ** High schools include: ***

La Sierra High School La Sierra High School, located in Riverside, California, United States, is a public high school in the Alvord Unified School District that was founded on August 28, 1969. Tania Cabeza is the principal. La Sierra High School's official school color ...

***

Norte Vista High School Norte Vista High School is a high school in Riverside, California, part of the Alvord Unified School District, and the home of the Norte Vista Braves. History Norte Vista started as a junior high school, named Arlington Junior High, from 1958 t ...

*** Hillcrest High School ** Continuation high schools include: *** Alvord High School (continuation)

=Other public secondary schools

= Two notable institutions of learning, for specified student bodies, are also located in Riverside: * California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR) for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing from Preschool to 12th grade has been open since 1952. * Sherman Indian High School of the Bureau of Indian Education, is for Native American tribal members from 9th to 12th grade; it has been open since 1878.

Private secondary schools

* Bethel Christian School * Eastside Christian Academy * Harvest Christian school *

La Sierra Academy La Sierra Academy (LSA) is a private, co-educational, transitional kindergarten–12th grade Christian school in Riverside, California. La Sierra Academy's mission statement states: "As a Christian K - 12 college preparatory school, we serve stu ...

(Seventh-day Adventist) * Notre Dame High School (Roman Catholic) * Riverside Christian High School * Woodcrest Christian High School * Islamic Academy of Riverside *Carniege Schools Riverside

Initiative to raise college graduation rates

Riverside won a $3 million grant from the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

in 2010. As a result, the Completion Counts initiative was created as a joint partnership by the city of Riverside, Riverside City College,

, Riverside Unified School District,

Riverside County Office of Education The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) serves as an intermediary between the California Department of Education and local school districts. It provides a wide range of educational and administrative services to the 23 school districts and ...

, UC Riverside, and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce to double college graduation rates by 2020. Only Riverside,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, and Mesa, Arizona received such a grant. The partnership is creating measures that help students across Riverside earn a degree. For example, RCC will now give 2012 graduates of AUSD and RUSD priority class registration, and a two-year guarantee to complete an associate degree or transfer to a four-year university. Completion Counts is also ensuring that AUSD, RUSD and RCC work together to create a seamless math and English curriculum to prepare students for college-level work. High school and college student counselors are meeting regularly to agree on the best ways to get students ready for college.

Media

Riverside is the home to the Fox Performing Arts Center. The theater is best known for being the first theater to screen the most successful film in box-office history when adjusted for inflation, the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.

Transportation

Highways

Riverside is served by three major freeways: I-215, State Route 60, and State Route 91. These three freeways meet in northeastern Riverside at a multi-level interchange that was rebuilt in 2007.

Rail lines

Train in citrus groves in Riverside, California (CHS-1636)

The city contains three Metrolink commuter rail stations: Riverside-Downtown, Riverside-La Sierra, and Riverside-Hunter Park/UCR. The first two are both served by the Inland Empire-Orange County and 91/Perris Valley lines, and the Downtown station is served by the

Riverside Line Metrolink's Riverside Line is a commuter rail line running from Los Angeles Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles to Riverside along the Union Pacific Railroad. It runs weekday peak commuter hours only, with very little midday and reverse com ...

on weekdays, and the

San Bernardino Line The San Bernardino Line is a Metrolink line running between Downtown Los Angeles east through the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire to San Bernardino, with express service to Redlands. It is one of the three initial lines (along with th ...

on weekends. The Hunter Park station is served by the 91/Perris Valley Line on weekdays only.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flags ...

, which runs from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, also serves the city.

Bus lines

Local bus service is provided by the Riverside Transit Agency.Riverside Transit Agency
Intercity bus service is provided by

Omnitrans Omnitrans, stylized as "OmniTrans," is a public transportation agency in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The largest transit operator within San Bernardino County, it serves the San Bernardino Valley. The agency was established ...

Greyhound Lines, Amtrak California, and a handful of small operators serving the cross-border market into

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

Airports

The nearest airport for commercial airline service is Ontario International Airport in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, i ...

. The Riverside Municipal Airport is an airport within Riverside city limits, but it does not have commercial airline service. It is primarily used for private aviation and is also the location for the annual Riverside Air Show.

Notable people

Sister cities

Sister City Sign for Riverside, California

The Sendai Committee is working on setting up a secure e-pal system whereby the residents of Sendai and Riverside can exchange emails in a fashion similar to pen pals. The aim is to promote grassroots cultural exchange between the two sister cities. The city of Riverside established an economic partnership program with the state of

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the Federative Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 570 municipaliti ...

, in the early 2000s.

References

Bibliography

* Brown Jr, John and James Boyd. ''History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties; With Selected Biography of Actors and Witnesses of the Period of Growth and Achievement'', 3 volumes, The Western Historical Association, 1922. The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago. * Gunther, Jane Davies. ''Riverside County, California, Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories'', Riverside. 1984. . * Patterson, Tom. ''A Colony For California; Riverside's First Hundred Years''. Second Edition 1996. The Museum Press of the Riverside Museum Associates, Riverside. . * Patterson, Tom. ''Landmarks of Riverside; and the Stories Behind Them''. 1964. Press~Enterprise Co., Riverside. .

Citations and notes

External links

*
Riverside History
* * {{authority control Cities in Riverside County, California County seats in California Populated places on the Santa Ana River Incorporated cities and towns in California Inland Empire Populated places established in 1883 1883 establishments in California Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California