Riverside, California
The city of Riverside offers a lot for anyone who wishes to settle here or visit. The city is seeing an influx of people who are willing to buy real estate in the city and settle down in the area. A significant relocation factor that is very attractive about Riverside is that it has all the positives of a large city without really being one. This indicates better real estate rates that everyone can benefit from.
The city is a great place for business due to the well laid network of roads and railways. It provides a huge opportunity for people to look for alternate and interesting careers. The medical community centers and the University of California provide a lot of employment opportunity as well.
Most of the residents rave about the entertainment and recreational activities that this city offers. With many national forests and parks being close by, there is immense opportunity for the nature lover to take a few days off for trekking and hiking. And those who have a less raw and more subtle taste for the performing arts, there are theatre groups, concerts, band performances and more. Sports facilities are also more than adequate with soccer, baseball and golf clubs in every part of the city.
The city shows joi de vivre during the festive times and the festival of lights, festival of trees and more are a spectacle to watch. And the night life in the city is comparable to any of the high flying neighboring towns.
Riverside is a city that can be called the best of two worlds since it provides you the feel of a small city along with the grandeur of a large metropolis. Riverside is an ideal place to live. It offers fantastic job opportunities, outdoor activities, exciting nightlife, great weather and much more!
Riverside History
Formed in 1893 when a small part of San Bernardino and San Diego County were set aside to make this county, the Riverside County was inhabited by the Native American people even before it was called Riverside. The Indians that lived in the area were known as Serranos, the Luisenos, the Cupenos, the Chemehuevi, and the Cahuillas.
Juan Bautista De Anza led an exploratory expedition to find a route and he reached Riverside, a place that was fragrant with rosemary and other herbs. The rich land offered a lot of opportunity for the cattle to graze and the place was named Valle de Paraiso, or Valley of Paradise. In 1775, De Anza led another expedition, this time with the intent of capturing the area.
During the time when Spain conquered California, Riverside played an important part in the setting up of missions that the Spaniards were so obsessed with. There were no missions that were built in the city, missions created in neighboring areas like San Gabriel claimed lands. We know of these as Jurupa, Riverside, San Jacinto, and the San Gorgonio Pass. The objective of claiming these lands was to ensure that cattle had adequate lands for grazing and thriving.
These missions were desecularized when Mexico took over California from Spain. These large missions were doled out into the hands of wealthy people, political influencers and favorites of the governor.
In 1870, John W. North and Dr. James P. Greves began their plans to lay out a colony in the area we know as Riverside. The land was bought and the name was changed to Riverside in 1871. The day of the actual naming of the land is considered to be October 11, 1883.
A large part of the development in Riverside took place in the late 1880's and 1890's as the city started to see a huge difference between San Bernardino, a county that was a neighbor and Riverside. These towns and others competed for settlers in order to ensure that the city did not die. Today, however, the county is a thriving one with more than 1.3 million people.
An interesting angle of the city of Riverside is the story of the citrus history. Eliza Tibbets was made the test grower for the new seedless oranges that were brought from Brazil. When Saunders, the then Superintendent of the Bureau of Agriculture sent her the orange trees, it was the first step towards the citrus revolution that went on to take the place by storm. Eliza Tibbets took care of the 2 trees that came in for experimental growing and when she had her first produce, the quality, shape, texture, color and sweetness of the fruit was acknowledged immediately. And since then the Washington Navel orange has been a trademark of the place.
About Riverside, California
The Riverside-San Bernardino area, also called the Inner Empire (or the I.E.) is an area that includes the cities of Riverside and San Bernardino in Southern California. This area is also considered to be co-extensive with the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area which has been defined as a metropolitan area by the Federal Government. It is interesting to note that some people include the Chino Valley, Cucamonga Valley and the Coachella Valley as part of the Inner Empire area as well.
Together the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area comprises about 27,000 square miles and house more than 4 million people. This area is the third largest in the state of California too. The San Jose Hills that separate the San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Valley are adjacent to the area. The Santa Ana Mountains that run north to south divide it from the Orange County.
Compared to the neighboring real estate prices that exist in Los Angeles and Orange County, land is relatively cheaper in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario area. With a fantastic network of transport ready roads and railroads, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has become one of the major shipping hubs in the country. Large companies like Toyota Motor Corporation and APL Logistics have chosen to open distribution hubs in the area due to this special characteristic of the location.
This area is one of the best places to live in due to various reasons. For one, the retail development in the area has been fast enough to keep pace with the leading centers across the country. Some of the largest upscale malls can be found in the area including the Promenade shops at Dos Lagos, Ontario Mills, Moreno Valley Mall and the Victoria Gardens Mall to name a few.
The economic stability of the area has created higher levels of employment opportunities that have further led to a creation of wealth in the area. However, some residents do complain about the level of traffic congestion, air pollution and loss of open space that this development has caused in the area as well.
According to estimates during the 2005-2007 census it was estimated that almost 62% of the population is white and 40% are white Non Hispanics. Less than 8% of the population is Black, almost 6% is Asian and the remaining are of mixed race. With about 78% of the people being Christians, the main religion that is practiced in the area is Christianity.
The Victoria Gardens Cultural Center is considered to be one of the most popular places for performing arts. Managed by the City of Rancho Cucamonga it has concert halls, theaters and family entertainment and has become one of the most visited attractions of the area.
The area has contributed its fair share of musicians like Alien Ant Farm, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Lighter Shades of Brown and Suga Free. The Redlands Symphony is also known for its vivacious performances at the University of Redlands.
About Riverside County, California
Among the 58 counties in California, the Riverside County covers about 7208 square miles and covers the area from Orange County to the Colorado River. It also forms the state border with the state of Arizona. Along with the San Bernardino County it is often called the Inner Empire or I.E.
The county experiences desert like climate in the central and eastern part and Mediterranean climate towards the western part of the county. A large portion of the Joshua National Park is also located in the county. There are other national protected areas like the Cleveland National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, making it a great getaway for adventure lovers. The county is also known for its resorts due to the presence of Coachella Valley, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Springs and Palm Desert.
In 1850 when the original 27 counties of California were created, the Riverside County was part of the Los Angeles County and the San Diego County. While the eastern part of the Los Angeles County was partitioned to create the San Bernardino County in 1853 but it was only in 1893 that the Riverside County was created along with the Pomona County and San Jacinto County.
The Palm Springs International Airport connects the county with other parts of the country and other cities across the world. There is also a proposal to convert the March Air Reserve Base into a commercially viable airport that could come into action too.
Historically, Riverside County has been considered to be a Republican County in the presidential and congressional elections. The county also has the state trail court The Riverside Superior Court that includes 14 courthouses. The main Riverside Historic courthouse is a landmark that was erected in 1903 and was modeled after the Grand and petit Palais in Paris.
Some of the places of interest in Riverside County include California Citrus State Historic Park, Lake Perris, Mission Inn, Orange Empire Railway Museum, Santa Rosa Plateau and the Western Science Center.