Riverside, California

Welcome to Riverside, California

Riverside is a lovely city in Southern California. It is next to the Santa Ana River and is the biggest city in the Inland Empire. Riverside is the 12th-most populous city in California.

The city began in the early 1870s and is where the citrus industry of California started. Riverside has many special places to see, like the Mission Inn, which is the nation’s largest Mission Revival Style building, and the Riverside National Cemetery.

You can also visit the University of California, Riverside, which is in the northeastern part of the city. Other fun places include the Fox Performing Arts Center, Museum of Riverside, and the California Citrus State Historic Park.

A Little History

Long ago, the area now called Riverside was home to the Cahuilla and Serrano people. Later, people from Mexico came and started farms there.

In the 1860s, a man named Louis Prevost tried to grow silk, but it didn’t work. Then John W. North bought land and started a new town in 1870. Riverside became famous for oranges when Eliza Tibbets planted three special orange trees from Brazil in 1874. These trees grew very well, and soon many people began growing oranges too.

Things to Do

Riverside has many places to explore and fun events to enjoy. You can visit interesting museums like the California Citrus State Historic Park Museum, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry, and the Museum of Riverside. There are also special events throughout the year, such as the Riverside Dickens Festival in February and the Riverside Airshow in March.

Learning and Growing

Riverside has many places for students to learn. There are colleges and universities such as California Baptist University, La Sierra University, and the University of California, Riverside. The city has two main school districts: the Riverside Unified School District and the Alvord Unified School District. There are also special schools like the California School for the Deaf, Riverside and Sherman Indian High School.

Getting Around

Riverside has three major freeways: I-215, State Route 60, and State Route 91. The city has three Metrolink train stations that connect to different train lines. Local bus service is run by the Riverside Transit Agency. The closest airport for commercial flights is Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California.