336,285
Population
Sunny Days: 277
85100 Affordability
90100 Schools
80100 Diversity
80100 Safety
Riverside, California
Highlanders
Riverside Downtown
Downtown Riverside Architecture
Riverside at Night, Credit: Donald Guy Robinson
Riverside Festival of Lights
LookyLOO Review of Riverside
Riverside seemed to be on the move growth-wise a few years back but somehow it never really took off and just resulted in a lot of urban sprawl -- miles and miles of concrete and strip malls. It remains, sort of sadly, inland. Always in the shadow of the coastal cities, everything is always ‘relative’ to the rest of SoCal with costs not low despite the air not being terribly fresh and culture not terribly existent. It’s the king of the Inland Empire.
30 minutes from the mountains, 30 minutes from the ocean, and 30 minutes from the desert. Also, the UC Riverside campus is nice and has a botanical garden.
On the downside: a study from Brandeis University ranked several California metropolitan areas among the worst places in the U.S. to raise children. Out of the 100 largest U.S. cities, Bakersfield and Riverside ranked in the bottom five for the opportunities that the cities afford children.
Lifestyle
Riverside is a bedroom community created to offer cheaper housing to Los Angeles and Orange Country residents fed up with their housing markets. The Downtown area has grown in recent years but you don’t live in Riverside for the nightlife. You live here because the housing is more affordable and you are close to LA and Orange County and the mountains to the east. Lifestyle in Riverside is largely built around family living and proximity to SoCal lifestyle without the SoCal prices.
Worklife
Your best worklife in Riverside will be if you can work in the city or don’t have to leave your home. A third of the residents commute to LA or Orange County and trust us, they are not happy. Riverside jobs are often in government, education and transportation/shipping but they are making a big push for growth through the development of high-tech industrial business parks which serve tech and light manufacturing industries. To reiterate: move here to work here or at home and a family can enjoy Riverside. Move here just to save money on a home and need to commute to LA or Orange County and you will suffer.
Schools
Riverside Unified School District(RUSD) receives an "A-" grade on niche.com with solid "A's" for Teachers and College Prep.
The district offers open enrollment policies within its boundaries, allowing students to transfer between schools based on space availability. Additionally, specific schools may have lottery systems for specialized programs, such as the Riverside STEM Academy. Priority is often given to students living within the school's attendance zone. Check out the RUSD enrollment page for more details.
A few of the high-performing schools in RUSD include:
Riverside STEM Academy receives an "A+" on niche.com with "A+" scores for Academics, Teachers, and College Prep. It serves grades 5-12 and is known for its exceptional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum.
-Martin Luther King Jr. High School is a solid "A" on niche.com with "A's" for Academics, Teachers, and College Prep. In addition to strong academics, it is also known for excellent athletic programs.
-Polytechnic High School scores an "A-" on niche.com with Teachers and Diversity receiving "A's". It's the oldest school in the region, tracing its origins to 1887, and is known academically for its large quantity of AP classes and tons of extracurricular options.
Why You Should Move Here Now?
Relatively Inexpensive Access To Homeownership
It’s cheaper than living on the coast and you can still get everywhere fairly quickly. Riverside has a population of 500K, is in Riverside County and has its own airport, yet it can be seen as a giant bedroom community to Los Angeles as many people commute (even by train.) The locals take umbrage at this view.
Reviews of Riverside from Locals
Location, Location, Location
Here's a review from a local about what it's like to live in Riverside:
The immediate outdoor access and the plethora of parks is something that shouldn’t be understated as well. Having dozens of miles of trails, mountains, paths, bike paths etc is something so many cities lack entirely.
Lastly, the breathtaking views of mountains and rolling hills all throughout the city is, again, so unique! People talk about how expensive the inland empire is, but in a lot of ways I still think it’s a bit undervalued when compared with other desirable areas around the US.
For more reviews of what living in Riverside is like from locals check out: The Reviews
Want to give Riverside a shot?
Use our friends at VRBO and Expedia to help get you going!
Living in Riverside
Neighborhoods in Riverside
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University
College Students/Young Professionals
University neighborhood is a great option for college students attending UC Riverside as well as young professionals who want to draft the inexpensive housing and social life options the school population provides. Tons of apartment buildings, cheap eats and bars fill the streets of University Ave.
- University
- Eastside