Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River in Southern California.Gunther, pages 427–429. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and Riverside County, 12th-most populous city in California, and 62nd-most populous city in the U.S. with a population of 314,998 at the 2020 census. The Riverside–San Bernardino metropolitan area at 4.74 million residents is the 12th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Riverside is about east of downtown Los Angeles and is also part of the Greater Los Angeles area.

Riverside was founded in the early 1870s. It is the birthplace of the California citrus industry 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. Other attractions in Riverside include the Fox Performing Arts Center, Museum of Riverside, which houses exhibits and artifacts of local history, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, the California Museum of Photography, the California Citrus State Historic Park, Castle Park, and the Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree, the last of California's two original navel orange trees.August 5, 2004

History

In the late 18th century and the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by Cahuilla and the Serrano people. 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 the State of New York, had formerly founded Northfield, Minnesota. Riverside was temperance-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.Brown and Boyd, Vol 2. 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 received three Brazilian navel orange trees sent to her by a personal friend, William Saunders, a horticulturist at the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

Three trees were planted on the Tibbets' property.Brown and Boyd, Vol 1, p. 430 The trees thrived in the southern California climate and the navel orange industry grew rapidly. The establishment of the citrus industry is commemorated in the landscapes and exhibits of the California Citrus State Historic Park 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.H. Vincent Moses wrote in 1982 that Riverside was the wealthiest U.S. city per capita in 1895. Dr. Moses is a city historian. See "Machines in the Garden: A Citrus Monopoly in Riverside, 1900–31", published in California History, Spring 1982.

Geography Riverside is the 59th-most populous city in the United States, the 12th-most populous city in California, and the largest city in California's Inland Empire metro area. According to the United States Census Bureau, 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 Riverside County Historic Courthouse (based on the Petit Palais in Paris, France), and the Riverside Fox Theater, 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.Franko, Vanessa. Sheryl Crow opens the first night of entertainment at the Fox , The Press-Enterprise, January 22, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.

Riverside is the home of the "World's Largest Paper Cup" (actually made of concrete), which is over three stories ( ) tall. The "Dixie Cup" landmark is on Iowa Street just north of Palmyrita, in front of what was once the Dixie Corporation's manufacturing plant (now closed down).

Notable hills in Riverside's scenic landscape include Box Springs Mountain and Evans (Jurupa) Hill 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. 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, which had designed New York's Central Park. It includes a stocked pond that is home to many species of birds. On nearby private land is the former site of Spring Rancheria, a Cahuilla village.

Neighborhoods

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.

Features

Riverside is home to the University of California, Riverside. The UCR Botanical Gardens contains of unusual plants, with of walking trails.

Another notable university in the city is La Sierra University, whose 150-acre (61 ha) campus is located in Riverside's La Sierra neighborhood. The university is home to the World Museum of Natural History, which showcases systematic displays of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. The specimens are presented through sculpture and freeze-dry taxidermy exhibits.

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.California Department of Health Services 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, remodeled in 2014, offers indoors and of outdoor space. Also available is the Riverside Marriott with indoors, and the Mission Inn with indoors and outdoors.Riverside Convention Center and Visitor's Bureau . Retrieved October 30, 2010. 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 recipient George Alan Ingalls, baseball player Mike Darr, actor Roland Harrah III, and actor Darwood Kaye. Evergreen Cemetery; notable burials include Marcella Craft, Frank Augustus Miller, John W. North, Eliza Tibbets, and Al Wilson. Olivewood Memorial Park; notable burials include Medal of Honor recipient Jesus S. 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 semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) bordering on an arid climate (Köppen climate classification 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. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1940 to June 1941 with and the driest from July 1960 to June 1961 with only . Due to the dry climate and typical lack of rain, FEMA ranks Riverside County as one of the highest-risk areas for wildfires in California, giving it a maximum risk score of 100%.

Environment