6 Reasons to Move to Riverside, CA

1. Geography

Riverside, the largest city in California's Inland Empire metro area, has a total area of 81.4 square miles of which 81.1 square miles is land and 0.3 square miles (0.37%) is water. The community is surrounded by small and large mountains, including Mount Rubidoux which is a city landmark.

Downtown Riverside is located 860 feet above sea level.

Within the city, there are 28 designated "neighborhoods" including: Sycamore Canyon Park, Hillside Hunter Industrial Park, Airport, Magnolia Center, Canyon Crest, Alessandro Heights, Arlanza, Arlington, Arlington Heights, Arlington South, Casa Blanca, Downtown, Eastside, Grand, Hawarden Hills, La Sierra, La Sierra Acres, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra South, Mission Grove, Northside, Orangecrest, Presidential Park, Ramona, Sycamore Canyon Springs, University, Victoria and Wood Streets.

1.a Climate

Riverside experiences a semi-arid climate; summers are hot and dry, while winters are mild and relatively wet.

During the summer temperatures can exceed 100 °F, but on average, throughout the season, temperatures are on the 90s. August is the hottest month with averages a high / low temperature of 95 °F, while January is the coldest month with averages a high / low temperature of 43 °F.

Riverside gets 15 inches of rain per year, with most of it occurring from January through March.  February is generally the wettest month. The number of days with any measurable precipitation in the city is 34.

If you move to Riverside, you will enjoy at least: 277 sunny days per year.

3. Education

Two school districts serve Riverside:

Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) serves eastern Riverside.

This school district operates 47 schools, including 30 elementary schools, 1 special education preschool, 6 middle schools (grades 7-8), 5 comprehensive high schools, 2 continuation high schools, 2 alternative schools and the Riverside Virtual School. RUSD offers a comprehensive adult education program.

26 RUSD schools have been designated California Distinguished Schools; some institutions multiple times, and 3 schools in the system have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools.

RUSD schools have numerous State and National academic titles and athletic championships.

Alvord Unified School District operates 14 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 2 comprehensive high schools, 1 continuation high school and 1 alternative education center.

AUSD has the only National Certification School with Distinction in the US.

Three of its schools are National Demonstration Schools for the AVID Program: Arizona Middle School, La Sierra High School, and Norte Vista High School.

Riverside boasts two renowned schools for specified student bodies:

California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSD-R) offers education from Preschool to 12th grade.

Sherman Indian High School of the Bureau of Indian Education, offers education to Native American tribal members from 9th to 12th grade.

Private schools serving the community

All Saints' Carden Academy, Allegiant Christian School, Bethel Christian Schools, Bright Futures Academy, Harvest Christian School, Hawarden Hills Academy, Immanuel Lutheran Elementary, Islamic Academy of Riverside, La Sierra Academy, Life Christian Academy Schools, Notre Dame High School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School – Riverside, Oxford Academy – Riverside, Riverside Christian Day School, Riverside Christian Schools, Riverside Montessori Academy, Somerset, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Francis de Sales Catholic School, St. Thomas the Apostle School, Starting Gate Educational Services and Woodcrest Christian.

Colleges and universities in Riverside

University of California, Riverside, Cal Baptist University, American College of Healthcare, Best American Healthcare University – Riverside, Brandman University – Riverside, California Southern Law School, Glen Oaks College, InterCoast Colleges – Riverside, Kaplan College – Riverside, La Sierra University, Mission Career College, North West College – Riverside, Riverside Community College, Southern Illinois University – Riverside, UEI College, University of Redlands – Riverside, West Coast EMT, and California Baptist University.

3.a Library

One of the major providers of services and cultural programs in California's Inland Empire, is the  Riverside Public Library.

The library system has 8 branches in the community, including the main library, and offers the following services:

A collection of approximately 425,000 books and other library materials.

Auditorium, study rooms and public areas.

Wifi access.

Homebound services.

Adult Literacy Program.

Families for Literacy Program.

Youth services.

Homework help, library tours, etc.

5. Infrastructure

5.a Transportation

These are the transportation options that you will enjoy as a resident of Riverside:

Bus lines

The Riverside Transit Agency provides local and regional services throughout the region. The service features:

36 fixed routes,

eight CommuterLink routes,

Dial-A-Ride services using 316 vehicles.

ADA complementary service.

For more information, including maps and schedules visit: www.riversidetransit.com.

Companies such as Greyhound Lines and Amtrak California offer Intercity bus service. Other several small companies serve the cross-border market into Mexico.

Rail lines

Riverside-Downtown and Riverside-La Sierra are two Metrolink commuter rail stations in the city. Both facilities are served by the Inland Empire-Orange County and 91 Lines.

The Riverside Line serves the Downtown station on weekdays, and the San Bernardino Line on weekends.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief also serves Riverside.

Highways

Interstate I-215, the State Route 60, and the State Route 91 serve the city.

Airports

The Riverside Municipal Airport, the only airport within Riverside's city limits, is primarily used for private and business aviation. It is also the location for the annual Riverside Air Show.

Located at about 20 miles northwest of Riverside, lies the LA/Ontario International Airport.

5.b Utilities

Riverside Public Utilities provides water and electric utility throughout the City of Riverside since 1895.

CURE (Clean up Riverside's Environment) is the official provider of Trash & Recycling services.

Western Municipal Water District offers water supply, wastewater disposal and water resource management to residents and businesses in the community.