Living a Beach Lifestyle in Riverside, California

Riverside is a growing city of just over 300,000 near Los Angeles, located along the beaches of the Santa Ana River. The city was founded in the early 1870s and is the birthplace of the California citrus industry. It is a college town thanks to the University of California, Riverside, which is located in the northeastern part of the city. There are various festivals held throughout the year, including the Festival of Lights. Photo of Mission Inn, the beaux-arts style Riverside County Historic Courthouse (based on the Petit Palais in France),courtesy of Wikipedia by way of Flickr.

Where to Retire in Riverside and Home Prices

Riverside has many different neighborhoods, 28 in all. Some would be appropriate for retirees. There are also active adult communities in the area. According to Zillow the median home value in Riverside was 616,958 in early 2023.

What Is Special about Riverside

For Southern California, the real estate prices are relatively affordable. The city has a rich heritage and many museums and initiatives like its festivals. The world's largest paper cup on display here is a relic of a former Dixie Cup manufacturing plant in Riverside.

What Is Not Special about Riverside

Prevailing westerly breezes from off the ocean tend to push the polluted air produced by millions of commuting motor vehicles and local industy towards the surrounding mountain ranges where they become trapped in areas like Riverside and its neighbor, San Bernardino, severely affecting health and visibility. Like most Los Angeles suburbs, Riverside is big and sprawling and regularly experiences severe traffic congestion and overcrowding.

Climate and Physical Environment

Riverside is 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and is situated on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, 75 miles from Palm Springs. High temperatures in winter are mild, usually in the 50's or 60's (although it isn't unusual to experience a 90-degree stretch in the middle of January), and they may soar well over 100 in July/August. Low temperatures rarely drop below freezing any time of the year.

Restaurants & Cultural Scene

As a substantial city Riverside does have some cultural attractions.  The Riverside Fox Theater was where the first showing of the 1939 film Gone with the Wind took place. Now refurbished and owned by the city, it is part of the Riverside Renaissance Initiative. There are numerous museums in Riverside including the California Citrus State Museum, the Heritage House Museum, the Riverside Art Museum, the International Automotive Museum, and the UC-Riverside Botanical Gardens.

Crime

Crime rates might vary within the city by neighborhood. Overall, Riverside's crime rate is below the national average.

Medical Facilities

There are three major hospitals in the city including Kaiser Permanente, Parkview Hospital, and Riverside Community Hospital. Most medical specialites are represented at these hospitals and at local medical clinics and centers within the city. There are also many assisted living facilities in Riverside and the surrounding communities.

Transportation

As any large metropolitan area in southern California, Riverside suffers from traffic congestion. The Municipal airport serves only light aircraft, so the nearest major airport is 15 miles away in Ontario, CA. Some major carriers, however, do not fly into Ontario, requiring travelers to use Los Angeles International Airport or John Wayne Airport in nearby Santa Ana, CA. Metrolink is is the local commuter train line that services the Riverside and San Bernardino areas. Metrolink was built to address the serious highway congestion in southern California and provides an alternative for southern California commuters. Riverside has an extensive intra-city bus service provided by Riverside Transit Authority; however, Califonia has a long-standing, well-known car culture, and most residents prefer to use their own vehicles despite the congestion.

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Riverside, CA

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