Living in Riverside: neighborhoods, homes and schools

Living in Riverside

Riverside is in Riverside County, not Orange County, and it is the county seat. The courts, the County Administrative Center and the main county offices are downtown. The city takes its name from the Santa Ana River, which runs along its northwest side. It borders Jurupa Valley across the river to the north, Norco to the west, Moreno Valley to the east and Colton, in San Bernardino County, to the northeast, with unincorporated county land to the south.

Settlers laid out the downtown grid, the Mile Square, in 1870. In 1883 that colony and Arlington to the southwest combined to incorporate the 39.4 square mile City of Riverside, and in 1907 it became a charter city. Citrus built the place. In 1874 Eliza Tibbets received the navel orange trees that started the industry, and the Parent Navel Orange Tree she planted and raised still stands at Magnolia and Arlington avenues. The city later grew by annexation: UC Riverside and Arlanza in 1961, La Sierra in 1964, Orangecrest in 1986.

Two long avenues give the city its shape. Magnolia Avenue runs southwest from downtown through Magnolia Center, Arlington and La Sierra, close to the 91. Victoria Avenue, a divided, palm-lined street on the National Register of Historic Places, runs through the citrus greenbelt to the south. The newest tracts are in the southeast, around Canyon Crest, Mission Grove and Orangecrest, and the oldest are in the northeast, around downtown.

Homes and property types in Riverside

Riverside's Housing Element says more homes were built here in the 1970s than in any other decade, and most of the housing predates 1990. Single-family houses are the largest share, alongside townhomes, condominiums, apartments and mobile home parks, several of which the city says provide affordable housing for seniors. Ask Tony to confirm the age rules of any park or community before you tour.

Age and style change sharply from one part of town to the next. The Wood Streets were built almost entirely before World War II, in a wide range of early 20th century styles, and most Eastside homes predate the 1950s. Arlington South and La Sierra Hills are mostly tracts from the 1960s and 1970s. Hawarden Hills was built mainly from 1970 to 1990, Alessandro Heights from the 1980s, and Orangecrest and Mission Grove from the 1980s onward. Riverwalk in La Sierra added more than 1,000 single-family homes from the late 1990s.

Lot size varies just as much. In the Arlington Heights greenbelt south of Victoria Avenue, the city says residential lots are 5 acres or larger, and voter measures Proposition R and Measure C have limited building there. La Sierra Acres has large, deep lots where animal keeping is common. Alessandro Heights and Hawarden Hills have hillside estate lots, and Canyon Crest has more condominiums than most areas.

Inspection priorities follow the era. On a pre-war house, look at the foundation, original wiring, older plumbing and the sewer lateral, and order a sewer camera inspection. On a 1960s or 1970s tract home, check the roof, the electrical panel and any additions or garage conversions against city permits. In a designated historic district, exterior changes need a city Certificate of Appropriateness.

Riverside neighborhoods and districts

The city officially recognizes 27 named neighborhoods, from Airport to the Wood Streets. The ones below are the residential areas buyers ask about most. A neighborhood name does not settle the school district, the water provider or the trash hauler, so check all three by address.

Downtown and the Mission Inn

The 1870 Mile Square grid, with more than a dozen National Register sites, more than thirty city landmarks, the Mission Inn and the Main Street pedestrian mall. Mount Rubidoux and Fairmount Park are part of it.

Wood Streets

South of downtown across the Tequesquite Arroyo, reached by the Magnolia Avenue land bridge. Orange groves until 1913; nearly all homes predate World War II, on a narrow grid of streets named with the suffix Wood.

Victoria

Along the north end of Victoria Avenue, south of the Tequesquite Arroyo. Part of the original city, with contoured streets, the Victoria Club golf course from 1903 and the California School for the Deaf.

Hawarden Hills

Southeast of Victoria Avenue in the hills, inside the original 1883 city. Mostly single-family homes on mid-sized and estate lots built from 1970 to 1990, with the Gage Canal running through.

Alessandro Heights

South of Hawarden Hills and Canyon Crest, reached mainly from Washington Street and Overlook Parkway. Low density, large-lot single-family homes on hills, mostly built from the 1980s, with natural arroyos left open.

Canyon Crest

In the hills near UC Riverside and Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park. Annexed between 1959 and 1986 and built largely in the 1970s and 1980s around the Canyon Crest Country Club, with many condominiums.

Mission Grove

Along Alessandro Boulevard south of Canyon Crest, built mostly since the 1980s. Single-family tracts with three-car garages to the north, and condominiums, apartments and planned developments near Mission Grove Plaza.

Orangecrest

The far southeast corner, beside March Joint Powers Authority land. Groves until the early 1980s, then a master-planned community under the 1984 Orangecrest Specific Plan, annexed in 1986. Mostly single-family homes.

Arlington Heights greenbelt

The city's largest neighborhood, south of Victoria Avenue, with working citrus groves and residential lots of 5 acres or more. Home to California Citrus State Historic Park and Mockingbird Canyon.

La Sierra and Riverwalk

The western gateway, annexed in 1964, around La Sierra University and the Galleria at Tyler. Mostly single-family homes, plus gated planned developments and the Riverwalk master-planned community.

Magnolia Center and Arlington

Older commercial hubs on Magnolia Avenue. Magnolia Center boomed after World War II around Riverside Plaza and the 1956 Brockton Arcade; Arlington, settled in 1875, centers on Arlington Village.

Casa Blanca and the Northside

Casa Blanca, along Madison Street, grew from an 1889 village map and has many early bungalows. The Northside, between the river, the 60 and the 215, has 1930s homes on deep lots.

Schools and district boundaries

Riverside Unified School District serves most of the city, based at 3380 14th Street downtown. Alvord Unified School District serves the western neighborhoods: La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra Acres and Arlanza, along with Alvord campuses in La Sierra South. The split dates to the 1964 La Sierra annexation, which brought the Alvord area into the city. Moreno Valley Unified also serves a small part of eastern Riverside.

The lines do not follow neighborhood names or ZIP codes, so a Riverside address alone does not tell you the district. Riverside Unified publishes elementary, middle and high school attendance maps and a school locator on its website. The Riverside County Office of Education has a district locator by address. Confirm the assigned schools for any address with the district before you write an offer.

Four colleges are in the city: UC Riverside, which began in 1906 as a citrus experiment station; Riverside City College downtown; California Baptist University on Magnolia Avenue; and La Sierra University. The California School for the Deaf, Riverside, is in the Victoria neighborhood, and Sherman Indian High School is on Magnolia Avenue.

Riverside Unified School District

Serves most of the city plus Highgrove, Woodcrest and part of El Sobrante. Publishes attendance boundary maps for each school level and an online school locator.

Alvord Unified School District

Serves La Sierra, La Sierra Hills, La Sierra Acres and Arlanza, a small part of Corona and nearby unincorporated areas. District office at 9 KPC Parkway in Corona.

Riverside Unified high schools

Arlington, John W. North, Martin Luther King, Ramona and Riverside Polytechnic are the district's main high schools. Ask the district which one serves an address.

Riverside STEM Academy

A Riverside Unified school focused on science, technology, engineering and math. Sources disagree on its grade span, so ask the district how students enroll.

Alvord Unified high schools

Hillcrest High at 11800 Indiana Avenue, La Sierra High at 4145 La Sierra Avenue and Norte Vista High at 6585 Crest Avenue, all grades 9-12 in Riverside.

Orangecrest-area schools

The city lists Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Rivera, John F. Kennedy and Mark Twain elementary schools, Amelia Earhart Middle School and Martin Luther King High School in the neighborhood.

What it costs to own here beyond the price

Under California's Proposition 13, a home is reassessed at its purchase price when it sells, and the taxable value can then rise only by a capped amount each year. A Riverside buyer should expect a tax bill based on the new price, plus a supplemental bill after closing, from the Riverside County assessor and tax collector. A seller's current bill is not a guide to yours.

Community facilities districts, often called Mello-Roos, exist in parts of the city. City records show several in Orangecrest, starting with Community Facilities District No. 86-1, and older records also name districts for Sycamore Canyon, Highlander and the Tyler Mall area. Many older neighborhoods may have none, but do not assume. Ask Tony to pull the current tax bill and read every special tax and direct assessment line. Many condominiums, townhomes, gated developments and master-planned tracts also have homeowners associations.

Utilities are a real local difference. Riverside Public Utilities, owned by the city since 1895, supplies electricity and, in most of the city, water. Western Municipal Water District supplies water in Orangecrest and in Mission Grove south of Canyon Crest. Southern California Gas Company provides gas. The city runs the sewers and maintains the lines in the street. City crews collect trash, except in areas such as La Sierra, University and Orangecrest, where Athens Services does under city contract.

On hazards, the city's Public Safety Element maps Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones and state responsibility areas within the city, and its housing report places parts of the southeast in high fire hazard zones and in March Air Reserve Base compatibility zones. Flooding is a concern near the Santa Ana River and the arroyos. Have Tony check the specific address against the official maps, and ask for insurance quotes early.

Parks, shopping and things to do

Downtown is the center of things. The Mission Inn, built in stages from 1903 to 1931, is a National Historic Landmark, generally considered the largest Mission Revival building in the United States. Its Festival of Lights switch-on has lately been the Saturday before Thanksgiving, running into early January. The Fox Theater, the Riverside Art Museum and the Cheech Marin Center, opened in 2022, are all downtown.

Open space is unusually large for a city this size. Mount Rubidoux rises over downtown, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park covers nearly 1,600 acres on the east side, and the Santa Ana River Trail follows the river. The citrus story lives on at California Citrus State Historic Park and along Victoria Avenue.

Shopping is spread across several centers. The Galleria at Tyler in La Sierra is the regional mall, expanded in 2007. Riverside Plaza and the Brockton Arcade anchor Magnolia Center, Mission Grove Plaza serves the southeast, and the Riverside Auto Center, opened in 1965, groups car dealers by the 91. Castle Park, in La Sierra South, is the city's only amusement park.

Mount Rubidoux

A 161-acre hill park above downtown with trails to the summit. The city notes its annual Fourth of July fireworks.

Fairmount Park

209 acres at the 60 freeway entrance to downtown, planned by the Olmsted Brothers firm, with Lake Evans, Fairmount Lake and a golf course.

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park

Nearly 1,600 acres of open canyon between Canyon Crest, Mission Grove and the Sycamore Canyon business park, with hiking and mountain biking on informal trails. The city lists it at 400 Central Avenue.

California Citrus State Historic Park

State park at 9400 Dufferin Avenue near Van Buren Boulevard, established in 1993. Just over half its roughly 250 acres are planted in citrus groves.

Victoria Avenue

About seven miles of divided avenue planned by Matthew Gage, listed on the National Register on October 26, 2000. A path along it is used for walking and cycling.

Getting around and commuting

Three freeways serve the city. The 91, the Riverside Freeway, runs from the Corona side through La Sierra, Arlington and Magnolia Center to downtown. The 60 crosses the Santa Ana River on the north side, and the 215 runs north toward San Bernardino and south past UC Riverside toward March Air Reserve Base. All three meet at an interchange in northeastern Riverside that was rebuilt in 2007. The 15 is west of the city, in Corona, Norco and Jurupa Valley.

Toll lanes help on the drive toward Orange County. The Riverside County Transportation Commission runs the 91 Express Lanes for about eight miles from the Orange County line to the 15 in Corona, and the 15 Express Lanes, opened in 2021, from Cajalco Road near Corona to just south of the 60. By road from City Hall it is about 18 miles to Ontario International Airport, 39 to Disneyland, 42 to John Wayne Airport, 48 to the Newport Beach pier, 55 to Los Angeles City Hall and 68 to LAX.

Riverside has three Metrolink stations. Riverside-Downtown, at 4066 Vine Street, is served by the Riverside, Inland Empire-Orange County and 91/Perris Valley lines, and Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops there. Riverside-La Sierra, at 10901 Indiana Avenue, is on the Inland Empire-Orange County and 91/Perris Valley lines. Riverside-Hunter Park/UCR, opened in 2016, is on the 91/Perris Valley Line. Riverside Transit Agency runs the local buses.