Where We Are

Many cities, including Riverside, aspire to be a city of the future, of innovation, of international reach, etc. How is the city of Riverside positioned to achieve this goal? It’s simple: Riverside is a City ahead of its time and ahead of the curve. We are ready to move forward and take the steps to seize our destiny and create a better future for ourselves. This section describes what makes these aspirations not only possible for Riverside, but probable.

Starting from a Place of Pride & Investment

People who know Riverside recognize what an outstanding city it is and understand that its infrastructure, historic core and neighborhoods reflect its greatness. Residents, business owners, students and social organizations have readily expressed pride in their City, and civic and social leaders have dedicated significant resources to improvements that benefit all Riversiders.

The massive growth of the Southern California region has presented both benefits and challenges for our community. In large part, Riverside’s proximity to the international city of Los Angeles and the vibrant Orange County region has been positive, bringing employment opportunities to Riversiders and introducing a diverse set of people and businesses to the advantages our city offers. Now we have decided to come to the regional land-use and policymaking table as an equal partner and advocate that the region’s policies, priorities and projects reflect the goals, ambitions and needs of Riverside and our community.

The City of Riverside has already forged ahead with many affirmative and optimistic initiatives, supported and guided by the private sector. These include the Renaissance infrastructure building program, Green Riverside’s environmental sustainability programs, digital inclusion and access programs of SmartRiverside, restoration of the historic Fox Theater and construction or renovation of many parks and recreational facilities.

These initiatives have established a firm foundation for the City’s future, but it is now time to articulate a comprehensive vision for the City. There is a need to integrate past and future initiatives into a cohesive whole – to make the sum greater than its parts – and to identify additional initiatives that will advance Riverside’s future. Top of the page...

A City Ahead of its Time

From its beginning, Riverside has been a City of forward-thinking, creative and ingenious pioneers and innovators. In 1870 when John North looked at the rich land bordering the Santa Ana River, he was able to envision rolling hills of agriculture and a city destined to be the center of Inland Southern California.

To make his dream a reality, North and other founders built in 1871 a canal that still brings a dedicated source of water, making Riverside one of the only cities in California approaching water independence.

Early in the City’s history, resident Eliza Tibbetts experimented by importing, planting and nurturing three Brazilian orange trees without knowing they would be the basis for an agricultural empire. They created the necessary ingredients that led to California’s other "Gold Rush" – the citrus industry’s wildly successful rise from 1870-1940. By 1882 Riverside was home to more than half of the state’s 500,000 citrus trees. Advances such as refrigerated railroad cars and innovative irrigation systems made Riverside the wealthiest city per capita nationally by 1895.

Another dreamer with big plans, Frank Miller, expanded a small hotel into the Mission Inn, which is still the largest Mission Revival Style building in the U.S. Along with the City’s prosperity, climatic and geographic advantages, the Mission Inn has been a prime attraction for the rich and famous, including celebrities and several U.S. Presidents.

The City’s early leaders created an enduring legacy of architecture and public spaces. They invited Frederick Law Olmstead, famous for New York’s Central Park, to build Fairmount Park, which is still a favorite spot for Riversiders to fish, picnic or hear live musical performances. The YWCA brought Julia Morgan, Hearst Castle’s architect, to build what is now the Riverside Art Museum.

Other ways in which Riverside has been ahead of its time include our 85-year-old community theater and 100-year-old, non-denominational Easter Sunrise Service on Mt. Rubidoux – both are said to be the first in the nation.

The region has been a hub of waves of private sector innovation through the years. HotPoint Appliances began here in the 1890s. Hunter Douglas Blinds began here and brought its revolutionary, energy-saving window blinds to market in the mid-80s. Riverside is also home to the first unified Auto Center in the United States (c. 1965), innovating the practice of placing auto dealerships near one another for added convenience and expanded selection for the consumer.

As a leader of private sector business interests, the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce has always played an important role in attracting and retaining entrepreneurs, companies and innovative forces in Riverside. In 1901 the Chamber took on two important projects: helping bring a new railroad line through Riverside and writing a city charter, which the City of Riverside Board of Trustees adopted in 1907.

In 1917 as the United States prepared to enter World War I, Riverside’s business leaders and the Chamber developed a prospectus that convinced the federal government to build one of the nation’s first military airfields southeast of the city; it is now called March Air Reserve Base. The base has been a major part of Riverside’s economic success since its beginning and continues to hold promise for our future.

In 1947 the Chamber encouraged Marlan and Rosemary Bourns to establish their company in Riverside, a move that led to the multi-billion dollar, international engineering corporation Bourns, Inc. The Bourns gave back to the city that helped them succeed by endowing the Bourns College of Engineering at UC Riverside. Over time, other companies such as Rohr Aircraft (Goodrich), Hunter Engineering, Toro, Butcher Boy (Windsor Foods), Flexsteel and Amtrak would also call Riverside home.

More recently, large companies such as Pepsi and Nordstrom have come to Riverside in part because of the collaborative efforts of the City and Chamber. Business leaders were also instrumental in Riverside becoming the legal seat for the County of Riverside, and the region. Both La Sierra University and the California School for the Deaf were attracted to Riverside because of the commitment by business leaders and philanthropists to support the schools and their students.

With the founding of the University of California Citrus Experiment Station in 1907, Riverside became the home of a major land-grant research university. Some of the cutting-edge horticultural research and discoveries emanating from the campus include pioneering research in biological pest control (integrated pest management) and the use of growth regulators responsible for extending the citrus growing season in California from four to nine months. Now known as UC Riverside, the campus is home to some of the world’s most important research collections on subjects as varied as citrus diversity, entomology, science fiction and photography.

UC Riverside has become a leading university in the nation. It ranks 16th in Washington Monthly’s 2009 national university rankings, based on contribution to the public good, and 5th in ethnic diversity according to U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nationally ranked public university, the City has the distinction of being home to two well-respected private universities and Riverside Community College (RCC). California Baptist University is ranked 38th by U.S. News among master’s universities; La Sierra University is ranked 1st in racial diversity among master’s universities in the West; and RCC has recently been chosen as one of only seven colleges nationwide to join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s efforts to double the number of low- income young adults who enter and complete a post-secondary education.

This impressive heritage of pioneers and innovators has been embedded in Riverside from its inception, and provides a solid launching pad for the future. Top of the page...

A City Ahead of the Curve

 

People who know and appreciate Riverside think the greatness of their City is not yet known. Riversiders believe it is, unfortunately, the "best kept secret in Southern California." The hometown feel with big city amenities, attractive and historic downtown, diverse neighborhoods and year-round climate that promotes outdoor living all add up to a place residents are proud to call home.

We have much to be proud of: the preservation of Riverside’s historic downtown architecture; the independence of the public utility system; the commitment that the City will receive 50% of its power from renewable resources by 2013; the SmartRiverside program that provides computers to low-income residents and free wi-fi to most of the City; and recent investments in infrastructure, such as Renaissance Riverside (a multi-billion dollar program improving roads, parks and cultural attractions). Much like the City’s founders, Riverside’s civic and social leaders have made strategic investments that today are paying off and increasing the quality of life for all who live here. Seizing Our Destiny will guide similar choices for our future.

People are noticing and we are celebrating: Riverside has been named the first Emerald City in California, one of the 21 most intelligent tech cities in the world (the Smart21 Communities Awards) and among 13 of the U.S.’s "Most Livable Communities." More importantly, residents and business owners in Riverside are excited by what’s happening in the City and what our collective future holds.iscal discipline has ensured the City is in the black – with reserves – even as the recession’s toll mounted.

These distinctions – in combination with reliable water, low-cost utilities powered by clean energy, the education systems to prepare a diverse workforce and an extraordinary collection of three universities and a community college – give Riverside powerful tools to advance into the future. With this head-start, Riverside is sure to stay ahead of the curve. Top of the page...