I've lived in Riverside for 54 years - 9/17/2021

I've lived in Riverside for 54 years. It changed a LOT when people from LA started moving here in droves. Still, I have never been robbed or assaulted but I am reasonably careful (lock doors, don't leave anything in sight in your car, pay attention in parking lots,  etc). Normal southern CA common sense.  I see bicyclists almost every day safely navigating the city.  There are many bike paths available for them. I also see bicyclists committing traffic violations, inattentive, driving 3 and 4 abreast instead of in a line, on busy streets, etc. There are definitely people here who drive like they're in LA, however,  if you are alert and a normal defensive driver,  you'll be fine.  The only accident I've ever been in was when I was in my teens and that was a person suddenly turning left in front of me. Lately, I have been seeing people running red lights more frequently, but since I always check the intersection before entering it, it has not affected me much. Crime is as expected this close to LA yet I have never been assaulted, or robbed nor has anyone in my very large family. There are good neighborhoods and bad pockets, as in any highly populated city. There are many parks and walking trails. There are plenty of events. There are numerous college choices. There is a medical school among many other fields of study. There are plenty of senior centers. I can go to the mountains and the beach in one day. I can go see a play, or go to one of movie theaters. I can eat almost any nationality of food on any given day. To try to compare this city to Orange, or San Diego counties is silly. Those cities are comprised of higher incomes so of course, offer nicer amenities.  Al

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Worst Medical Care Around! Lots of Break Ins! - 1/7/2021

I'm from Orange County (OC). I have had nothing but trouble since moving to Riverside. 1. The dogs are aggressive guard dogs. If you want to walk or bike you will will have vicious dogs lunging at you and the owners will not stop them. The dog owners make a limp attempt to control their dogs on a dog walk. I have screamed in fear as dogs tried to bite me. The dog owners don't apologize or acknowledge what happened. Forget about walking and biking to keep fit. It is not an option in the neighborhoods due to the aggressive dogs. You'll be bitten and mauled while the dog owner watches and does nothing to stop it. Why the vicious dogs? Due to the high crime rate here. Cars are stolen and broken into. Houses are broken into. My neighbor had a home invasion. The theft crime rate is high, hence the need for vicious dogs. 2. Biking will get you killed. I biked to the market and on my way home I was nearly killed by cars while I was in the crosswalk on a green light. The drivers drove into the crosswalk and I screamed as my life flashed before my eyes. No one apologizes when they do this. This happened to me repeatedly in one outing to the market. I gave up on riding my bike for a quick trip to the market. The drivers are RUDE and will run you over. It is not a safe place to bike outside of your neighborhood. In OC I could safely bike to the market, pick up groceries and bike home no problem. That is NOT an option in Riverside. It is simply too dangerous. If you have a death wish? Simply start biking in Riverside and someone will run over you and kill you. They will do a hit and run and never stop to render aid. 3. It is nearly impossible to find a decent doctor in Riverside. The doctors in Riverside are known for being rude, uncooperative and refusing to give a referral to a specialist. You will have to pay out of pocket to see a specialist. The doctors in the IE (Riverside County and San Bernardino County, collectively known as "The IE" for Inland Empire) form medical groups. The doctors operate like a closed system. These medical groups are nothing more than a medical monopoly. The medical groups own doctor's offices, urgent care centers, labs and imaging centers. You MUST go to their lab, urgent care center and imaging center or it is not covered by insurance. You can't just select whoever you want. It is not open like in OC or LA. Your options are severely, severely limited. I have tried unsuccessfully, to get a referral to see an endocrinologist to monitor my thyroid disease. The first GP doctor said, "I won't refer you to an endo. I can just keep writing a refill for your prescriptions. No problem. You don't need to see an endo!" I told him, "No, that doesn't work. My medication is too high. I need an endo." He argued with me for 20 minutes and refused to give me a referral. He also tried to get me to take every vaccine and test known to man. My tests and vaccines are up to date, but he didn't care. Let's do them again! He is greedy. He is trying to rip off my health insurance carrier and me. This is common. This is not unusual. The doctors out here are greedy mofos. You WILL BE OVER TREATED by the doctors in the IE. They will send you for tests you don't need to milk you and your insurance company. They are unethical, greedy bastards. The first doctor I saw (Dr. Colin Christensen) refused to refill my thyroid medication until I did every single test and vaccine he ordered. I explained to him, I am not doing that! It is a pandemic and these tests put me at risk for Covid. He didn't care. I changed doctors. Next doctor (Dr. Betina Greer) also demanded I run a whole bunch of tests: blood work, urine tests, feces tests, multiple scans before she would agree to refill my thyroid medication. I jumped over that hurdle. Then she demanded I see her again to get my medication refill. I am still waiting on my referral. The doctor holds your refills hostage until you meet their demands. Once you meet their demands? You STILL don't get the referral. They come up with even more roadblocks and more tests you must run. Lots of excuses, but no referrals. You will ONLY get a doctor referral to another doctor WITHIN that medical group. If there is no specialist for that medical problem they will refer you to something close. Example: You need a dermatologist for a suspicious looking mole? You want to know if you have skin cancer? A cardiologist will do! You don't get a referral to the specialist you need. I had to get my health insurance company involved. My health insurance company tried to push through the referral. The doctor's office receptionist called me, threw attitude, yelled at me and lied her ass off. I caught her in lies and she was shocked I caught her. I caught her because my health insurance was keeping me up to date on developments. She lied. I STILL do not have a referral to see an endocrinologist. I have been trying to see one for 3.5 months. My health insurance company is pushing and calling, but the medical group refuses to budge and give me a "real referral" to an actual endocrinologist. If you look at the reviews for doctors online you will see they are crappy. The doctors in Riverside are doctors who barely graduated medical school and this is why they ended up in the IE. These are the worst doctors imaginable. If you want a decent doctor or hospital? You must travel to OC, San Diego or LA and pay out of pocket. Basically, medical care dies in the IE. This is NOT the place to look for decent medical care. It isn't even a C average. Medical care in the IE is a D or an F average. I plan to move back to the OC after the pandemic because I don't want to be attacked by vicious dogs when I walk, run or bike for fitness and I want DECENT MEDICAL CARE which is impossible in the IE. 4. My house was broken into while I was home. That was scary AF. My neighbors told me this is "normal" and the cops don't do anything about it. The high school kids come into the neighborhood (across the street from the HS), hop the fences and break into the houses. The cops don't care or do anything. The HS kids know they can get away with it, so they are bold. Neighbors tell me, you will see kids hopping fence after fence to break into the houses. The kids are unafraid. Eventually, one of them will be shot by a homeowner as these are gun toting people. Riverside is super conservative, Republican, gun toting, Trump supporters. Lots of middle aged men driving Harleys. Lots of pickup trucks. Lots of run down RVs. My neighbors are trades people: glass installers, tile setters, work in construction, work for the grocery store, etc. Not many people are professional people, white collar type of people. Not a doctor or lawyer to be found in my neighborhood and I am not used to that. When I called the cops about the breakin they refused to come out, take photos or take fingerprints. They didn't show up. They took the report over the phone and the report died. That was the end of it. The cops out here don't actually do anything. It is pointless to call the cops. There are too many homeless people out here. There are people living in RVs who are homeless. When the local bike shop told them to move from the parking lot the homeless people shot out the windows of the bike shop. Each time a business owner tells them to move on they shoot out the store windows. The cops do nothing. Everyone knows who they are, but nothing is done about them. This is common. My neighbor told me they had a home invasion. The people pried open the side man door to the garage with a crowbar, entered the garage and then the house. The only person home was a teenager. He was in the shower and didn't hear them breaking into the house. They tied up the kid in the house after pulling him out of the shower. They robbed the house and left the kid tied up when they left. He was crying when his parents got home. Poor kid. 5. Lots of drug addicts out here Lots of drug addicts. A high school kid recently OD on prescription drugs he bought on the street. He died. This is not uncommon. Lots of drugs are readily available. If you have kids? They will be exposed to drug early on. The high school kids are taking drugs. They need money to pay for drugs, so they break into cars and houses. There are homeless couples pushing their shopping carts around. They are methamphetamine addicts. You can tell they are meth addicts, due to the missing teeth. Lots of people on OxyContin and then they drive. This may explain the high rate of traffic collision fatalities. 6. Your car will be broken into. Get used to it. Don't keep anything of value in your car because the window will be smashed to get what you left inside the car. You will be paying for a new window. If you are lucky they only break the window and leave the car..... 7. Lack of decent restaurants The restaurants tend to be subpar and not many options. If you like ethnic food like Thai, Persian, Indian, Vietnamese? You are out of luck. 8. The city is laid out in the strangest way. It doesn't make sense. Riverside City Council and City Planners did a piss poor job in laying out this city. The traffic patterns are bizarre and don't make any sense. Even locals admit, yeah, they ****ed up. The city is hilly and there deep drop offs on one side of the street. It is sort of like a cliff on one side of the street. It is odd. The houses have big, huge front yards that no one uses and tiny backyards. The backyards are on a slope and not useable. 9. Education is crap here I have met people born and raised in Riverside. They talk like they grew up in Compton, Watts, Inglewood or South Central LA. They don't know how to conjugate a verb to save their life. The white people talk in ebonics and act like they are from South Central LA (it is weird). The education system is subpar and really awful. Ex: People say, "I be goin' to the store." "I didn't done that!" They don't speak proper English. 10. The white people are standoffish and cold. As I walk in the neighborhood I greet people. Hi. Hello. How are you? You know, being polite. The white people turn their back, act like they didn't see me and refuse to greet me. They are cold and aloof. The white people are standoffish. The Latinos, Asians and black folks are cool. The white people suck! I am white. If I say they suck? They suck! The white people are not going to speak to you. They will look at you with suspicion. Due to the break ins being so prevalent I had difficulty getting my neighbors to open their door when I knocked and asked if they had video footage of my break in. They don't want to open the door. High crime means I don't trust you! I am not opening my door unless you are the FedEx guy! It is incredibly hard to make friends out in the IE due to white people being so cold, aloof and standoffish. 11. Fires OMG does this city burn and burn often. One fire burned for 56 days. It was 56 days of black skies, raining down ash and air that made us all choke. I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn't breathe due to the bad air. I ended up with a migraine for a week due to the bad air quality. I couldn't breathe. Hopefully, you don't lose your house or business in the fire...... That is a distinct possibility. You smell the fires before you see them. If you are okay with bad air? Move here! Be prepared to end up in the doctor's office and you will NOT get a referral for better medical care. Be prepared to beg your doctor for an asthma inhaler and be denied. 12. March Air Base Noise The noise from the flights out of March Air Base is bad. OMG! They fly so damn low and buzz the houses. They can do this because they are military and not reporting to the FAA. The military doesn't follow the FAA protocol and they fly way to F - ing low! It is noisy AF! It is annoying. Commercial pilots and private pilots can't fly this low because the FAA would fine them. 13. Everything is so spread out. You have a mile of orange groves and then a shopping center pops up. Then it is several miles of avocado groves. Then a shopping center pops up. It is an odd patchwork of how things are laid out. Nothing is close by. You must do a lot of driving to reach anything. This used to be all agriculture (orange groves, avocado groves, etc). As people moved here and city and county was developed in a hopskotch manner that doesn't make any sense. Nothing is convenient to reach it easily. Bottom line: It is cheap in the IE, but it is an unpleasant experience. It is better to pay more and live in San Diego County, Orange County or LA County. Two thumbs down?? ??

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A depressing place. - 12/16/2018

Whew where to begin with dear old riverside. I enjoyed growing up here until my high school years (back in 2011). In 7 short years the downward deterioration of the city is remarkable. The “beautiful and historic” downtown is really just a miserable traffic ridden couple blocks which I swear seems to have tripled the amount of homeless (I mean young, meth head homeless, not the down-on-their-luck type). An increase in shootings (sometimes in front of Riverside’s beloved mission inn) has caused a constant heavy police presence as they try to convince people it’s still safe there. People don’t interact with each other here. Everyone commutes, seems to be miserable, and drives like absolute animals (driving down the shoulder, consistent weaving dangerously between cars, riding bumpers). It’s one of the most aggressive driving cities and is along the commute to the worlds ranked most congested traffic in the world. In riverside, with no freeways on this drive, my apartment to my old house is an 8 minute drive (no traffic at 3am). At 6:30am-9pm that drive will take between 30-45 minutes. The city feels over populated and more just keep coming in. The traffic has gotten so bad that I (and my girlfriend )will always debate if going on an errand 0.5mi away is even worth it. You’ll begin to loathe leaving your home because of how long it could take to get simple things done. The smog ruins any distant view, and on some days it really speaks to how it’s rated one of the worst smog counties in the US. If you have respiratory issues, or don’t want to involuntary smoke (co2 emissions) don’t move here. The desert gets old pretty quick. The city seems to try to hide the fact you’re in a desert, and most driving areas block in your view of what would be pretty desert if you enjoy that scenery (Tucson is a good example of a city embracing the environment). It’s no surprise California ranks last in quality of life. It’s no surprise California loses 100k residents a year to outward migration, has Uhauls charging $2,000 to move a state over where that same drive back they charge $160 (there’s a shortage of trucks here). Really, it’s hard to justify living here. It’s getting absurdly expensive. At 25, my brother at 28, neither of us know anyone who has begun paying a house in California around our age. The only draw was the “central location” where a “40 minute drive” could take you to the beach, desert, or mountains. Don’t let anyone sell you on this BS. That may have been true 15 years ago, but today that commute could take you up to 3 hours. I luckily had friends with beach houses to justify the drive, but unless you have rich friends, are rich with a beach house, pay an expensive hotel, or are fine with driving several hours to enjoy the beach for a little while before having to head back, you won’t see the beaches too often. In fact, your average income earner will be miserably poor here. Rent in an area that ISNT known for gang activity and prostitution (looking at you University/Crowell/7th street) our rent costs us 1,000 for a one bedroom apartment. Your dollar is worth .88 cents here. You won’t be able to save towards your retirement. All the bragging rights of the town are literally amenities of any moderately sized city (movie theatre, mall, a Main Street). Those amenities have zero sense of community, most people are unfriendly/uninterested in riffing, and 65% of the states inhabitangs struggle to make enough for rent. For a city with a 2010 census of 300,000 (its felt considerably more crowded since then), it sure has a great way of making you feel lonely. If you want your hometown to feel like a hotel room that you sleep in and leave to go to work and come back, this is the place for you. If you have family, gangs, drugs, homelessness, and deterioration of schools is where the city is visibly heading. I really can’t fathom anyone thinking it’s a good place to Live, let alone raise a family, unless speaking in the past tense and getting their memories mixed up with their daily experiences. Hope I help someone dodge a bullet. We’re in the process of leaving this miserable place.

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NOT a city for kids - 2/16/2018

Riverside in the 5+ yrs. I've lived here has changed from a friendlier, quaint, albeit unsophisticated environment into a more crime-ridden area. It's a sanctuary city with all the trappings that go along with it. My roommate and I moved from the beautiful downtown (tree st.) area because crime was noticeably worse, near the university area and it has gotten just as bad here. Without the university, this would be a really unpleasant place to live, and is only bearable because of it. The job sector here is light industrial, no real need for educated, or technology workers here, but if you work in a warehouse or other related job then you will most likely find something, for educated people there are few opportunities here.

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One lovely city - 11/9/2015

I moved to Riverside, Ca from Orange County, Ca since 2002. I can tell you that this city has it all. It has a community college, a UC university (UCR), and many other universities. It has a great library system with 8 locations throughout the city. Downtown is a fun place to be at with the Fox Theater and many shops and chic places to eat at. I love hiking everyday at Mt.Rubidoux where I get to see a lot of friendly faces. There are two community hospitals and a Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. I love the shopping mall where I take my kids every month. There are many other shopping centers. There are also lots of parks throughout the city with many activities for kids. The cultural variety makes the city fun. The downside of Riverside is that there are a lot of homeless people around. Its something the city had to work on, but as for everything else, this city is amazing!

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Riverside is charming and beautiful - 6/5/2014

Apparently, Riverside has changed for the better in recent years, based on the negative older comments...I moved to Riverside a year ago from a beautiful town in northern Virginia, just 6 miles outside of the nation's capital...so I was very spoiled...the D.C. metro is a very expensive area, as is much of California (gas, taxes), but I have been able to live in both places on a small private school teacher salary. Riverside is BEAUTIFUL. It does get hot in the summer, but it is cooler in the shade, and the nights get cooler...coming from Virginia the heat here is nothing! I live within a two-mile radius of the downtown. The neighbors in my neighborhood are the friendliest neighbors I've ever had. The first day I moved in, 3 neighbors greeted me on my front steps to welcome me. I can walk or ride my bike everywhere...a 10-15 minute bike ride (or 20 minute walk) gets me to the beautiful campus of RCC (Riverside City College) and its well-maintained new track, Clark's Nutritional Center (organic groceries), a safe and scenic hike up Mt. Rubidoux, the Saturday morning farmer's market downtown, several cool coffee shops (Augie's, Lift, Back to the Grind, 4 floors of antique and vintage furniture and goodies at Mission Galleria or Old Glory, the best gift shop Mrs. Tiggy Winkle's, many good restaurants (including an In-n-Out Burger!), numerous churches, and of course, the famous historic Mission Inn (which is a wonderland of lights and treats at Christmas time). In a 20 to 30-minute drive I can get to Redlands or Oak Glen with too-many-to-count wonderful apple ranches where you can pick your own apples or enjoy an apple pie at one of the little restaurants, wine country in Temecula, a fancy outdoor mall in Rancho Cucamonga...and in an hour drive I can get to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Long Beach, and Los Angeles. If you like biking, you can ride along the Santa Ana River from Huntington Beach to San Bernardino County on the "longest multi-use trail in southern California." There are also 3 or 4 airports between 30 minutes to a half hour. The mayor actively participates in monthly events called 'Mayo'rs Night Out. If you google 'Meet the Mayor' you'll see 'Meet the Mayor,' 'Bike with the Mayor,' 'Walk with the Mayor.' There are sketchy pockets, but it's a CITY with 300,000 people! Riverside really gets a bad rap...maybe it went through a tough (economic) time in the past like much of the country, but it is an awesome place to live now. The residents of Riverside tend to speak negatively I think because Orange County is considered the better place to live...but as an outsider coming in, I think Riverside is just as nice--just different--less congested...more open space...beautiful mountains and canyons...a little city in the country!

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So much fun if you just look within - 10/6/2013

I've lived my whole life in Riverside with family and many amazing folk. We enjoy getting together and 3of a few favorite parks here. I'm glad to say we are all healthy and have never witnessed any crime just yet. I work in a medical office hiring many local residents every year along with volunteering at schools in my community. Our community festivals and events are so much fun too! I'm so happy to be living in Riverside, especially being on the horse side of town too. And the river can be so beautiful after it rains.. I have no idea which part of Riverside you've been too, but I can help you explore the positive side of town(:

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looking to retire - 6/28/2013

We are looking to retire in Texas. Riverside is too crowded, Calif too expensive. Wishing to retire somewhere our SS payments can pay the bills.

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busy - 7/26/2012

A very nice place to live. Very nice weather during the winter and in the evenings. Very hot during the summer in the daytime. Could use more police officers because there is alot of small crimes. car burgleries ect.

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We review - 7/1/2012

Check for Life

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HOUSING PRICES - 4/18/2012

HOUSING PRICES START TO PICKUP

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climate - 9/9/2011

Pretty hot and dry in the summertime. Some weeks over 100 for 5 days in a row. No rain to speak of from May until October. Just right in winter..not too cold. Maybe down to only lower 40 degrees. No snow. Rain in December, January, February and March but not in great amounts.

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Maestro - 8/2/2011

La escuela es la mejor. espero y siga asi.

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Jobs - 2/15/2011

Most of Riverside is mostly low income due to lack of jobs and because it's old. Mainly because of traffic getting to work(making an unbalanced economy). Most people have jobs in Orange County, California causing traffic on the 91 freeway. Riverside is improving by attracting businesses.

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Expensive and not worth it - 11/3/2010

Living in Riverside for the last 8 years I can honestly say that its just not worth it. With one bedroom apartments reaching rent of close to $1300/month we could be living in a far nicer place.

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climate - 9/2/2010

lots of smog

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Besiness - 8/16/2010

To find a good Location in Riverside,CA, Let me know according : lienmytravel@yahoo.com. Thank you very much. Ms.Lien Nguyen

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Exercise - 6/22/2010

Walking up Mt. Rubidoux in the morning or in the evening is a wonderful way to enjoy the city and sites.

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Never a Bad Day With Public Transportation - 6/15/2010

I've lived in Riverside for almost five years now and I've relied on the Riverside Transit Authority (RTA) and the Metrolink trains to get me to work every morning without fail. I can always count on public transportation to get me to work on time. I don't have to risk a co-worker calling in sick, arrange alternative rides when my carpool goes on vacations or none of that. In the five years that I've been on public transportation, I've had less than half a dozen issues due to the bus or train being late. The added advantage of public transportation in my opinion is that I don't have to sit in traffic and if I didn't get enough sleep the night before, I can catch a little shut eye while commuting.

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riverside - 3/3/2010

riverside is 300000 people. beautiful winter weather, like palm springs. summers are too hot and smoggy. diverse people, good and bad areas.

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