Pelican Parts Forums - Tell me about: Riverside, Cali

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I have not really spent any time there in recent history but I lived in Moreno Valley, a suburb of Riverside from 1984 to 1994.

It has both good and bad as does any city - I'm not certain of the economy out there. There are a lot of folks in Riverside and the Inland Empire (aka the valley of the dirt people) that commute into the LA area for work. The trains are usually full.

My dad was stationed at March AFB before it was turned into the Reserve base it is today. I really enjoyed that base and the life I had out there from 10 to 20 years old (but I still wish we had stayed at Eglin on the Gulf). I was in Boy Scout troop 100 and we hiked just about every mountain within 1000 miles radius - sometimes more (2 trips to Philmont, 1 trip to Yosemite and 1 trip to Mt. Whitney).

MoVal was a suburb of Riverside and the 'grown up' version of what was Sunnymead. The base contributed to a boom in economic growth and its subsequent downsizing equally impacted the economy. I have friends that live there and love it. The smog really kills me, it is BROWN in the sky there - worse than the Valley here in LA.

Today, at the beach here in LA it is fantastically clear.

I don't know if what I've got is useful - but that's what I have. I think unemployment there has always been a problem - when I was just out of high school I had trouble finding real jobs - instead I did 'fake' jobs like working at hobby stores doing the things I love. I'm sure unemployment is high there now.

Riverside isn't that bad around the area near the Mission Inn. There are many cool old Victorian houses in that part, and lots of small stores located there. But really, that, the Mission Inn and UCR seems to be about all Riverside has going for it. There was once a great racetrack there - Riverside Raceway, but it's long gone.

Having spent all my life in So Cal, I can attest to many smoggy days. That being said, the IE/909 is no where near the smog levels of the past. It is generally clear here. Not as clear as say Santa Monica or Newport Beach, but I can do strenuous exercise at mid day with no breathing issues. Not so in the 70's.

The smog is not a problem; unemployment and our "friends" from south of the border are.

I lived in Riverslime for close to 15 years. I grew up there.

I moved down to Orange County at 23 to escape the place. Let's see...

[x] Gangs
[x] Crime
[x] Lots of illegals
[x] Squandering education system
[x] Over-forceful PD
[x] Corrupt Bureaucrats
[x] Bad Traffic (tied to 91 FWY... try going anywhere at 7AM).

IMHO most parts should be demolished and redeveloped. There are good points to Riverside COUNTY though:

[x] Plenty of nature.
[x] Mission Inn (you gotta go at least once)
[x] UCR.
[x] Cheap hookers downtown
[x] Club 215
[x] If you want to feel better about your town, San Bernardino isn't far away.
[x] EXCELLENT private schools

That's just to name a few.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando (Post 5513444)

[x] If you want to feel better about your town, San Bernardino isn't far away.

LOL!!! Best one yet!

Okay... I was leaning on suggesting to relocate the business, but now I see there are cheap hookers available so I will need to reconsider. :)

Seriously though, I appreciate all of the input about the area.

The business owner raves about the quantity of customers, but I have a motto:
People don't sell businesses that are making them a lot of money.

My girlfriend told me to kiss her where it smells bad so I took her to Norco.

Now the Deadlands is nice....aka Redlands.....nice upscale town and some really nice homes on the hill to the south of the town...

Only problem there is that you have San Brodooo to the North and Riverside to the South..So to leave town you have to deal with..ahhhh

So if you wana live where you can see what you breath...that is the place for U....

There are some good things and some bad things about the Riverside area, but the same can be said of any area in So Cal.
Cost of living is high but lower than places to the west.
Income taxes are crazy. DMV fees are crazy. Sales tax is crazy. Anything to do with the gubmint is going to cost you so much you'll get seriously pissed.

But here's the big problem with the Inland empire and several other outlying places around here:
Housing is more affordable there (less crazy) so lots O'people buy there and commute to OC or LA or the south bay for work. That can be a very long drive. That means that some parents spend allot of time on the freeway and not as much time with their kids.
It also means that they are tired and grouchy when they get home and might not feel like working in the yard, going to the school to meet with teachers, you get the picture. I have people who work for me that live out there, they get up at 3 in the morning and don't get home until 7:30 at night, assuming they don't work overtime.
Others say to heck with the drive and try to get work closer to home, but because of the high number of workers available compared to the number of jobs available, that tends to drive down the wages. You can still make good money there but when compared to the cost of living it's harder to do well.
Plus it's usually 10 or 15 degrees hotter there in the summer and 10 degrees colder in the winter and the smog can be as bad or worse than downtown LA.