Is Riverside safe? Cause what I'm reading is scary... (Ontario: apartment, low crime)

[clsicmovies]

Originally Posted by calibro1

No, it def. would. Right because Orangecrest, Mission Grove, Canyon Crest, Wood Streets, La Sierra Heights, Arlington Heights, Hawarden Hills, Lake Hills, Mockingbird Canyon, and the vast majority of La Sierra, Arlington, etc. are not riddled with crime.

Taking a look at the schools, there are several mediocre schools. JW North has a solid IB program. Martin Luther King is a top rated school.

Riverside, like Moreno Valley, ranks consistently at around the national average for crime. The median income for the area is above average.

Stick with the facts.

There are good areas in most every city, but there are also bad areas. Riverside's bad areas are in discussion here. These are facts.

[ballofconfucius]

Every city has its bad parts. Stay away from the Jurupa Valley area, Rubidoux, Hillside, and East side. Also be careful with the neoghborhoods around downtown. Some are beautiful but some should be avoided. Someone mentioned that Riverside is large enough to find good areas to live in and I absolutely agree.

[wisewomen]

Originally Posted by Gandalara

Must be on top of a very BIG hill, since Diamond Valley Lake is 35 to 40 miles from downtown Riverside. Are you sure you have your city and street correct? There is an Oak Drive in the hills south of Hemet - which is in Riverside county.

And please don't call the state Cali. Thank you.

yes i have address an correct an i have always called it cali an i always will so don't post being all rude!!..i have been to cali plenty if times..i just wanted to know if the area was safe..if you don;t like what i post then don;t post on it

[Fontucky]

Conversely, if you want assistance from California residents, why use a term that annoys a good percentage of them? That's not very wise of you, woman.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

... if you want assistance from California residents, why use a term that annoys a good percentage of them?

You said it!
For the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would use that term. I've never heard "Cali" used IRL....only on this board. Is it some sort of effort to appear cool? Truly a ludicrous term.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by mm987654321

Being relocated to riverside with husband/elementary age kids. Have you ever googled Riverside, CA? The reviews are graphic, the crime rating scores are high, and just today I read there are 186 gangs in the county - is Riverside safe? Are there certain sections of town to avoid, or others that are preferable to live in?
Thanks in advance for the advice and candid feedback.

Like anywhere you are going to find crime and yes, gangs, especially in areas with a high % of Hispanics but a lot of people love Riverside and the entire county. I am sure, if you find a good realtor he/she will stir you clean of the areas you want to avoid. As much as none of us like gangs, they mostly commit crimes against each other.. Don't pay too much attention to what you read on google. Not that it isn't fair or right, it is just, often you see only one side. If you look for trouble, you will find it.. The most important thing will probably be, your income level and your housing allowance. That will determine what part of the area you can afford to live in.

Good luck, enjoy your life in Riverside. You can make it whatever you want, that is pretty much up to you.

Nita

now I see this is not a new post, and it seems we have gone from moving to Riverside to are the cops a bunch of thugs and back to moving to Riverside.

[MrTudo]

We're possibly looking in southern california as believe it or not a place for me to retire and since we do not want any mortgage at this point we're limiting our outlay to 500K out of pocket costs for a house that has roughly 2,000 sq ft or less, 1/3 acre or so in terms of land and we would like a private backyard. Lower costs would be even better too! Hence we started getting listings in Riverside and I have to tell you that some of the addresses after I pasted them into google maps looked really nice. If I can use a south florida comparison, some looked heavily treed and landscaped like west boca raton, coral springs in broward and prices in mid 300's-400 and I have to tell you they look nice. We're also getting listings in Temecula, Vista, Falbrook, and I think a couple others. We want to be in an area that has greenery and trees. But some of the houses in Riverside look nice ( did I already say that? ) but do pictures lie? I've read the reports about bad water, bad air, gangs, trouble trouble trouble but I have to tell you these neighborhoods looked really nice and not to be totally ignorant but would there be such rotten horrible air and water in places that at least in real estate listings appeared to have lovely green lawns, nice landscaping, these tall tall california palm trees that I've always loved to see....

We also want to be within 10 miles or so of cardiac hospital, have very good grocery shopping available fairly nearby, not crowded, not urban but suburban. Older retirees or a good percentage of the pop in the older age group is not a negative and safety in our home, neighborhood, where we do grocery shopping etc is an expectation.

I should know this but I don't ( shame! ) would it be ok to put an address or 2 or 3 in a post and get opinions on the general area based on an exact address? No link to any listing, just an address? Is that ok?

Should I start a seperate thread? My apologies if I'm out of bounds

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by MrTudo

(snipped

We also want to be within 10 miles or so of cardiac hospital, have very good grocery shopping available fairly nearby, not crowded, not urban but suburban. Older retirees or a good percentage of the pop in the older age group is not a negative and safety in our home, neighborhood, where we do grocery shopping etc is an expectation.

(snipped)

Suggest you look within 10 miles of Loma Linda Hospital and University then ... cities of Loma Linda, Redlands, Grand Terrace, etc.

[LolaDog61]

Originally Posted by FrenchAmerican11

Moderator cut: No links permitted by new members.

Crime rates have been dropping in Riverside for some time (San Bernardino is another story). It is a great place that is a "real city" with character. While it may not be a homogeneous suburb it is the largest city (close to 400,000 citizens) in a metro area of over 2,000,000. It is the cultural (mission inn, fox theater, art museums etc), educational (UCR which includes new medical school, RCC, La Sierra U, Cal Baptist), and historical (orange grove history dating back to 1800's, March Base) center of the area. In being a large older city, there are many different people who live there. There are poor, wealthy (take a drive down overlook off washington or Via vista off Allesandro), and great middle class and upper middle class areas. That is what makes Riverside great. Many different people all living in one city. Each bring their unique culture and worldviews. You can live in Riverside and have the best the region has to offer. You can be safe, live close to work, go to great schools (some of the best in the state, not just region) enjoy great dining and culture, and best of all have great neighbors!

Riverside IS a true melting pot; the city does have that going for it. You won't find long stretches of bland affluence as in, say... Corona, Redlands, or Temecula, but if you like that sort of thing, you won't have to drive far. While the people of Riverside are wonderful, indeed, the quality of life is quickly nearing Indonesia proportions. Crime is NOT dropping. It's worse than ever. Gangs are everywhere, and the worst gang is the Riverside Police Department. They are not employed to protect and serve. They work for the District Attorney; they attend to crime scenes, and they are there to collect evidence against you.

No jobs exist in the city except AT the city. Try driving downtown sometime. I dare you. Nearly every street downtown is in a constant state of "Men At Work." That's because the City of Riverside always has money to spare.

Feel like burning some spare cash at Ye Olde Antique Shoppe? One of those charming little places you used to see downtown? Well, they aren't there anymore. That's because nobody shops downtown anymore because you have to pay for parking EVERYWHERE. Except for at the Porn Shop, and we don't know why, except that the Chief of Police likes to spend his afternoons there, and he doesn't like to pay for parking. And if you don't know about the Chief of Police scandal and his roadside theatrics, just ask someone. (RPD is a lawless group of thugs with no accountability.)

If you can help it at all, don't move there. If you do, you'll regret it.

[LolaDog61]

Originally Posted by 98PanAm

Odd, but my experiences are the exact opposite, but don't let that stop you from grinding your own issue-based subjective reality axes.

I'll keep grinding my issue-based reality axe, 98PanAm, if you promise not to crash your plane into my party.