Riverside is the
county seat of
Riverside County,
California,
United States. The city is named for the nearby
Santa Ana River, and is the birthplace of the California
citrus industry. As of 2006, Riverside had an estimated population of 305,255.
[1] Riverside is the
61st-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in California's
Inland Empire region, the
14th-largest metropolitan area in the nation and part of the 2nd largest
Combined Statistical Area in the country.
Compared with other cities in Southern California, real estate prices in Riverside are significantly lower than those in adjacent counties. This has led to explosive residential growth within the Riverside city limits. Consequently this has also contributed to heavy gridlock, as residents from Riverside commute to job centers in Orange County.
In recent years, Riverside has been listed by various research groups as having some of the nation's worst air pollution and congestion. Smart Growth America lists Riverside as the most sprawling city in the nation. [2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.4&_160;square miles (203.0&_160;km²), of which, 78.1&_160;square miles (202.3&_160;km²) of it is land and 0.3&_160;square miles (0.7&_160;km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.36% water.
