Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Riverside

You think about moving to Riverside but want to get additional information about the lifestyle and many other things about the city in general before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Riverside in the following chapters.

Table of Contents

Living in Riverside – Overview

ClimateRiverside has a subtropical climate with warm summers and relatively mild winters.
HousingDemand for housing, property prices and rents in Riverside are pretty high compared to national average while they are still far lower than in Los Angeles or the Bay Area.
IncomePeople in Riverside make significantly more money than the average person in the US.
CrimeWhile crime rates in Riverside are above national average, they are still far lower than in Detroit or many other major cities in the US.
EducationWhile you will find solid schools, you will still have a hard time finding world-class education in Riverside.
Job MarketRiverside’s unemployment rate is slightly above average and you may have a hard time finding a good job if you don’t have high levels of education and also lack important skills needed in the job market right now.
CultureRiverside is a culturally diverse place and you can meet many interesting people from all over the world.
Leisure ActivitiesYou can go fishing, hunting, hiking and do many other nice things in nature apart from many other standard things you may be used to from other big cities.
LandscapeRiverside is surrounded by nice lakes, rivers and forests and you will therefore have more than enough opportunities to spend time outdoors.
InfrastructureWhile you will find good doctors and supply of material goods is great in Riverside, public transport is still rather poor and you may therefore need a car to get around in an efficient manner.
Level of ToleranceRiverside is a pretty tolerant city and people are welcome from all over the world.
NightlifeNightlife in Riverside is not as great as in L.A. or other bigger cities in California.
Total Population314,587 inhabitants.
advantages and disadvantages of living in riverside

Advantages of Living in Riverside

  1. Median income in Riverside is above national average
  2. Highly-qualified people can make really good money
  3. Decent medical infrastructure in Riverside
  4. People in Riverside are rather relaxed
  5. You are welcome no matter where you come from
  6. You can explore many different cultures in Riverside
  7. You can try many delicious foods
  8. You can experience lots of beautiful nature
  9. Nice weather in Riverside
  10. You can spend lots of time outdoors
  11. Decent supply of material goods in Riverside
  12. Riverside is close to Los Angeles or other big cities
  13. Population in Riverside has been growing
  14. Decent future outlook for Riverside
  15. Riverside is a bicycle-friendly city
  16. You can get around by car in an efficient manner
  17. Riverside is not as hectic as L.A.

Median income in Riverside is above national average

One advantage of moving to Riverside is that median income levels are significantly above national average and it is easier to make really good money in Riverside than in many other cities in the US where overall income levels are far lower.

Highly-qualified people can make really good money

There are also many really goods jobs for highly-qualified people in the Riverside region and if you hold an advanced degree in a field where demand for labor is high right now, you will have a relatively easy time making a six-figure income in the Riverside region.

Decent medical infrastructure in Riverside

Another upside to moving to Riverside is that overall medical infrastructure is pretty decent in this region and you will have more than enough good doctors and hospitals to choose from in case you get sick and need proper medical support to recover as quickly as possible.

People in Riverside are rather relaxed

You should also know that people in Riverside are friendly and relaxed and also know how to behave so that you can have a great time in this place and can also make many really good friends in the long run.

You are welcome no matter where you come from

Since Riverside is a pretty tolerant place, you also don’t have to worry about your country of origin at all.

Instead, you will be welcome no matter where you come from as long as you are friendly and tolerant yourself and also willing to adapt to local traditions at least a little bit.

You can explore many different cultures in Riverside

Since Riverside is a tolerant place, it also attracts many people from all over the country and even the world and you can therefore experience many interesting cultures and can have many interesting discussions so that you can really expand your horizon and grow in character in the long run.

You can try many delicious foods

Another benefit of moving to Riverside is that you will also be able to try many delicious foods from various parts of the world and you will be surprised by how well many of those things really taste.

Additionally, you can also expand your own culinary knowledge and learn quite a lot for cooking at home from all those experiences.

You can experience lots of beautiful nature

Riverside is also located in the middle of beautiful nature and you can therefore go fishing, hiking, camping and do many other nice things in nature and this can really help you relax and make your life much better since you will have more than enough opportunities in this regard.

Nice weather in Riverside

Another advantage of living in Riverside is that you will be able to enjoy great summers with many hours of sun and not much rain while you will also have relatively mild winters and don’t have to deal with as many cold days as people living in Detroit or other cooler places often have to do.

You can spend lots of time outdoors

Thanks to the nice weather and since you will have access to beautiful nature, you will also have an incentive to spend lots of time outdoors and this can really benefit your health since you can stay fit and can also improve your mood since you can get lots of fresh air.

Decent supply of material goods in Riverside

You will also find everything you need to live a comfortable life in Riverside and overall supply of material goods is pretty decent so you will find most important things for daily life within walking distance.

Riverside is close to Los Angeles or other big cities

Another upside to living in Riverside is that the city is not far away from Los Angeles or other big cities and this gives you the opportunity to make many nice day trips and to visit those other cities once you’ve seen enough of Riverside and want to experience new things so that you will never get bored with living in the Riverside region in the long run.

Population in Riverside has been growing

You should also know that population in the Riverside region has been growing significantly over the past decades and this is usually a sign that the region becomes increasingly popular by people from all over the US and this can be great since the more people move to Riverside, the higher the level of cultural diversity will be and the more interesting living in Riverside will be in general.

Decent future outlook for Riverside

Since Riverside is closely located to other big cities in California and overall quality of life is high, it will most likely be an important place to work and live for many decades and you don’t have to worry that too many people will leave the Riverside region anytime soon.

Riverside is a bicycle-friendly city

Another benefit of living in Riverside is that you can get around by bicycle in a pretty efficient manner and can therefore drive short distances by bike so that you can save lots of money on fuel and can also do good for our environment at the same time.

You can get around by car in an efficient manner

If you don’t want to get around by bicycle for various possible reasons, you can still get around by car in a pretty efficient manner since traffic is not a big problem in Riverside yet and traffic jams are rather rare.

In turn, you can also visit your friends in different parts of the city in an efficient manner without having to lose lots of time in traffic as people living in San Diego or other more crowded places often do.

Riverside is not as hectic as L.A.

Compared to other bigger cities like Los Angeles, Riverside is also a pretty laid-back city and people are less career-focused, will work fewer hours and will be more eager to socialize in general.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Riverside.

However, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of living in Riverside so that you can better decide whether you still want to live in the Riverside region or rather want to move to a different place instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Riverside

  1. Living costs in Riverside are pretty high
  2. Property prices have increased substantially over the past decade
  3. Rents are barely affordable for the average person in Riverside
  4. Many people really struggle to pay their bills in Riverside
  5. Many locals think about leaving Riverside
  6. Increasing level of inequality in Riverside
  7. Nightlife in Riverside is not as great as in other major cities
  8. You may need to rely on bottled water from the store
  9. Air quality in Riverside is not great
  10. Riverside has pretty poor public transport
  11. Hard to find world-class education in Riverside
  12. Not many great sports teams in Riverside
  13. Art scene in Riverside is rather limited
  14. Riverside is not the most popular city
  15. Riverside doesn’t have an international airport
  16. You may get bored in Riverside in the long run

Living costs in Riverside are pretty high

One problem with living in Riverside is that living costs are pretty high. In fact, if you go out for a drink, play golf or do many other things in your leisure, you will have to pay much more than people living in Louisville or other less popular regions and this means that you will have to spend lots of money on things for daily life and you may miss this money when it comes to saving and investing for retirement or other important things.

Property prices have increased substantially over the past decade

You should also know that overall demand for housing is pretty high in the Riverside region and this has led to a huge increase in property prices over the past years.

Consequently, many people are no longer able to afford to buy a decent home and can’t live the American dream in Riverside anymore.

Rents are barely affordable for the average person in Riverside

Due to high property prices, also rents are barely affordable for the average person in Riverside anymore and many people become increasingly desperate since they no longer know how to pay rent on time and have to fear getting evicted sooner or later.

Many people really struggle to pay their bills in Riverside

Since living and housing costs in Riverside are pretty high, many people really struggle to pay their bills and to make a decent living in this region and many people are just not able to save up enough money for an emergency fund but rather live from paycheck to paycheck.

Many locals think about leaving Riverside

Another downside to moving to Riverside is that many locals are no longer able to make a decent living in this region and consider leaving Riverside.

In turn, once this happens, this would take away part of the city’s charm and may lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Increasing level of inequality in Riverside

You should also be aware of the fact that the city of Riverside experiences an increasing level of inequality and while landlords often benefit from skyrocketing property prices, tenants become increasingly desperate and frustrated and if this trend continues, this may worsen all sorts of social problems in the long run.

Nightlife in Riverside is not as great as in other major cities

Moving to Riverside may also not be a great idea for you in case you are a party person since you will just not find as many great bars and clubs as in many other major metropolitan areas and you may therefore be better off moving to Las Vegas or other more vibrant places instead.

You may need to rely on bottled water from the store

Since tap water quality is not great in many parts of Riverside, you may also have to rely on bottled water from the store and this would not only cost you lots of time and money but would also be pretty bad for our environment in the long run since you would produce lots of plastic waste.

Air quality in Riverside is not great

Another disadvantage of living in Riverside is that air quality is rather poor compared to many other cities and poor air quality not only lowers your overall quality of life but may also cause serious problems for your health in the long run.

Riverside has pretty poor public transport

You should also know that public transport in the Riverside region is pretty poor and you will not be able to get around by bus or other means of public transport in an efficient manner and may need a car to be on time for important appointments.

Hard to find world-class education in Riverside

While you will have decent schools and colleges in Riverside, you will still have a hard time finding the same world-class education as people living in Boston or other more popular places in this regard.

Not many great sports teams in Riverside

You will also not find many great sports teams in Riverside and this can be a shame in case you are a real sports fan and want to watch games on a regular basis.

In such a case, you would be far better off moving to San Francisco or other places where you would have a much bigger variety of sports events.

Art scene in Riverside is rather limited

Moving to Riverside may also not make sense in case you are an artist and want to hang out with many like-minded people. In such a case, you would be better off moving to New Orleans or other places where art is much more important.

Riverside is not the most popular city

You should also know that compared to Los Angeles or other major cities in the US, Riverside is not as popular and many people from other states may not even know where Riverside is actually located and you may have to explain quite a lot in this regard which you may get tired with in the long run.

Riverside doesn’t have an international airport

Since Riverside doesn’t have a big international airport, you would also have to rely on Los Angeles international airport to get to foreign countries in an efficient manner and this often means getting stuck in traffic which could cost you lots of time, especially if you want to travel on a regular basis and want to see many parts of our fascinating planet.

You may get bored in Riverside in the long run

Since Riverside is not the most exciting city, you may also get bored living in Riverside in the long run and may rather want to move to more interesting and vibrant cities where you can experience real big city life sooner or later.

Top 10 Moving To Riverside Pros & Cons – Summary List

Living in Riverside ProsLiving in Riverside Cons
High quality of life in RiversideHigh living costs in Riverside
You can enjoy great weather in RiversideHousing costs are enormous
Riverside has lots of beautiful natureMany people struggle to make a living in Riverside
You can spend lots of time outdoorsIncreasing level of inequality
Riverside is a bicycle-friendly citySocial problems are about to increase
People in Riverside are open and friendlyUnemployment rate is above national average
Riverside is a tolerant placeRiverside has rather poor public transport
Easy to socialize in RiversideNightlife in Riverside is not great
Riverside has decent medical infrastructureRiverside is not a great city for sports fans
Decent supply of material goodsRiverside is not the most exciting city

Is Riverside A Good Place To Live?

While moving to Riverside can make quite a lot of sense since you can experience beautiful nature, enjoy nice weather and high quality of life, you should also know that housing and living costs in Riverside are high and many people really struggle to make a decent living in this region.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to Riverside anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Stockton

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Henderson

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Minneapolis

Sources

https://riversideca.gov/

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/riversidecitycalifornia

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.

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