City: Riverside
State: California
Best Cities Overall Rank: 79
About Riverside:
Vitamin C rocks! The first navel orange tree in the U.S. was grown in Riverside, CA.
Take a break with the kids and check out one of the 52 parks in Riverside, which cover more than 2,700 acres and allow residents and visitors to enjoy a variety of sporting and outdoor activities.
County: Riverside
Population: 295,357
Official website for city visitors' bureau/city: Visitors' bureau website
Newspaper with the largest circulation: Riverside Press-Enterprise
Riverside blogs:
Momarama
Riverside Art Museum
Apartment by the Riverside
Riverside's Facebook page: Follow Riverside on Facebook
Riverside's Twitter page: Follow Riverside on Twitter
Education rank: 98
High School graduation rate 2008: 86.20%
Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003-2009: 2
Blue Ribbon Schools per 100,000 people: 0.68
NEAYC-accredited preschools: 5
NAEYC schools per 100,000 people: 1.69
NAEP State proficiency reading, grade 8: 253
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: 24.30
Total Expenditures Per Student: $9,674
Health rank: 99
Quality children's hospitals: 0
Hospitals per 100,000 people: 0
Quality Pediatricians: 1
Quality Pediatricians per 100,000: 0.34
Average number of Unhealthy Air Quality days between 2006-2008, by county: 24
Safety rank: 27
Violent Crimes, 2008: 1,922
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000: 650.74
Sex Offenders: 386
Sex Offenders per 100,000: 130.69
Economy rank: 98
Travel time to work, 2006-2008, in minutes: 29.30
Percent of labor force unemployed, January 2010: 15
Best Performing Cities Job Index: 991.97
Median Home Sale Price: $198,200
5-Year Home Value Index: -11.59%
Percent of homes sold for a loss: 49.79%
Recreation Rank: 60
Parkland acreage, 2008 (includes pools and playgrounds): 2,905
Parkland per 100,000: 983.556
Photo courtesy of Bent Corydon
