About San Bernardino

San Bernardino’s colorful history begins in the early years of the 19th century. Spanish missionaries were the first settlers to the region. They chose the fertile valley at the foot of a majestic mountain range as an outpost for other missionaries who traveled throughout the California territory preaching to the various Indian tribes.

The first Spanish mission in the valley was established on May 20, 1810 by Father Dumetz, a Franciscan missionary, who named the rancho mission “San Bernardino” after Saint Bernardino of Siena, the patron saint of the day on the Catholic Calendar. The main concern of the missionaries was the spiritual welfare of the Indians, but they also took a part in their material well being, showing their peaceful friends how to bring water down from Mill Creek and the best ways to plant and irrigate crops.

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Where To Stay

Are you seeking a weekend escape at a Country French Bed & Breakfast such as the Fern Valley Inn, or are you searching for a conference center with all the amenities offered by the Hampton Inn? Whatever your requirements, the hotels around Riverside are at your service.

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About Riverside

Founded in 1870 by John North and a group of Easterners who wished to establish a colony dedicated to furthering education and culture, Riverside was built on land that was once a Spanish ranch. Investors from England and Canada transplanted traditions and activities adopted by prosperous citizens: the first golf course and polo field in Southern California were built in Riverside.

The first orange trees were planted in 1871, but the citrus industry Riverside is famous for began two years later when Eliza Tibbets received two Brazilian navel orange trees sent to her by a friend at the Department of Agriculture in Washington. The trees thrived in the Southern California climate and the navel orange industry grew rapidly.

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Climate

By Car

Freeways

Riverside County is linked to neighboring counties by Interstate 215 and 10 and by the 91 and 60 Freeways. Figures show a 100 percent increase in traffic in the last ten years. Nearly 3,000 miles of county-maintained roads and 700 miles maintained by the state provide excellent service to the region. A toll lane has been added between Riverside and Orange Counties on Highway 91 for commuters.

Public Transportation

Riverside Transit Agency

http://www.rrta.com/

The RTA is the primary provider of fixed route and paratransit services throughout a 2,500 square mile area in Western Riverside County, California. Their mission is to “provide for a variety of transportation needs in a cost effective and efficient manner, for all the residents of our member communities.” The agency is committed to providing safe, reliable, courteous, accessible, innovative, and user-friendly transit services to our customers. This web resource provides accurate, up-to-date information about bus routes and times schedules that are designed to meet some of our community’s growing transportation needs.

Park And Ride Locations

To assist you with your commuting needs, a list of all Park and Ride sites located in Riverside County is provided below. Use of Park and Ride sites is free to the public and available to commuters who share a ride to work by transit, buspool or carpool.

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Air Transportation

Los Angeles International Airport (310) 646-4265

1 World Way

Los Angeles, CA 90045

LAX is the world’s fifth busiest passenger airport and ranks sixth in air cargo tonnage handled, and its popularity shows no sign of decreasing.  It’s the closest major airport, about an hour and fifteen minutes from downtown Riverside.

LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot

To help reduce vehicle traffic congestion in the Central Terminal Area, LAX now has a 24-hour LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot, where motorists meeting arriving passengers can wait for free until passengers call to say they are ready to be picked up terminal curbside.

The 79-space lot is located at 9011 Airport Boulevard, north of the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Arbor Vitae/Westchester Parkway. The lot is located five minutes from the Central Terminal Area and easily accessible from the north and east by motorists using La Tijera, Sepulveda, Manchester and Century Boulevards to access LAX.

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City Area Code(s)

The area code for the San Bernardino/Riverside area is 909.

Radio (FM)

Radio (AM)

Television

Sights & Attractions

Castle Amusement Park

Offers rides and attractions, four 18 hole miniature golf courses and a three-level video arcade. Ride park 6-11 p.m. Fridays, noon-11 p.m. Saturdays, noon-8 p.m. Sundays. Arcade and miniature golf open daily at 10 a.m.

3500 Polk Street.

(909) 785-4140

Jensen-Alvarado Ranch

Historic ranch completely restored to portray rural life. You will find cattle, sheep, chickens, rabbits, a duck pond and goats. There are citrus groves, peach, apricot and plum orchards, and a grape vineyard. Observe plowing with horses and general farm life by those dressed in period clothing. The Winery Museum and Gift Corner are open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends.

4350 Briggs St.

(909) 369-6055.

Jurupa Mountains Cultural Center

Earth science museum, horticulture information, and Saturday field trips. Museum open 1:00-4:00 p.m.. Tuesday through Saturday. Don’t miss the dinosaurs!

7621 Granite Hill Dr.

(909) 685-5818.

March Field Air Museum

Exhibits depicting the history of March Air Force Base, plus 53 vintage aircraft and memorabilia dating from World War I to the present. The museum is open 10 am – 4pm daily (10-5 weekends in Summer Months). Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Interstate 215 at Van Buren Boulevard.

March Air Force Base.

(909) 697-6602.

Mission Inn

The Mission Inn which now fills an entire block began as the Glenwood Cottages. a family run hotel. In 1876 the C.C. Miller family began taking paying guests into their Riverside home. When the first large construction, the Mission Wing, opened in 1903 the hotel was renamed Glenwood Mission Inn.

3649 Mission Inn Avenue.

(909) 784-0300

Mount Rubidoux

Walk to the top of Riverside’s most historic landform and site of the nation’s first outdoor interdenominational Easter Sunrise Service in 1909. Overlooking the Downtown, from this vantage point it’s obvious there is lots to see and do here.

UCR Botanic Gardens

Escape the routine and take a peaceful break amidst birds, bees, blossoms and butterflies by visiting the UCR Botanic Gardens, 39 acres of flowers, trees, woods, and gardens. There are hiking trails. beautiful spots for picnics, and perfect places just to sit and meditate. A gentle pathway for wheelchair access winds through the main features of the gardens. Twice a year, the Gardens hold their very popular Plant Sale. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Admission and parking are free.

(909) 787-4650.

Historic Landmarks

Benedict Castle

Located at 5445 Chicago Avenue, this Spanish-style castle was designed by H.L.A. Jekel in the Spanish- Moorish style and built in two stages, 1922-1931. It is now headquarters for the Teen Challenge Program, For further information, call (909) 683-4241.

Buena Vista Drive & Park

Principal entrance to Riverside from the west prior to the opening of the Pomona Freeway. The rustic-looking 1931 bridge of locally quarried granite is a favorite path for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and the occasional slow-moving automobile. Landmark status includes Raincross lamp standards and balustrades, St. Francis fountain and waterfall, stone bridge and towers of former river bridge.

First Congregational Church

3504 Mission Inn Avenue at Lemon.

Completed in 1913 as the third home of the city’s first church congregation, the building was designed by architect Myron Hunt in Spanish Renaissance Revival style with Churrigueresque tower and details. The carillon was installed in the bell tower in 1989.

Fox Theater

3801 Mission Inn Avenue at Market.

Opened in 1929, the Spanish Colonial Revival style theater served the community as a combination cinema/vaudeville house and attracted well-known performers including Bing Crosby and Judy Garland. Also popular as a location for motion picture previews, the theater was the site of the first public screening of “Gone with the Wind” in 1939. This grand old theater is now home to the Riverside Film Festival.

Heritage House

This restored two-story Victorian home, completed in 1892, is in the Queen Anne style. Highlights include the staircase, gas lamps, and turn-of-the-century decor. Riverside City Landmark #5. Call for tour hours. Free admission, donation suggested. 8193 Magnolia Ave. (909) 689-1333.

Mission Inn

Public tours of the Mission Inn are provided four times daily, Monday through Friday, by the trained docents of the Mission Inn Foundation. On weekends, the tours depart every half hour. The walking tour takes 75 minutes and begins at the Mission Inn Museum. Tour times and route are subject to availability. For reservations, call the Mission Inn Foundation, (909) 781-8241, or the Mission Inn Museum, (909) 788-9556). The Mission Inn Museum is located at the corner of Mission Inn Avenue and Main Street.

Today, the Mission Inn is privately owned by the Historic Mission Inn Corporation. It is a four-star, destination hotel, renovated by public-private partnership in the 1980s with federal and local, private and public funds, totalling over $42 million. Registered hotel guests can visit nearly all nooks, crannies, and niches of the Inn. For information on rooms, food/event services, or great getaway packages, call the Mission Inn Hotel, (909) 784-0300.

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Education

Community Colleges

Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.

The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.

Riverside Community College

4800 Magnolia Ave.

Riverside, CA 92506-1299

(951) 222-8000

www.rcc.edu

Located in the City of Riverside, the campus opened in 1916 on the site of the former Poly High School and today serves more than 19,000 students each semester. Students attending the City Campus can choose to earn an associate’s degree, transfer to a four-year college or university or earn a career certificate that prepares them to enter the workforce.

San Bernardino Valley College

701 South Mount Vernon Ave.

San Bernardino, CA 92410

(909) 384-4400

www.valleycollege.edu

San Bernardino Valley College serves high school graduates and those over eighteen years of age. In addition, the college provides a gateway to higher education and vocational training for non-traditional populations, including: qualified high school students; re-entry adults; immigrants; the educationally or financially challenged; and those who cannot or choose not to attend the main campus.

Liberal Arts Colleges

Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.

Online Learning

Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes- and financial aid is equally available-while the cost to the institution can be much less.

There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.

Area Employers

Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.

Public vs. Private

Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.

California Baptist University

8432 Magnolia Ave

Riverside, CA 92504-3297

(951) 689-5771

www.calbaptist.edu

Private not-for-profit, 4-year school.

A Baptist school that integrates faith into the studies of a wide variety of subjects.

Universities

Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.

California State University-San Bernardino 

5500 University Pky

San Bernardino, CA 92407-2397

(909) 880-5000

www.csusb.edu

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is the sole public, comprehensive, university serving the Riverside-San Bernardino counties of Southern California. Founded in 1965, the campus offers more than 70 traditional baccalaureate and master’s degree programs along with a wide variety of education credential and certificate programs to a student body of 16,000.

Upper Division

Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.