Glimpses of Riverside

The Downtown Marriott, host hotel for the 2009 SCA Annual General Meeting, sits in the midst of the "Mile Square". This was the original town of Riverside. It is characterized by streets with numbers - 14 should about do it - intersected by those bearing the names of trees. Conference attendees will soon find themselves amidst Orange, Lemon, Lime, Almond or Chestnut streets in the vicinity of the hotel.

John W. North, an abolitionist judge, promoted and founded the city in 1871. He also established Northfield, Minnesota. While some trances of North can be found, there is a park and a high school named for him, it was the citrus industry which really helped Riverside bloom and boom.

In today's urban expansion (that single mile square has grown to 84 square miles) it is difficult to imagine standing along Victoria Avenue in Riverside and seeing nothing but palm trees and orange groves in any direction. The avenue, named for England's queen, provides evidence of the heavy English influence upon the development of the city and owning your own orange grove was part of the attraction.

By 1882, there were more than half a million citrus trees in California, almost half of which were in Riverside. The development of refrigerated railroad cars and innovative irrigation systems established Riverside as the wealthiest city per capita by 1895.

Gold grew on trees in Riverside. The trees flourished due to a favorable climate, and abundant water from nearby springs and underground aquifers. There is a river, but it flows largely underground and was not a principal source of irrigation for the citrus industry. If you want to dangle your feet in the water in May, you will have to be satisfied with the hotel pool.

Future Glimpses:
   Harada House
   Riverside County Courthouse