Moving here

Moving to Riverside, California

Riverside is the county seat of Riverside County and one of the larger cities in the Inland Empire, with UC Riverside on its east side and the Mission Inn at its center. Here is what to know before you move, and where Rock Ridge sits in it.

The city

Riverside is where Southern California's navel orange industry began in the 1870s, and the city still keeps one of the two parent Washington navel orange trees, at Magnolia and Arlington Avenues. Today it is a university city: UC Riverside, Riverside City College and California Baptist University are all inside it, and the restored Mission Inn, the Fox Performing Arts Center and the Riverside Art Museum anchor a walkable downtown. It is warm and dry most of the year, inland from the coast.

Rock Ridge is in the City of Riverside's Eastside neighborhood, on the west side of Chicago Avenue between Linden Street and University Avenue. The University neighborhood and the campus start across the street.

Courtyard of the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside, with a tiled dome, a statue and wrought-iron balconies — The Mission Inn courtyard, downtown Riverside. Photo: Adam Jones, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Where Rock Ridge sits

The UC Riverside main entrance is 1.3 miles east on University Avenue, and downtown is the other way: the Mission Inn is 1.9 miles and the Riverside County Administrative Center 1.8. Groceries are close, with Food 4 Less on Chicago Avenue 0.5 mile from the gate and Stater Bros. on Iowa Avenue 1.1 miles. The neighborhood guide has the full table in driving miles.

Getting around and getting to work

The I-215 and SR-60 ramps at 3rd Street are 0.6 mile away and the SR-91 downtown is 1.7 miles, so most of the Inland Empire and Orange County are a freeway away. Two Metrolink stations are near: Riverside-Downtown at 2.0 miles and Hunter Park/UCR at 2.2. Commuting from Rock Ridge lays out the roads, trains and buses.

Renting at Rock Ridge

Rock Ridge is mostly one-bedroom homes, each a single level with nobody above or below, plus a two-bedroom and three-bedrooms upstairs over the garages. One-bedrooms are listed from $1,595/month right now. Every open home and its exact rent is on the availability page. Small dogs and cats are welcome, up to three per home, on the pet page. The move-in costs and what is checked are listed in full on how to apply.

See current openings Book a self-guided tour

Questions people ask

Where is Rock Ridge in Riverside?

At 3581 Chicago Ave in the Eastside neighborhood, on the west side of Chicago Avenue between Linden Street and University Avenue. UC Riverside is 1.3 miles east and the Mission Inn downtown 1.9 miles west.

Is Riverside a good place for students and university staff?

UC Riverside is 1.3 miles from Rock Ridge by road, Riverside City College is 3.0 miles and California Baptist University 7.0. RTA Route 1 stops at University and Chicago and runs to campus. See apartments near UC Riverside.

What is Riverside known for?

It is the birthplace of California's navel orange industry, the county seat of Riverside County, and home to the Mission Inn, UC Riverside and a downtown of historic theaters and museums.

How far is downtown Riverside from Rock Ridge?

The Mission Inn is 1.9 miles away, the County Administrative Center 1.8, and the Riverside-Downtown Metrolink station 2.0.

Distances measured by road from 3581 Chicago Ave using OpenStreetMap, October 2026. City facts from the City of Riverside and the Mission Inn.