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Orange Crate Labels - Riverside, California

Welcome

This site explores the past, present, and future of downtown Riverside, California — one of Southern California’s truly historic downtowns, and indeed, a nice surprise within the suburban sprawl that is Greater Los Angeles.

The name Raincross Square comes from a downtown civic plaza of the 1970s and 1980s. It is also a derivative of “Mile Square,” the original 1870s street grid for the City of Riverside.

Within the Mile Square district of downtown are numerous historic homes and buildings, a handful of museums (including The Cheech), a four-block pedestrian mall, and the magnificent Riverside County Courthouse as well as the eclectic Mission Inn. Many stand as testament to the riches attained from Southern California’s once-mighty navel orange industry, which originated in Riverside in the mid-1870s.

Riverside, California - 2025
Riverside County (California) Courthouse
Rotunda - Mission Inn - Riverside, California
Main Street Pedestrian Mall - Riverside, California

Latest Posts

  • Downtown police headquarters closes, to be replaced
    Public notice was given recently regarding the closure and planned demolition and replacement of the 1965-era, downtown headquarters for the Riverside Police Department. Located at 4102 Orange Street, the 33,000…
  • Fleming’s Steakhouse coming to Riverside
    ‘Coming Soon’ signage is up, proclaiming that Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will be opening later this year in downtown Riverside, joining the growing and varied downtown dining and…
  • Riverside’s historic Mission Inn sold to local tribe
    After 33 years under the stewardship of co-owners Duane and Kelly Roberts, the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in downtown Riverside has been sold. The sale ends months of…