Six miles from downtown, on the western end of the city with the 91 Freeway creating its southern border, lays Arlington, one of the more historically significant neighborhoods in Riverside CA. Originally settled in 1875, Arlington merged with the original Riverside colony to form the City of Riverside in 1883.
Due to its vibrant history, Arlington has been the focus of several revitalization projects in recent years, which has had a positive effect on property values. Arlington real estate is now more highly sought after as the median sales price has increased 11.2 percent over the past year to $237,435.
After the first post office opened in 1891, the community changed its name to Arlington Place, but switched back to Arlington nine years later. The name Arlington was chosen by election in 1900.
One Riverside's oldest neighborhoods, Arlington once represented the city's western most border, before the La Sierra neighborhood was annexed in 1964. Magnolia Avenue, a tree-lined boulevard designed as a grand carriage way, is the backbone of the neighborhood and is dotted with shops and restaurants big and small, including Lowes hardware store and dozens of small mom and pop businesses.
Arlington was the heart of Riverside's agricultural beginnings with groves of citrus tress covering the area. The area was a test facility for growing citrus for what would eventually become the University of California Riverside. The experiment was successful and Riverside revolutionized the citrus industry with its Washington navel oranges.
Major housing developments in the 1950s and 1960s saw the once-rural neighborhood urbanized with more than 1,000 new homes built in a ten-year period. This same time period saw the commercial development of the Tyler Mall and surrounding area. The neighborhood also features a campus-like county facility at the corner of Hole and Magnolia that houses the County Department of Social Services and the County Department of Health.
Maintaining Arlington's village character has been a top priority for the city and Arlington's neighborhood associations. Several projects, including the Arlington Village Beautification and Magnolia Avenue Irrigation projects, have breathed new life into the once-dormant community; and a Magnolia Avenue Specific Plan, which was the result of the 2001 Arlington Community Plan, has been included in the city's Master General Plan 2025.
With an emphasis on attracting shoppers and new businesses, the neighborhood focused the majority of its attention toward Magnolia Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard, the area's two biggest thoroughfares. The Galleria at Tyler, a regional shopping destination on the neighborhood's southwest corner has also been revamped over recent years, adding upscale shops and restaurant, such as Nordstrom, P.F. Chang's and The Cheesecake Factory.
Increasing walkability in the neighborhood has been a top priority for the revitalization efforts -- and it has paid off. Arlington is the second most walkable neighborhood in the city.
Arlington is known for its world-class public facilities, such as Don Lorenzi and Arlington parks and the historic Arlington Library. Built in 1909 in the Greek-revival style, Arlington Library is a full-service branch of the city's main library system and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Offering computers and Internet access, including free Wi-Fi, to the community, the library also serves as a local gathering place for neighborhood meetings. The facility was renovated in 1996 and again in 2008, with the latter quadrupling the library's size with a 13,000-square-foot addition.
Don Lorenzi Park and Arlington Park and Pool are hubs of outdoor activity for the neighborhood with swimming, baseball, softball and soccer facilities. Just a short drive to the south, located in Arlington Heights, is the California Citrus State Historic Park. Featuring an open-air museum, the park is one of Riverside's premiere landmarks.
Other public facilities in this neighborhood include Liberty and Sunshine elementary schools and Arlington Fire Station No. 2. The community is also served by the private St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School.
In addition to its deep heritage and great sense of community pride, Arlington is also a very diverse neighborhood. With just over 11,000 residents in 1.7 square miles, it is one of the most dense and diverse neighborhoods in Riverside CA. Nearly 60 percent of residents in this community are renters with a median monthly rent of $854, which is 16 percent below Riverside as a whole.
Arlington is home to the city's largest Asian population -- the majority being Chinese American and Korean American -- which is a break from Riverside's predominately white and Hispanic racial breakdown. The neighborhood is a popular destination for young families looking for affordability. The median age in this part of Riverside is 29.3 years old, more than a year younger than the rest of the city by comparison.
Perhaps one of Arlington's biggest draws is its affordability. Housing prices here are about 20 percent below the city's average. The explosive growth of the Galleria at Tyler has sent many smaller business into the heart of Arlington, creating and bustling neighborhood core with lower rents and plenty of foot traffic.
While Riverside once offered the great escape from Los Angeles and Orange counties' ever increasing cost of living, property values have soared in this desert oasis as well, making neighborhoods like Arlington, with its great schools and lower cost of living, a prime destination for first-time homebuyers and young families.
