Riverside is a city located in Riverside County, California, United States, situated in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is the county seat of Riverside County and the largest city in the area, with more than 336,000 inhabitants. The city is renowned for its citrus industry, which was built around the sweet and delicious navel orange. The region has a semi-arid to arid climate with dry valleys surrounded by desert mountain ranges.
Most of the valley floor to the west is developed, while as you move eastwards, coastal grasses and shrubs give way to desert vegetation such as scrubs, creosote shrubs and cacti. The climate varies depending on altitude and distance from the Pacific Ocean. Summers are warm in the western part of the county and extremely hot and dry in the east. Afternoons are usually comfortable due to desert climate and a little marine cooling.
Winters are mild and mostly dry, but most of the annual rainfall occurs during this season. There are a few days each winter with temperatures below freezing, but many winters are frost-free. Snow is rare but can appear. Riverside is represented in the California state legislature by Democrat Richard Roth in the 31st Senate District. It is the 61st largest city in the United States, the twelfth largest city in California, and the largest city in the Inland Empire metropolitan area of California.
As the seat of Riverside County and the most populous city in the Inland Empire, Riverside is also home to several law, accounting, engineering and banking firms. Riverside Municipal Airport is an airport within the city limits of Riverside but it has no commercial airline service.
