Celebration at Coldwell Banker Armstrong
Today we celebrate 50 Years in Riverside! Coldwell Banker Armstrong Properties has been serving Riverside residents’ real estate needs for 50 years! Even more impressive is the fact that we have been in the same building for all 50 years. Today we celebrate with an open house at our Googie Style building from 4 – 8pm.
Coldwell Banker Armstrong’s Googie Building
Stop by for a visit if you’re in the neighborhood!
If you would like more information on what “Googie Style” architecture is, “like” the Ransom-McKenzie Team on Facebook and we’ll give you the history of the Brockton Arcade’s predominant architectural style! If you’ve already liked the team, share our page with your friends and leave us a message. We’ll give you the scoop too!
Happy Birthday Coldwell Banker Armstrong Properties!!!!
New Listing 6093 Pachappa Drive
Welcome home! This 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1710 square foot home is waiting just for you! With full upgrades including hardwood floors, newer roof, high end dual pane windows, updated bathrooms and more this is one you can’t resist. Listed by the Ransom-McKenzie Team for $294,500. Click the link below for more pictures and details and call us to see the home in person!
Your Opinion Matters
Don’t forget to take the Riverside Community Quality of Life Survey! Let the City know what you think about living in Riverside. There is a lot to like about the quality of life that we enjoy, but there is also room for improvement. Staying involved and making your voice heard is the best way to help make Riverside even better.
Click on the link below to take the survey because your opinion does matter. The entire survey will take about 8-10 minutes to complete, but it is well worth your time.
Community Survey!
Time to Garden
April is here and the gardening season has begun! Charlotte has been working feverishly in her garden preparing for this Month’s Riverside Flower Show & Garden Tour. This is the same tour that Connie’s garden was featured on last year. The show will take place at the end of the month on April 27th & 28th.
This picture is a sneak peek of Charlotte’s garden, come see the tour for the full experience. In addition to the flower show at the Elks Club, (6166 Brockton Ave.), there are 6 gardens on the tour. It is going to be a fun event to be sure! Check out this flier for more information on where to get tickets and tour times.
As we move into the warmer days of spring, more of us are getting outside and thinking about what we’re going to do with our gardens. This weekend, the UCR 39th Annual Botanic Gardens Spring Plant Sale is open to the public, Saturday & Sunday (April 6th & 7th). This is a fabulous opportunity to find native plants that will thrive in your Riverside gardens. There will be Master Gardeners on hand to answer your gardening queries and a plethora of plants to choose from. For more information, visit the UCRBG website.
The Wood Streets Green Team is also hosting a “How-to-Garden” tour this month. This is an annual event that has really taken off. This year’s tour is the 4th Annual event for this very popular tour. As you visit local gardens you will learn techniques for various garden tricks, get recipes for fresh, healthy food, and enjoy a tour of the Wood Streets neighborhood. There is also an Eco tour at RCC in conjunction with this event. Donations of $5 will go towards the Green Team’s efforts to support local community gardens in Riverside. For more information, visit the Green Team’s website.
Last, but not least is the Riverside Community Medical Center Foundation’s Garden Tour the first weekend in May. This year is the 18th year for this event which will feature five unique gardens. The proceeds from this garden tour event support the Child Abuse and Neglect Unit at RCMC. This tour also includes a lunch at one of the garden locations where you can meet with Friends as you travel around town visiting the gardens. For more information on this tour, visit the RCMC’S Website.
Have fun gardening!
We LOVE Riverside’s Farmer’s Markets
We’ve talked about shopping local for gifts and books, but what about veggies and meats? Are you a Locavore? “What is a Locavore?”, you ask. According to Jennifer Maiser, founder of the “Eat Local Challenge” group, “Locavores are people who pay attention to where their food comes from and commit to eating local food as much as possible.” We have recently seen a surge of Locavore activity popping up around town.
The great thing about thinking like a Locavore, is that it does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. Start small, like deciding to get your produce at one of our local farmer’s markets. We’re fortunate in Riverside to have numerous markets to choose from. Here is a list of our local Farmer’s Markets.
Riverside Certified Farmer’s Market
Every Friday, Rain or Shine
8:00am – 12:00pm
5261 Arlington Ave. (Sears Parking Lot off of Streeter)
Riverside CFR Website
Downtown Farmer’s Market Riverside
Every Saturday Morning
8:00am – 1:00pm
Main Street between 5th & 6th Street
DFMR Website
Galleria at Tyler Riverside Farmer’s Market
Every Sunday Near TGI Fridays
9:00am – 1:00pm
Pacific Costal CFM
Riverside Kaiser CFM
Every Other Friday
10:00am – 2:00pm
At the Riverside Kaiser Hospital Campus
Southland Farmer’s Market Association
These are just the markets that are here in Riverside. If you’re adventurous and would like to travel further, or if you travel and like to visit local markets where you are visiting, there are phone apps that will help you locate a local market.
This Market Finder app is available for i-phones or Androids
The app we used to help write this blog entry is called “Farmer’s Market Finder”. It will help you find markets wherever you are by city, day of the week, or as pins on a map. There are some great markets in surrounding cities such as Redlands or Temecula as well. With this app or one like it you’ll be able to keep your locavore status even when traveling.
Purchasing your food from local vendors is one small step towards living local. An added bonus is that it is fun go get out to visit the vendors and see friends there too enjoying the wonderful quality of life we have here in Riverside.
We LOVE Riverside’s Nature Preserves for Hiking & Biking!
Besides the mountains which we can enjoy from afar or drive to for pleasure, the City of Riverside has numerous opportunities for exploring nature or playing in the out of doors. This is doubly important because we live in one of the most temperate climates in the US. The State of California is behind Arizona as the state that gets the most days of sunshine per year. (According to a USA Today Weather News report). We all know that rain does not grace our skies very often. This means that we can get out and enjoy the outdoors almost daily! Today is a perfect example, here we are in the middle of February (winter?) and our high is expected to get up to almost 80 degress (F). Now that’s impressive!
View of snow capped mountains from Sycamore Canyon Preserve.
Nature surrounds us, with Sycamore Canyon, Box Springs Mountain Preserve, Santa Ana River Trail, California Citrus State Historic Park, Mount Rubidoux Memorial Park all within our city limits, opportunities to get out and about abound.
Sycamore Canyon Park is actually an ecological reserve put in place to help restore the habitat of the local endangered species, most notably the kangaroo rat. Sycamore is a great place to go for a hike or a mountain bike ride. In fact, it has become renowned for the great bike trails that spider through the area. When Bob & Jared go biking there they often meet bikers from San Diego and Orange County who come out to see this great place for mountain biking. And guess what? The Kangaroo Rats are very happy too! As it turns out, the bike trails throughout the park have helped these little critters to thrive, providing them pathways to explore their habitat.
It is perfect for biking year round, the pictures here give you an idea as to what you’ll see in the Spring with beautiful wildflowers, and in summer, when the sheep are grazing. We’re lucky to have Sycamore Canyon in our own backyard.
Mount Rubidoux Memorial Park is our most visible outdoor recreation area. If you’ve been there recently, you’ll know that it is always busy! Hikers, bikers, joggers, and dogs are always enjoying the views as they get their daily exercise. There are even rock climbing clubs that meet to practice on the granite boulders on the “back side” of the mountain. The fact that this outdoor playground is just minutes away from our back doors makes it even more special.
Hundreds of Riversiders enjoy exercising on Mt. Rubidoux every day.
If you’re familiar with Mount Rubidoux, than you may also frequent the Santa Ana River Bike Trail. It is a safe and fun way to get some spinning time in out in the real world. Bikers from all around ride this trail which links up to trails in San Bernardio, Redlands, Corona and beyond. This trail is planned to connect the Inland Empire to the coast and we’re almost there. If you’re not up for riding all the way to Huntington Beach, one of our favorite rides is from Tequesquite or the Martha Mclean Anza Narrows Park to the Hidden Valley Wildlife Preserve where there are great views from the trail and a bench to rest on before heading home.
View from the Santa Ana Bike trail at the Hidden Valley Nature Center.
Another extraordinary park is our California Citrus Heritage Park in the heart of the city’s greenbelt district. Preserving the heritage of our City’s first love, oranges, is just one of the benefits of this beautiful landmark. It is currently a State run park, but the City is looking into the option of taking over the management of the location. Located off of Dufferin & Van Buren on the west side of the city, this park offers another opportunity for getting outdoors and experiencing nature. If you’re looking for something to do with your kids over the 3-day weekend, the museum at the park offers a great learning experience as well.
Sitting up on the hill above the visitor’s center is a great place for a picnic.
A favorite local hideaway, which is also great for family jaunts and picnics, is the UCR Botanic Gardens. Located on the backside of the UCR campus the Botanic Gardens offer opportunities to hike through various botanic regions. There is a cactus & succulent garden, an herb garden, a butterfly garden, even gardens featuring foliage from other countries such as South Africa & Australia. As you hike through the trails, there are benches and places to sit and enjoy the beauty of the plants, or listen to the singing birds which grace the land. It is worth marking your calendars to visit this serene habitat. If you would like more information, their website offers a list of all the different regions you can visit.
Flowering Cactus in the Botanic Gardens
If you’re a little more adventurous and looking for some fabulous views and more experienced hiking opportunities, why not try Mt. Baldy or Mt. San Jacinto? Both of these mountains, which tower over our valley, are less than an hour away from Riverside and offer excellent views along with a good workout. Bob & the boys enjoy hiking up to the peaks to see the views, and to enjoy the experience of hiking peaks over 10,000 feet high. A great way to get up Baldy is to ride the ski lift in the spring or summer, it cuts down the journey and there is a restaurant at the top so you can enjoy a nice meal before heading home. Mt. San Jacinto has the same option if you want to head up from Palm Springs. Just take the Palm Springs Tramway and you’re well on your way to the top.
Spectacular views from Mt. Baldy. The peak is over 10,000 ft.
So, whether you stay local, or head out to the towering peaks beyond, there is never a lack of places to get outside in Riverside. We hope you’re able to enjoy some of these places that we are so fortunate to have here in our city. Just one more reason that we are in LOVE with RIVERSIDE.
We LOVE Riverside’s Local Shops!
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re looking for a last minute Valentine’s gift, fear not. Another LOVE we have for Riverside are all of the great local shops in town. We, along with the City, like to Shop Riverside and keep our spending local. There are some wonderful local shops that we always look forward to visiting.
Downtown on Main Street is always a fabulous place to go when you’re looking for gifts of any kind. One of our favorites along Main is Mrs. Tiggy Winkles. Just peeking in the window gives you a great idea as to all the wonderful treasures that are inside. The proprietress, Cee Ann Thiel, always has the BEST Valentine trinkets and gifts.
A wonderful selection of Valentine cards, gifts, and trinkets!
The store is on Main street between 6th Street and Mission Inn.
Mardon’s is the best place to find Riverside Raincross Jewelery.
While you’re on Main Street, and you still haven’t found that wonderful gift, try Mardon Jewelers. They are a family owned fine jewelery store on the Mission Inn of Main Street. Originally opened in 1961 by Marilyn & Don Harris (see the name there?), this store has been a staple for fabulous jewelry in Riverside ever since. The current owners, Jim & Kaye Sweaney have owned the business since 1999 and have kept this local treasure a family owned business.
Our next favorite hang out is the newly opened, Cellar Door Books in the Canyon Crest Town Center.
We welcome a local bookseller to the Canyon Crest Towncenter!
We are sooooo excited to see this new bookseller join the Canyon Crest location! We were faithful customers at Imagine That! and have missed them dearly. The Cellar Door Books store, is Imagine that plus. They have adult selections as well as fiction and have just started some great programs for youth and adult reading groups. We featured them in our recent newsletter focusing on some of the Gluck Fellowship events they are hosting. Stop by when you have a chance!
Simple Simon’s, cakes, bread & sandwiches.
Jammin’ Bread’s eclectic interior is just part of it’s charm!
Last but not least, if you need some sweets from a local shop, we have two favorites in town. One in Downtown, and one in Canyon Crest. Our Downtown bakery is Simple Simon’s on the Main street mall. They are the best place for everything baked downtown. When you’re done shopping at Mrs. Tiggy Winkles stop by for their famous shortbread jam filled hearts, or the infamous espresso chocolate hearts. If you’re up by the Cellar Door Bookstore, head into Jammn’ Bread for their great lemon bars and cupcakes. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day shopping local!
We are in LOVE with RIVERSIDE!
Let us count the ways! With Valentine’s Day this week, we thought it would be fun to highlight all of the things we love about the quality of life we enjoy in Riverside. We’ll be adding a new story each day for the next several days on this Blog Riverside! page. The countdown starts today! We could not decide on our absolute FAVORITE thing about Riverside, so these are in no particular order. (Although, you all know we love the Arts!)
Our First Love is Riverside’s Rich History
Riverside’s Fox Theater is one of our City’s finest historic landmarks.
Riverside has a long history – for California. More importantly, the people of Riverside have a willingness to preserve history. Native cultures, early Hispanic settlements, frontier immigrants from the Midwest and east as well as immigrants from Europe, China and Japan add to the fabric of Riverside.
The Gage and Riverside Canals were instrumental in setting our agricultural importance. The first section of the Gage Canal was constructed in 1885 at the peak of our Citrus Industry boom. Without the resources the Gage Canal offers our City, we would not be where we are today. The City’s citrus boom would have been bust.
The Gage Canal Company building on Duffrin Ave.
Frank Miller, builder of, and keeper of, the Mission Inn, was a leader who invested in our infrastructure (canals and parks) and the notion of international relations. He championed the rights of minorities and immigrants. His leadership still resonates today as the City fosters relationships with eight sister cities throughout the world.
The Municipal Auditorium was just given a facelift & a retrofit. This magnificent building was first built as a Veteran Memorial.
Riverside has been forward thinking regarding preserving the historic architecture as well as our agricultural history. Travel along Magnolia Avenue or Victoria Avenue and enjoy the changing seasons – the blossoming trees and roses.
The Julia Morgan designed YWCA is now home to our Riverside Art Museum.
Visit the Mission Inn, Heritage House, the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, the Harada House, the Riverside Art Museum or the Municipal Auditorium. These are only a few of the notable historic landmarks which have been preserved in Riverside.
The line of palm trees, and blooming roses along Victoria Avenue is loved by hikers, bikers, and commuters throughout the city.
We are proud of our city and the historic heritage that has been preserved here. The rich history, and pride in our city’s historic roots is one of the things that we LOVE about RIVERSIDE.
Real Estate & the Internet
The National Association of Realtors has completed a survey together with Google which looks at the online search habits of homebuyers in today’s marketplace. The results confirm what we have been hearing from our clients for quite sometime.
Nine out of ten homebuyers today rely on the Internet as one of their primary resources, and 52 percent turn to the web as their first step.
Here are some other fun facts from the survey:
5 Top new home buyer activities on mobile devices
1. 51% – Read general home information
2. 48% – Get directions in order to visit a home
3. 44% – Compare prices
4. 35% – Compare features
5. 35% – Search a listing company’s inventory
Places where new home buyers use their mobile devices
77% – At home
31% – At work
28% – While waiting in line
27% – At a restaurant
26% – At someone else’s home
Days of research before the new home shoppers take action on a site
40% – 120 days
17% – 60 days
7% – 30 days
4% – 3 weeks
3% – 2 weeks
5% – 1 week
24% – same day
Obviously today’s homebuyer is utilizing the internet to do extensive research prior to making a home buying decision. The Ransom-McKenzie Team believes that the Internet is a very valuable resource for our clients. However nothing can replace the value of a local Realtor who knows the market that you are going to purchase or sell your home in. There are some things, even the Internet can’t help you with.
California Proposition Guide
On Election Day eve many of us have already determined where our votes will be cast. However, with 11 propositions on the ballot in California, it is a bit confusing. We found an online guide which is very helpful in sorting through the hype and gets to the basics of each proposition. The more educated we are as voters, the better off we’ll be.
The important fact to remember is that EVERY vote counts! Make sure you get out to vote if you haven’t already. We’ll see you at the polls!
The Ransom-McKenzie Team 