Out & About – 12/29/2010

Main Street
A trolley strolls along Main Street near City Hall on a rainy Wednesday
in downtown Riverside.

When it comes to Geographical Information Systems (GIS), a local Redlands company — Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) — is the industry leader. Their software is the backbone behind many mapping programs including those that are Internet-based. Even so, many local residents barely know the company even exists: ESRI, the biggest local company you probably…

Now that the Orange Blossom Festival is officially kaput, officials in Riverside are eyeing an enlarged Festival of Lights as a quasi-replacement for the annual citrus celebration. Already a great success in its own right, the annual FOL draws tens of thousands of visitors from throughout Southern California during the winter holidays. The centerpiece of…

13 square miles; 8,200 acres; 30,000 homes; 120,000 residents — it all adds up to Ontario’s “New Model Colony.” Expected to be developed in stages over the next 20 years, Ontario’s New Model Colony will add large swaths of upscale neighborhoods to the predominantly business class city, which has been working at updating its general…
As mentioned before, Eighth Street — now University Avenue — in Riverside’s eastside was once the city’s “motel row.” In many ways, with several motels, hotels and eateries remaining, it still serves that purpose today. One of the earliest major chain motels to pop up on the stretch between downtown and UC Riverside was the…
A new day is about to begin for local news within Inland Southern California as a new venture — one which may very well change how we receive local news in the future — is about to debut. It’s called: InstantRiverside.com and it’s set to launch May 4th. Managed by veteran journalist Craig Fiegener —…
Drivers using the 91 Freeway in Riverside of late have noticed construction barriers, closed bridges and the removal of large swaths of landscaping along six miles of the freeway from Adams Street into downtown Riverside. The changes are part of a $232 million HOV lane project that began this past Spring. Expected to be completed…