Highgrove, CA

Center Street is the practical heart of Highgrove. Highgrove Community Park sits right along this stretch, drawing neighbors with its ballfields, basketball courts, playground, picnic areas, and walking trail. Just down the street, the local Riverside County library offers study spaces, community programs, and a meeting room where residents gather to discuss local development and county services. Commuters also have access to regional buses connecting into downtown Riverside, Grand Terrace, and Loma Linda. For an unincorporated area without a traditional downtown, Center Street is where everyday community activities come together.

The community got its start in the late 1800s as a citrus farming settlement called East Riverside. With new irrigation canals and the Santa Fe Railway, local growers were able to ship fruit nationwide, which spurred packing houses along the tracks. In 1888, engineers even tapped a local canal drop to build one of California's first hydroelectric operations, powering streetlights in nearby cities. Residents chose the name Highgrove in 1897. Over time, those early agricultural operations gave way to the warehouses, repair shops, and light industrial sites that still operate beside the rails.

Highgrove sits in a narrow corridor along Interstate 215, wedged between the city of Riverside and the San Bernardino County border. The community has a distinct split in character. Closer to the freeway and train tracks, you will find older residential streets mixed with mobile home parks, small businesses, and industrial yards. Heading east toward the Box Springs Mountain foothills, the setting shifts into larger residential lots, horse properties, and open space. Because conditions vary significantly from block to block, anyone planning a move here should spend time driving specific neighborhoods to get a feel for the immediate surroundings.