Introduction to Rialto, California
Located in San Bernardino County, California, and situated below the San Bernardino mountains is the city of Rialto. Sixty miles to the west is the city of Los Angeles and 103 miles to the south is San Diego.
Rialto History
Rialto was incorporated as a city in 1911, but its roots trace back to well before the year 1500, which is when archaeologists believe the first Indian settlements took place. Much later, around the late 1800s, the area began to be settled by families whose primary pursuits were agriculture and ranching, with vineyards and citrus groves abundant in the region. Rialto continued to grow steadily, culminated by a huge population spike occurring between 1950-1980, when the population increased more than ten-fold. It is not completely clear how Rialto got its name. One theory is that the name was formed by a contraction of the Spanish words Rio (river) and Alto (high). Another story is that the city was named after the Rialto Bridge (a landmark of Venice, Italy). Regardless, the bridge has been retained as a community symbol known as the "Bridge of Progress."
Attractions in the Rialto Area
Some of the local attractions located within 20 miles of Rialto are the following:
- California Museum of Photography (Riverside).
- Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park (Ontario).
- Exotic Aquatics (Redlands).
- Riverside Art Museum.
- March Field Air Museum (Riverside).
- Mission Inn Museum (Riverside).
About an hour's drive away is the greater Los Angeles area, featuring the following attractions:
- Autry Museum of Western Heritage.
- CBS television City.
- Grauman's Chinese Theatre (also called Mann's Chinese Theatre).
- Universal Studios Hollywood.
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
- Wells Fargo History Museum.
- Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure Park (Anaheim).
- Knott's Berry Farm and Knott's Soak City (Buena Park).
For sports fans, the following professional sports teams are located in the Los Angeles and Anaheim areas:
- Major League Baseball (MLB):
- Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
- National Basketball Association (NBA):
- Los Angeles Lakers.
- Los Angeles Clippers.
- Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA):
- Los Angeles Sparks.
- Arena Football League (AFL):
- Los Angeles Avengers.
- National Hockey League (NHL):
- Los Angeles Kings.
- Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
- Major League Lacrosse (MLL):
- Los Angeles Riptide.