Moreno Valley East - Moreno Valley, CA Area Guide

This neighborhood started as a settlement for Native Americans around 2,300 years ago. An overland mail route came through the town once California became a state in 1850. It wasn't until the early 1890s that Moreno Valley began to have modern conveniences. Frank E. Brown ran a water pipeline from Bear Valley to Moreno in 1891 to establish the town as a base for growing citrus fruits. Moreno Valley became an incorporated city in 1984 as an amalgamation of three former cities: Moreno, Edgemont, and Sunnymead.

View more than 70 historic aircraft, including an SR-71 Blackbird, B-17 Flying Fortress, B-29 Superfortress, and a B-52 Stratofortress, at the March Field Air Museum along the southwest edge of the city. Artoberfest happens one day every year in October at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center as dozens of local artists gather to show off their work.

Moreno Valley contains a little bit of everything in the way of culinary choices. Standard favorites include several national chain fast food joints, ethnic eateries, and casual restaurants. Local options range from American and Italian to Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Along the east side of Moreno Valley, most of the restaurants sit along Iris Avenue at the intersections with Perris Boulevard and Lasalle Street.

As you might expect, Steer 'n Stein serves juicy steaks alongside hefty mugs of beer. This local favorite has everything you want from your grilled steak, including three different sizes of sirloin, a juicy cut of rib-eye, and a tri-tip filet wrapped in bacon. As an appetizer, order the stack of thick-cut onion rings -- and you may not have enough room for your entree. If you dig surf and turf, this restaurant has skewered grilled shrimp or crispy fried shrimp as a side. When you feel like a sandwich, the Philly cheesesteak remains a great alternative to burgers and steaks.

Armando's Mexican Food prides itself on friendly service and huge portions at a good price. Don't expect any beans in the carne asada burrito; it arrives at your table filled with meat alongside a bit of avocado and pico de gallo. You absolutely must try the carne asada fries. Once you've had these fries covered by strips of steak and then covered in guacamole and cheese, you may never go back to any other dish.

Locals rave about the cheese bread sticks from Red Maple Pizza , claiming that this mom-and-pop joint puts national chain products to shame. The potato wedges represent a hidden gem here: 12 gigantic pieces of fried potato for not a lot of money. The Red Maple supreme has five meats, six veggies, and extra cheese, so you get to sample a little of everything. The Indian pizza contains every vegetable — plus ginger, cilantro, and garlic. The Loco arrives at your table with a Tex-Mex flavor thanks to beef chorizo, ham, cilantro, jalapeno, and onion. If you don't want pizza, the place sells sub sandwiches, too.

Most bars and nightlife sit closer to the center of Moreno Valley along Sunnymead Ranch Boulevard or Alessandro Boulevard. Rene's Bar and Grill looks like a hole in the wall, but locals swear by the steaks. Shark Bar serves as your typical sports bar in town with pool tables, TVs, and inexpensive drinks strong on the alcohol. Moreno Valley really doesn't have any live music venues, but next-door Riverside has plenty of options such as Worthington's Tavern, the Vibe, or Cafe Sevilla.

Definitely bring some type of wheeled transportation to get around the eastern part of Moreno Valley. Some parts of the neighborhood may not connect to the city for a mile or so. Bicycle-friendly thoroughfares include Iris Avenue, Nason Street, Moreno Beach Drive, and Lasalle Street. Ride your bike through residential streets as most houses have driveways. If you feel like getting some slower-paced exercise, most streets have sidewalks.

Businesses and public buildings have plenty of free parking throughout the neighborhood. Drive north on Moreno Beach Drive to reach the Moreno Valley Freeway that heads west towards Riverside. Hop on Cactus Avenue or Alessandro Boulevard going west to pick up Interstate 215.

A couple of taxi companies serve the area, while Uber drivers can pick you up if your main transportation breaks down. Public buses from several routes within the Riverside Transit Agency stop at Moreno Valley Mall. Route 11 picks up and drops off at the intersection of Alessandro and Frederick.

Several parks and green spaces await residents of the east side of Moreno Valley. Lake Perris State Recreation Area provides a huge wilderness for hiking, boating, camping, fishing, and more. Celebration Park in the southeast part of the city contains a water park, basketball court, playground, and a huge pavilion for major gatherings. Hound Town is a dog-centric park on Redlands Boulevard near the equestrian center.

The Southern California Fair occurs over nine days in early October as the largest outdoor event in Moreno Valley. Attend concerts, get dizzy on carnival rides, view plenty of farm-based exhibits, and eat plenty of high-calorie fair food as you enjoy everything about the fair.

A one-bedroom apartment rents for around $1,090 per month. Living costs less in Moreno Valley than in Los Angeles, mostly due to lower housing expenses.

A pint of beer runs you approximately $4.50 for happy hour specials at your local watering hole. A gallon of gasoline typically goes for nine percent higher than the national average. A day pass on RTA buses costs $4 and takes you anywhere in the system. Once in downtown Riverside, catch a MetroLink train to Union Station in L.A. to get to the heart of the action.

High-value chain stores call Moreno Valley home, including Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Target. Moreno Valley Mall, in the northwest part of the city on the site of the old raceway, offers several high-end stores. A few locally-owned shops and boutiques dot the landscape along the eastern side of this neighborhood, mostly along Alessandro Boulevard and Perris Boulevard.

Fans consistently vote White's Bikes , towards the center of Moreno Valley, as the best bike shop in the Inland Empire. The experts here can hook you up with a great street bike, dirt bike, or mountain bike. The store opens every Tuesday through Saturday, and friendly staffers can fit anyone of any age and ability with a bike. Watch out for the store's cat wandering through the merchandise.

The floral designers at Garden of Roses take pride in their flower shop. This is not a 1-800 call center, nor do arrangements arrive at the store pre-packaged from a foreign country. Staffers here create beautiful arrangements for any occasion and any season.

Stater Bros. Markets has two locations in the eastern portion of Moreno Valley to help residents meet their usual grocery needs. Head to a few farms just north of Moreno Valley to find fresh produce. Downtown Riverside or Redlands have the biggest farmer's markets in the area.