River City Church (2)

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INTRODUCTION Riverside, Iowa is a city of just over 1000 residents located in Washington County. The city of Riverside makes up about half the population of Iowa Township and is part of the Iowa City Metro Area. The city limits are an unusual shape including some businesses along Iowa Hwy 22, the Riverside Casino, and most of the Blue Top Ridge Golf Course. Riverside is neighbored by other rural subdivisions in Iowa Township including Timberline Estates, St. Ann’s View, Stone Ridge Estates, Saddlewood Estates, Windmill View, Cedar Bay, East View Subdivision, Lost Acres Subdivision, and Quail Ridge Subdivision. Riverside is also bordered by Kalone and Lake Tree. To River City Church River City Church originated from initial discussions about planting a church five years ago. Three years later, River City held its first worship service. Since then, the membership and attendance of River City has grown, and the church continues to thrive. Most of the church’s regular attenders live outside of Riverside city limits, some traveling from as far away as 40 miles one way. Currently, River City does not have a physical church building which yields struggles with the logistics of being a “church on wheels.” This includes the wear on equipment and set-up crews. Additionally, a lack of physical space has put significant limitations on education programming, youth groups, meetings, and other necessary office functions. Despite its current hardship, River City Church is continuing to grow as it reaches people within Riverside city limits and beyond. 3
HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE 1 The settlement of Riverside was established in 1872 and incorporated in 1882. The name is likely in reference to the townsite location on the English River. Early faith communities in the area included Christodelphians, Baptists, Methodists, United Brethren, and Catholics. The Muscatine and Iowa City railroads arrived in 1873 which allowed for growth of the new town. In 1879, the Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railway built a 66 mile branch of railroad from Iowa City to What Cheer via Riverside. After many ownership changes, the railroad was abandoned in the early 1970s. Trekfest, a significant event in the calendar of Riverside, was started in 1983 when Riverside was named as the Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk of the Star Trek TV series. The development of Riverside Casino has also impacted the trajectory of Riverside. The plan for the Casino was approved in 2004 with groundbreaking in 2005 and grand opening in 2006. This created an income stream which has allowed for many city improvements and initiatives. Riverside, though a relatively small community, has continued to grow as new homes are being built in burgeoning residential developments. The residents of Riverside continue to be a tightknit community with many residents having family roots going back to Riverside’s earliest farming community. The community is very social with graduation parties, sports events, Trek Fest, semi-annual garage sales, and church activities bringing people together. 4
Page 1 and 2: Neighborhood 360 Assessment
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Page 7 and 8: DEMOGRAPHIC INSIGHTS Important Find
Page 9 and 10: Industry and Vocation In Riverside,
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Page 13 and 14: NEXT STEPS Given what the Neighborh
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River City Church (2)

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