Want to live and work in Rialto?

Rialto's main draw is housing: buying or renting costs significantly less than on the other side of the mountains toward the Pacific. Families who work in LA but can no longer afford the rent often relocate here, even knowing they will face heavy traffic.

Electricity is expensive in summer due to air conditioning, which runs for many hours a day between June and September. Gas prices follow the California pattern, among the highest in the country. Grocery shopping can be more economical at Hispanic-oriented stores like Cardenas, Vallarta, and Northgate, which tend to be cheaper than Ralphs and Vons.

Healthcare, car insurance, and sales taxes (above 8%) push costs up. But with a working-class family income, it is possible to own a home, have two cars, and save something, which is increasingly difficult elsewhere in coastal California.

The Inland Empire is home to distribution centers that supply the entire western United States, and Rialto sits at the heart of that network. Amazon, Target, Walmart, Stater Bros., and 3PL operators occupy dozens of warehouses in the city, offering positions for operators, drivers, supervisors, and technicians.

Beyond logistics, the largest employers are the Rialto Unified School District, the city government, Kaiser hospital in Fontana (nearby), and retail chains. Construction employs a significant number, driven mainly by the constant expansion of warehouses and housing in the region.

Warehouse wages range from $18 to $24 per hour at entry level, with full benefits at large companies. Skilled professionals who work in LA, Long Beach, or Ontario often use Rialto as a bedroom community, commuting by car or via Metrolink.

Rialto has community clinics, urgent care centers, and private practices throughout the city, but more robust hospital care is located in neighboring cities. Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton are the most commonly used for emergencies.

For specialized care, Loma Linda University Medical Center (about 15 minutes away) is a regional reference for oncology, transplants, and maternal-infant care. St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, a Catholic facility with a long tradition in the area, also serves the region.

For those who need health insurance coverage, the market is dominated by Kaiser, Blue Shield, Anthem, and plans through Covered California. Community health centers serve uninsured families on a sliding-scale basis, with extensive Spanish-language services.

As in most of the Inland Empire, having a car in Rialto is practically essential. Riverside, Foothill, Baseline, and Ayala avenues form the main grid, connecting the city to the I-10 (east-west) and I-210 (toward Pasadena and LA) freeways.

Metrolink has a station on the San Bernardino line, with daily trains to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles in approximately 75 to 90 minutes. For many residents, it is the alternative to navigating the heavy I-10 traffic during peak hours.

Local Omnitrans buses cover the city, but with low frequencies outside the main corridors. Bike lanes are few, concentrated along some stretches of the Pacific Electric Trail, a former rail line converted into a bike and walking path that crosses Rialto, Fontana, and Rancho Cucamonga.

Rialto has no major museums or prestigious theaters, but it has a lively neighborhood culture. Community festivals in summer, farmers markets, city fairs, and celebrations like Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead fill plazas and parks. School parades and high school football games are important social events.

The food scene is dominated by taquerias, birrerias, seafood spots, and food trucks. Taco trucks park at night at fixed spots along Riverside Avenue and near industrial parks. Salvadoran pupuserias and Mexican bakeries (panaderias) are part of everyday life.

For concerts, ballet, and more elaborate cultural offerings, residents head to San Bernardino, Riverside, or Los Angeles. Proximity to the San Bernardino Mountains and Big Bear is also part of the cultural lifestyle, with many people heading up to the mountains on weekends.

The main foreign-born groups in Rialto are Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans, forming a dense network of churches, markets, community clinics, and neighborhood associations. Services in Spanish are available at nearly any business or government office.

Filipinos and Vietnamese form smaller but well-organized communities, with their own churches, ethnic markets, and strong ties to neighboring cities like Fontana and West Covina. South Asian immigrants, primarily Indians, have a growing presence, drawn by jobs in technology and logistics in the Inland Empire.

For newly arrived immigrants, the main entry points are Catholic parishes, schools with English as a Second Language programs, and regional nonprofits operating from San Bernardino to Riverside, offering legal guidance, English classes, and support for families with children in the school system.