Anyone out there from Riverside, CA?

I am possibly moving to Riverside (or surrounding areas) for a job. I was wondering if any natives could tell me where the safest parts of town are to rent a place? I mean, I am a SoCal native and I have rented in quite a few "questionable" areas in Los Angeles so I am not trying to sound paranoid, it's just that i am a single female living alone and I don't like to have to be overly careful walking around an area by myself. Thanks in advance for the advice!

I totally understand Lola- I mean when I lived in North Hollywood it was like that. One block would be fine but just a coupla of streets down you would hear about gang violence all the time and gunshots at night and such. I guess most cities aren't "cut and dry" but I did hear one person mention that one side of Rubidoux (sp?) was really nice but don't go past this other street but I cannot for the life of me remember what he said...

There are actually some very nice neighborhoods in Riverside despite the fact that a lot of people claim it is a horrible place to live. My office is located in Riverside, and so far the neighborhoods that seem to be a little sketchy is the "Rubidoux" area (near the 60 fwy exit), and right off of Market St. (near the 60 fwy exit) Neighborhoods do change quickly from block to block. My office in right at the base of Mt. Rubidoux and the houses there are quite nice (many Victorians) and some decent apt. buildings. The area near the university is nice as well. Your best bet is to visit ahead of time and really get a feel for the neighborhoods to see what suits you, and to see what areas seem safe.

haha i live like 10 minutes form there
im not really sure about were to but what i can tell you is that
in these types of city in this area
they change really bad for example in bloomington
a city near riverside
on one side of the street its pretty desent
but if you go down the street its all ghetto
i wouldn't be able to tell you off the bat
but mostly this area is okayy

hey i live in riverside, ive lived here for 18 years, my whole life. and i love it. i wouldnt live anywhere else. and like the other person said as long as you dont live in Rubidoux, ur all good. the only bad thing about riverside is that its kinda getting overcrowded. but other than that we have really good places. if u like shopping we have one if not the best shopping mall. the galleria. well if u have any questiopns u can e mail me.