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D−History
History · Riverside

Riverside dates to 1951

Among the newest of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Riverside was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1960.

1951founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Riverside began

When was Riverside founded?

1951

Riverside dates its founding to 1951 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 1,315 in 19602020 census: 4,01375 years

How historic is Riverside?

D−

Among the newest of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Riverside’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Riverside is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Riverside’s overall grade.
Founding era1951, from Wikidata: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±0.7) · typical MO town 8.4% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical MO town 2.4 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the newest
NewerOlder
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)#246 of 247

Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Riverside’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1951.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Riverside’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Riverside are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Riverside’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Riverside’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Riverside came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Riverside.

Read it all →

Riverside lies on the edge of the Missouri River and was formally incorporated in 1951.

For many years, the town was known for its Riverside Race Track. The Riverside Park Jockey Club operated from 1928 to 1937 and was popularly called Pendergast Track after its patron, the city boss of Kansas City, Tom Pendergast, although he was not officially on its organization papers. The horse racing track was on the site of a former dog racing track. The track operated under a questionable legal basis. The site was supplanted by an automobile race track, which closed in the 1990s.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Riverside, decade by decade

Today6 recent
L-385 Levee Turnover Celebration2013L-385 Levee Turnover CelebrationL-385 Levee Turnover Celebration2013L-385 Levee Turnover CelebrationL-385 Levee Turnover Celebration2013L-385 Levee Turnover CelebrationShale2009ShaleUS 36 West at Route AC, Riverside Rd exit (2003)2003US 36 West at Route AC, Riverside Rd exit (2003)US 36 West at Interstate 29 & US 71 North, Council Bluffs exit (2003)2003US 36 West at Interstate 29 & US 71 North, Council Bl…
On the map

Riverside on the map, 1935 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Riverside. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Riverside on the 1935 USGS mapRiverside on the 1948 USGS mapRiverside on the 1951 USGS mapRiverside on the 1964 USGS mapRiverside on the 1970 USGS mapRiverside on the 1990 USGS map1935North Kansas City sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Riverside.

People over time

Riverside, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,00019601980200020204,013

Grew from 1,315 people in 1960 to 4,013 in 2020, 3 times over.

6 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Riverside’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Lakeside SchoolschoolRiverside Race Trackpark
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Riverside
East Slope Memorial GardensSaint Matthews

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

NorthmoorIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKansas City333 historic placesA−Parkville5 historic placesB

Questions about Riverside’s history

What year was Riverside founded?

In 1951, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 1,315 people here.

How does Riverside rank for history?

Riverside is among the newest of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Riverside?

0.0% of Riverside’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1977.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.