Riverside is a small town located in rural Washington County, Iowa. This peaceful town is conveniently situated along the English River just off Interstate 218 (Avenue of the Saints). Located just 10 minutes south of Iowa City, Riverside is home to many professionals commuting to the University of Iowa.

Riverside has proclaimed itself the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, a character from the television show Star Trek played by William Shatner.

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, asserts in his book The Making of Star Trek that the character of Kirk had been born in the state of Iowa.

In March 1985, when the town was looking for a theme for its annual town festival, Steve Miller, a member of the Riverside City Council who had read Roddenberry's book, suggested to the council that Riverside should proclaim itself to be the future birthplace of Kirk. Miller's motion passed unanimously.[1] The council later wrote to Roddenberry for his permission to be designated as the official birthplace of Kirk, and Roddenberry agreed.

The proclamation declaring the town the "Official Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk," signed by Gene Roddenberry, is housed, along with a "Cigarstore Indian"-style carved wooden statue of James T. Kirk, at the Riverside Area Community Club (RACC), in a former beauty salon along State Highway 22 in downtown Riverside. A large stone and plaque in the rear of the building purports to be the site of the future farmstead and birthplace of James Kirk, and the home of his family, in the c.2230s.

Nearby, a local bar and grill in Riverside displays a special plaque of its own--under the pool table. When directed there, a person can read that this particular spot under the table is noteworthy for being apparently the "Future Conception" site of James Kirk. The two sites are popular with tourists, who also buy memorabilia from the RACC including "Authentic Kirk Dirt," soil samples of Kirk's future hometown.

The town now hosts an annual Riverside Trek Fest that includes such events as an annual parade, Star Trek-themed pet shows, Kirk look-alike and talent contests. The 2003 festival featured a "Spockapalooza" battle of the bands, as well as a lawn mower "trektor" pull. Other Trek Fests have featured minor celebrities as guests, including Grace Lee Whitney (The Original Series' Yeoman Janice Rand), and Charles Napier (The Original Series' Adam of "The Space Hippies" of the episode "The Way to Eden").

Although not considered "canon", at least two Star Trek novels had material based in the real town of Riverside. "Best Destiny," an immediate sequel to the events shown in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," depicted Kirk's childhood in Riverside. the novel's opening chapter had a pre-teen Kirk playing with friends in fields, near the English River. This river in real life lies along the south side of downtown Riverside especially bordering the site of the annual Trek fest.

Another novel, "Final Frontier," not to be confused with "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," was written as a "prequel" novel to the Original Series. Telling about the space adventures of James Kirk's father, Commander George Samuel Kirk, Sr., the opening and closing passages of the novel show a Captain Kirk, mulling over his Starfleet career options shortly after his first five-year mission. The younger Kirk was shown walking around the farmhouse owned by his family in Riverside. Its wrap-around veranda had views of both the English River and the Cedar River to the east.