Southern California
 |
Southern California |
 |
Downtown Los Angeles Skyline |
Southern California, sometimes abbreviated
SoCal or colloquially, the
Southland, is an informal name for the
megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southern-most quarter of the
U.S. state of
California. Centered on the cities of
Los Angeles and
San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people, and is the nation's second most populated region, behind only the
BosWash Region in the
Eastern United States. There are no clear, exact boundaries for this area; instead, residents rely on physical features to establish the boundary. On the west is the
Pacific Ocean; to the south is the
international border between the United States and
Mexico; to the east are the
Mojave and
Colorado Deserts and the
Colorado River at the state's border with
Arizona and
Nevada. To the north is the
Tehachapi Mountain range, located about 70 miles north of
Los Angeles, which separates the region from rest of the state. However, the tremendous growth of Southern California has led to explosive growth in outlying regions, namely the
Bakersfield,
Las Vegas, and
Phoenix areas, and many now consider even those extreme regions a part of the Southern California
megalopolis.
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The famous Hollywood sign, a symbol of the city's world famous entertainment culture. |
Within its boundaries are two
world cities (
Los Angeles, the "capital" of SoCal, and
San Diego, to the south) and three of the
world's one hundred largest metropolitan areas. The region is also home to
LAX, the nation's #1 international gateway and overall 3rd busiest airport, and
Van Nuys Airport, the world's busiest
general aviation airport,
Ontario International Airport,
John Wayne International Airport and
San Diego International Airport, also known as
Lindbergh Field which is the nation's busiest, and world's second busiest single-runway major airport. Southern California is also home to the
Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest commercial port. Also of note in the region is the infamous
Los Angeles Freeway System, the world's busiest. Six of the seven lines of the
commuter rail system,
Metrolink, run out of
Downtown Los Angeles, connecting
Los Angeles County,
Ventura County,
San Bernardino County,
Riverside County,
Orange County, and
San Diego County, with the other line connecting San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties directly: the nation's first suburb-to-suburb commuter rail line.
Southern California is also home to some of the world's most prestigious universites and research facilities, such as the
University of Southern California (USC),
Loyola Marymount University,
Claremont Colleges (Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps, and Harvey Mudd),
Pepperdine University,
Cal Tech,
five University of California campuses (
San Diego,
Irvine,
Riverside,
Santa Barbara, and
Los Angeles (UCLA) campuses), and
eleven California State University campuses (
Bakersfield,
Channel Islands,
Fullerton,
Long Beach,
Los Angeles,
Pomona,
Northridge,
San Bernardino,
San Diego,
San Luis Obispo, and
San Marcos campuses). The
Tech Coast is a moniker that has gained popular use as a descriptor for the region's diversified technology and industrial base as well as its multitude of research universities and other public and private R&D institutions.
Southern California is the entertainment (motion picture, television, and recorded music) capital of the world and is home to
Hollywood, the motion picture industry center. Headquartered in Southern California are
The Walt Disney Company (which also owns
ABC),
Sony Pictures,
Paramount Pictures (parent company of
Dreamworks),
Twentieth Century Fox and
Warner Brothers, and as well as
Univision,
Activision, and
THQ.
More controversially, Southern California is also home to the world's largest
adult entertainment industry, located primarily in the
San Fernando Valley. More than eighty-five percent of all adult film and video production in the U.S. and Canada takes place in Southern California.
Southern California is also the sports and fitness capital of the world, and is home to
Fox Sports Net. From high school sports to professional, SoCal numbers some of the most storied and successful sports franchises. Teams located within the region include the
Los Angeles Lakers,
Los Angeles Clippers,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,
San Diego Padres,
Los Angeles Kings,
Anaheim Ducks,
Los Angeles Galaxy,
C.D. Chivas USA,
Los Angeles Riptide, and
San Diego Chargers. Southern California also boasts one of the most successful college football programs, the
USC Trojans, and, as measured by national championships won, one of the best college basketball programs in the
UCLA Bruins.
With inhabitants that have come from every corner of the world, Southern California has had a major hand in pioneering many different subcultures, including the hippie movement, and music movements such as
hardcore punk and conscious underground
hip-hop. The underground scene of Los Angeles is renowned worldwide and draws artists who seek recognition. Record executives have their ears open for what is hip in the scene because they realize the tremendous influence the L.A. underground has on the world's culture.
Southern California is also known for its
car culture. The concept of
Hot Rodding had its roots in SoCal. The first organized
drag racing event took place there and infiltrated throughout the entire country. Lowriders, MiniTrucks, and Sport Compact tuning have all been kickstarted by Southern California car lovers.
Many auto companies have also been stationed here (or least built something here), either permanently or temporarily. Two of the world's biggest auto companies,
Toyota and
Nissan, were rooted here (though it's true for both companies about 85% of production and administration have gone to Japan). The Nissan Skyline GT-R, a neo-American sports vehicle beloved by American and Asian racing enthusiasts, was built in Santa Monica from 1953 until 2002.
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Tehachapi Mountains |
The region's northern boundary is subject to a broader degree of interpretation than those of the West, East, and South. The most commonly used "physical" boundary between Southern California and the rest of the state is the
Tehachapi Mountain range, located about 70 miles north of
Los Angeles . A less inclusive boundary is the
San Gabriel Mountain range, located 10 to 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, but this boundary is generally not accepted due to the fact that land north of the San Gabriel Mountain Range but south of the Tehachapi Mountain Range is still inside
Los Angeles County. Depending on which of the two mountain ranges is used for the northern boundary of the region, different communities/cities and counties are included in, or excluded from, the area called "Southern California".
*Using the San Gabriel Mountain range as the boundary, the following six counties (in descending order of population) are included:
Los Angeles,
Orange,
San Diego,
San Bernardino,
Riverside,
Ventura, and
Imperial.
*Using the Tehachapi Mountain range as the key to a northern boundary, the southern parts of
Santa Barbara and
Kern Counties should be included. The
city of Santa Barbara is widely held to be in Southern California, due to the mild climate and the westerward alignment of the coastline, but
Bakersfield and most of Kern County are usually regarded as a part of the
Central Valley.
Southern California is a heavily developed urban environment. It is the second largest urbanized region in the United States, second only to the
Washington, D.C./
Philadelphia/
New York/
Boston megalopolis (
BosWash). Whereas the BosWash cities are dense, with major downtown populations and significant rail and transit systems, much of SoCal is famous for its large, spread-out, suburban communities and use of automobiles and highways. The dominant areas are
Los Angeles,
San Diego, and
Orange County, each of which is the center of its respective metropolitan area, which all comprise numerous other cities and communities.
Traveling south on
Interstate 5, the main gap to continued urbanization is
Camp Pendleton. The communities along
Interstate 15 and
Interstate 215 are so inter-related that
Temecula has as much connection with San Diego County as it does with the
Inland Empire. To the east, the
United States Census Bureau considers the San Bernardino and Riverside County areas as a separate
metropolitan area from Los Angeles County. While many do commute to LA and Orange Counties, there are some differences in development, as most of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties was developed in the 1980's and 1990's.
Major cities
All population information is from the 2005 estimate of the
State of California.
 |
Downtown San Diego |
*
Anaheim - 345,317
*
Burbank - 106,739 (Airport:
Bob Hope Airport*)
*
Chula Vista - 217,543
*
Pasadena - 146,166 (Airport:
Bob Hope Airport*)
*
Glendale - 207,007 (Airport:
Bob Hope Airport*)
*
Irvine - 180,803 (Major Airport:
John Wayne-Orange County Airport**)
*
Long Beach - 491,564 (Airport:
Long Beach Municipal Airport)
*
Los Angeles - 3,957,875 (Major airport:
Los Angeles International Airport)
*
Oceanside - 175,085 (Airport:
Palomar Regional Airport)
*
Ontario - 170,373 (Major airport:
Ontario International Airport)
*
Oxnard - 188,849 (Airport:
Oxnard Airport)
*
Palmdale - 136,734 (Airport:
Palmdale Regional Airport)
*
Riverside - 285,537 (Airport:
Riverside Municipal Airport)
*
San Bernardino - 199,803 (Airport:
San Bernardino International Airport)
*
San Diego - 1,305,736 (Major Airport:
San Diego International Airport)
*
Santa Ana - 351,697 (Major Airport:
John Wayne-Orange County Airport**)
* - Although Bob Hope Airport is within the city limits of Burbank, it is under the authority of the cities of Pasadena, Burbank and Glendale.** - John Wayne Airport, which serves all of Orange County, is actually located in unincorporated territory.Principal cities (over 100,000 inhabitants)
 |
Ventura City Hall in Old Town Ventura |
*
Corona - 144,070
*
Costa Mesa - 113,440
*
Downey - 113,607
*
East Los Angeles - 124,283
*
El Monte - 125,832
*
Escondido - 141,350
*
Fontana - 160,015
*
Fullerton - 135,672
*
Garden Grove - 172,042
*
Huntington Beach - 200,763
*
Inglewood - 118,164
*
Lancaster - 133,703
*
Moreno Valley - 165,328
*
Norwalk - 110,178
*
Orange - 137,751
*
Pasadena- 146,166
*
Pomona - 160,815
*
Rancho Cucamonga - 161,830
*
Santa Clarita - 167,954
*
Simi Valley - 121,427
*
South Gate - 102,165
*
Thousand Oaks - 127,112
*
Torrance - 147,405
*
Ventura - 106,096
*
West Covina - 112,417
Counties
;South of the San Gabriel mountains
*
Imperial*
San Diego*
Riverside*
Orange*
Los Angeles*
San Bernardino*
Ventura;North of the San Gabriel mountains
*Parts of
Los Angeles*
Santa Barbara*
San Luis Obispo*
KernSanta Barbara,
San Luis Obispo, and
Ventura are also counties in the
Central Coast.
ZIP Codes
See
Southern California Zip CodesGeographical regions
Southern California is also divided into the Coastal Region (
Orange County,
Los Angeles County,
San Diego County,
Santa Barbara County, and
Ventura County) and the larger, more sparsly populated, desert
Inland Empire (
San Bernardino County,
Riverside County, and
Imperial County). The division between the Coastal Regions and the
Inland Empire winds along the backs of the coastal mountain ranges such as the Santa Ana Mountains.A related geographical term is
cismontane Southern California, which refers to the portion of California on the coastal side of the
Transverse and
Peninsular mountain ranges. The term "Southern California" often refers to this region specifically, as opposed to largely desert areas comprising the rest of the southern portion of the state, which are referred to as
transmontane Southern California.
Geographic features
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View from La Jolla Cove in San Diego |
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Coachella Valley Preserve in the Colorado Desert in Riverside County |
*
Antelope Valley (Los Angeles and Kern Counties)
*
Ballona Wetlands (Los Angeles County)
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Big Bear Lake (San Bernardino County)
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Cajon Pass (San Bernardino County)
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Coachella Valley (Riverside County)
*
Colorado River (San Bernardino, Riverside & Imperial Counties)
*
Conejo Valley (Ventura County)
*
Channel Islands (Ventura County)
*
Cucamonga Valley (San Bernardino County)
*
High Desert (Los Angeles, Kern, & San Bernardino Counties)
*
Imperial Valley (Imperial County)
*
In-Ko-Pah Mountains (San Diego County)
*
Inland Empire (Riverside & San Bernardino Counties)
*
Jacumba Mountains (San Diego County)
*
La Jolla Cove (San Diego County)
*
Lake Arrowhead (San Bernardino County)
*
Lake Casitas (Ventura County)
*
Laguna Mountains (San Diego County)
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Lake Castaic (Los Angeles County)
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Lake Piru (Ventura County)
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Los Angeles Basin (Los Angeles County)
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Los Angeles River (Los Angeles County)
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Low Desert (Imperial, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties)
*
Mojave Desert (Los Angeles, Kern & San Bernardino Counties)
*
Mugu Lagoon (Ventura County)
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New River (Imperial County)
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Orange Coast (Orange County)
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Oxnard Plain (Ventura County)
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Palos Verdes Peninsula (Los Angeles County)
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Palomar Mountain (San Diego County)
*
Peninsular Ranges (San Diego County)
*
Point Mugu (Ventura County)
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Pomona Valley (Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties)
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Puente Hills (Los Angeles County)
*
Pyramid Lake (Los Angeles County)
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Rio Hondo (Los Angeles County)
*
Saddleback Valley (Orange County)
*
Salton Sea (Imperial & Riverside Counties)
*
San Andreas Fault (All Counties)
*
San Bernardino Mountains (San Bernardino County)
*
San Diego River (San Diego County)
*
San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles County)
*
San Gabriel Mountains (Los Angeles County)
*
San Gabriel Valley (Los Angeles County)
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San Gabriel River (Los Angeles County)
*
San Jacinto Mountains (Riverside County)
*
San Pedro Bay (Los Angeles County)
*
Santa Ana Mountains (Los Angeles, Riverside & Orange Counties)
*
Santa Ana River (San Bernardino, Los Angeles & Orange County)
*
Santa Ana Valley (Orange County)
*
Catalina Island (Los Angeles County)
*
Santa Clara River (Ventura County)
*
Santa Clara River Valley (Ventura County)
*
Santa Margarita River (Riverside, Orange & San Diego Counties)
*
Santa Monica Mountains (Los Angeles & Ventura Counties)
*
Santa Monica Bay (Los Angeles County)
*
Santa Susana Mountains (Ventura County)
*
Sonoran Desert (San Diego County, Arizona, Mexico)
*
Tijuana River (San Diego County)
*
Ventura River (Ventura County)
*
Victor Valley (San Bernardino County)
Southern California Airport System
*
Los Angeles International Airport*
San Diego International Airport*
Ontario International Airport*
John Wayne International Airport*
Van Nuys International Airport*
Bob Hope (Burbank) AirportSouthern California Freeway System
Interstate Highways*
Golden State Freeway/
Santa Ana Freeway/
San Diego Freeway/Montgomery Freeway (
Interstate 5)
*
Ocean Beach Freeway/
Mission Valley Freeway (
Interstate 8)
*
Santa Monica (Rosa Parks) Freeway/
Golden State Freeway/
San Bernardino Freeway (
Interstate 10)
*
Mojave Freeway/
Barstow Freeway/
Ontario Freeway/
Corona Freeway/
Temecula Valley Freeway/
Escondido Freeway (
Interstate 15)
*
Century (Glenn Anderson) Freeway (
Interstate 105)
*
Harbor Freeway (
Interstate 110)
*
Foothill Freeway (
Interstate 210)
*
Barstow Freeway/
San Bernardino Freeway/
Moreno Valley Freeway/
Escondido Freeway (
Interstate 215)
*
San Diego Freeway (
Interstate 405)
*
San Gabriel River Freeway (
Interstate 605)
*
Long Beach Freeway (
Interstate 710)
*
Jacob Dekema Freeway (
Interstate 805)
*
future name of CA SR 905U.S. Highway system*
Ventura Freeway/
Hollywood Freeway/
Santa Ana Freeway (
U.S. Route 101)
California State RoutesNote: highway segments with names listed in italics are surface streets and not freeways.*
Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)/
Lincoln Boulevard/
Sepulveda Boulevard/
Oxnard Boulevard/
Coast Highway/Camino las Ramblas (
California State Route 1)
*
Angeles Crest Highway/
Glendale Freeway/
Santa Monica Boulevard (
California State Route 2)
*
Antelope Valley Freeway (
California State Route 14)
*
Rosemead Boulevard/Lakewood Boulevard*
Seventh Street/
Garden Grove Freeway (
California State Route 22)
*
Decker Road/Mulholland Highway/Westlake Boulevard*
Topanga Canyon Boulevard *
Highland Avenue*
Ojai Freeway (
California State Route 33)
*
San Gabriel Canyon Road/Azusa Avenue/Beach Boulevard*
Manchester Boulevard*
Terminal Island Freeway/
Seaside Avenue/
Vincent Thomas Bridge*
Soledad Freeway*
South Bay Freeway/
2nd Street*
Costa Mesa Freeway/
Newport Boulevard (
California State Route 55)
*
Orange Freeway (
California State Route 57)
*
Pomona Freeway/
Moreno Valley Freeway (
California State Route 60)
*
Foothill Boulevard*
Julian Road/San Vicente Freeway
*
Corona Expressway/Chino Valley Freeway (
California State Route 71)
*
Firestone Boulevard/Whittier Boulevard*
San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor (toll road) (
California State Route 73)
*
Ortega Highway/Palms to Pines Highway (
California State Route 74)
*
San Diego-Coronado Bridge/
Silver Strand Boulevard*
Mission Avenue/Pala Road/Cuyamaca Highway*
unnamed freeway/
San Pasqual Valley Road*
Winchester Road*
Euclid Avenue*
unnamed highway*
Marina Freeway/
Imperial Highway/Richard Nixon Freeway (
California State Route 90)
*
Artesia Boulevard/
Gardena Freeway/
Artesia Freeway/
Riverside Freeway (
California State Route 91)
*
Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway/
Campo Road*
Hawthorne Boulevard*
Pasadena Freeway (
California State Route 110)
*
unnamed highway*
Ronald Reagan Freeway (
California State Route 118)
*
unnamed freeway (
California State Route 125)
*
Santa Paula Freeway (
California State Route 126)
*
Eastern Transportation Corridor (toll road)/
Laguna Canyon Road (
California State Route 133)
*
Ventura Freeway (California State Route 134)
*
Carbon Canyon Road*
Cabrillo Freeway (
California State Route 163)
*
Hollywood Freeway/
Highland Avenue (
California State Route 170)
*
Catalina Boulevard/Canon Street/Rosecrans Street*
Western Avenue*
Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor (toll road) (
California State Route 241)
*
Balboa Avenue*
3rd/4th Street*
Cahuilla Road*
Otay Mesa Freeway/
Otay Mesa Road I-905 once CA SR 125 is completeMajor public transit organizations
*
Metrolink*
Los Angeles County MTA, or
Metro*
San Diego trolley and
San Diego County MTS
*
Orange County Transportation Authority*
OmniTrans (San Bernardino County)
*
Santa Barbara MTD
*
South Coast Area Transit (Ventura County)*
NCTD (North San Diego County)*
COASTER (Oceanside to San Diego)*
The Sprinter (Oceanside to Escondido)Metrolink commuter lines
*
91 Line (Union Station - Riverside-Downtown)
*
Antelope Valley Line (Union Station - Lancaster)
*
Inland Empire-Orange County (IEOC) Line (San Bernardino - San Juan Capistrano)
*
Orange County Line (Union Station - Oceanside)
*
Riverside Line (Union Station - Riverside-Downtown)
*
San Bernardino Line (Union Station - San Bernardino/Riverside-Downtown)
*
Ventura County Line (Union Station - Downtown Oxnard)
Telephone area codes
*
213 -
Downtown L.A. - originally covered all of Southern California.
*
323 - Doughnut-shaped area surrounding downtown, including
Hollywood,
Mid-Wilshire,
East L.A., northern
South L.A.*
310 -
West L.A.,
Santa Monica, and the
South Bay*
424 -
West L.A.,
Santa Monica, and the
South Bay*
562 - South-Western L.A. County,
Whittier,
Long Beach area, and Northern
Orange County.
*
619 -
San Diego including downtown,
East County and The
South Bay*
626 -
Pasadena,
San Gabriel Valley*
661 -
Antelope Valley including
Palmdale,
Lancaster;
Santa Clarita*
714 - Northern
Orange County (
Anaheim,
Santa Ana &
Huntington Beach)
*
760 -
North County San Diego (
Oceanside,
Escondido,
San Marcos);
Palm Springs;
El Centro*
805 - All of
Ventura County as well as
Santa Barbara County*
818 -
The San Fernando Valley,
Glendale*
858 - Some northern neighborhoods of
San Diego (
Clairemont,
Del Mar,
La Jolla,
Mira Mesa,
Poway,
Rancho Bernardo)
*
909 - Eastern
Los Angeles County and western parts of the
Inland Empire (
Pomona &
San Bernardino)
*
949 - Southern
Orange County (
Irvine,
Laguna Niguel &
San Clemente)
*
951 -
Inland Empire South (
Riverside,
Temecula, &
Murrieta)
*
Historical Society of Southern California*
Metrolink
