Southern California

Downtown Los Angeles skyline

Southern California, or SoCal, is defined as the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population centers on the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and as well as San Bernardino and Riverside. The region is home to approximately 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, behind only the BosWash Region in the Northeastern United States.

Though there is no official definition for the northern boundary of Southern California, most definitions in use include all the land south of the Tehachapi Mountains, located about 70 miles (113 km) north of Los Angeles.^[1]

On the west of Southern California lies 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.

Significance

Within its boundaries is a major world city, Los Angeles, and three of the country's largest metropolitan areas.^[2]

Downtown San Diego

With a population of 1,336,865, San Diego is the second most populous city in California, and the eighth most populous in the U.S.

Its counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside are in the top 15 most populous counties in the United States. The region is also home to Los Angeles International Airport, the third-busiest airport in the United States by passenger volume (see World's busiest airports by passenger traffic) and the second by international passenger volume, San Diego International Airport, Van Nuys Airport (see Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic), the world's busiest general aviation airport, major commercial airports at Orange County, Ontario, Burbank and Long Beach and numerous smaller commercial and general aviation airports. Southern California is also home to the Port of Los Angeles, the United States' busiest commercial port, the adjacent Port of Long Beach, and the Port of San Diego. Also of note in the region is the freeway system, which is the world's busiest. Six of the seven lines of the commuter rail system, Metrolink, run out of Downtown Los Angeles, connecting Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego counties with the other line connecting San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties directly.

Part of downtown San Bernardino

The Tech Coast is a moniker that has gained use as a descriptor for the region's diversified technology and industrial base as well as its multitude of prestigious and world-renowned research universities and other public and private institutions. Amongst these include five University of California campuses (Los Angeles (UCLA), Irvine, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and San Diego (UCSD) campuses), 10 California State University campuses (Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), Northridge (CSUN), San Bernardino, San Diego (SDSU), and San Marcos campuses), as well as private institutions such as Caltech, the University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, Loyola Marymount University, the Claremont Colleges and the University of San Diego (USD).

The famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, a symbol of the city's world famous entertainment culture.

Southern California is also the entertainment (motion picture, television, and recorded music) capital of the world and is home to Hollywood, the center of the motion picture industry. Headquartered in Southern California are The Walt Disney Company (which also owns ABC), Sony Pictures, Universal, MGM, Paramount Pictures (parent company of Dreamworks), 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers, and as well as Univision, Activision, and THQ. Southern California is also home to the world's largest adult entertainment industry, located primarily in the San Fernando Valley.

Besides the entertainment industry, Southern California is also home to a large surf and skateboard culture. Companies such as Volcom, Quiksilver, O'Neill clothing division, No Fear,[Lost Enterprises, Sector 9^[3], RVCA, Body Glove and Surfline^[4] are all headquartered here. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, professional surfers Rob Machado, Tim Curran, Bobby Martinez, Pat O'Connell, Dane Reynolds, and Chris Ward, and professional snowboarder Shaun White live in Southern California. Some of the world's legendary surf spots are here as well, including Trestles, Rincon, The Wedge, Huntington Beach, and Malibu, and it is second only to the island of Oahu in terms of famous surf breaks. Some of the world's biggest extreme sports events including the X Games^[5], Boost Mobile Pro^[6], and the U.S. Open of Surfing are all in Southern California. Southern California is also important to the world of yachting. The annual Transpacific Yacht Race, or "Transpac", from Los Angeles to Hawaii, is one of yachting's premier events. The San Diego Yacht Club held the America's Cup, the most prestigious prize in yachting, from 1988 to 1995 and hosted three America's Cup races during that time.

Southern California is home to many sports franchises and sports networks such as Fox Sports Net. Teams that are located in 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, Chivas USA, Los Angeles Riptide, and San Diego Chargers. Southern California also hosts a number of popular NCAA sports programs, such as the UCLA Bruins, the USC Trojans, and the SDSU Aztecs.

Northern boundary

Southern California counties

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 Range^{[citation needed]}, located about 70 miles (113 km) north of Los Angeles, and the Transverse Ranges^[7] in Santa Barbara County west to Point Conception. Seven counties (listed in descending order of population) are included: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, and Imperial, as well as the southern part of Santa Barbara.

A more inclusive definition coinciding neatly with county lines uses the sixth standard parallel south^[8] of Mount Diablo (144 miles south of Mt. Diablo at 35°47′28″N) which forms the northern borders of San Luis Obispo, Kern, and San Bernardino counties as the boundary. The rest of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern County, California are included as well for a total of ten counties.

Kern County is also part of the San Joaquin Valley, and San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties are also considered part of California's Central Coast.

Urban landscape

Southern California is in part a heavily developed urban environment, along with vast arid areas that have been left undeveloped. 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, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino, each of which is the center of its respective metropolitan area, which are in turn composed of 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, Riverside-San Bernardino Area as a separate metropolitan area from Los Angeles County. While many commute to L.A. and Orange Counties, there are some differences in development, as most of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties were developed in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Downtown Los Angeles skyline seen on an average hazy June day, from the Santa Ana Freeway. At 1,018 feet (310 m), 73 floors, The U.S. Bank Tower stands as the West Coast's tallest since 1989.

Regions

Major cities (over 200,000 inhabitants)

San Bernardino in the winter, with snow covering the upper parts of the San Bernardino Mountains in the distance

Population figures for California cities are 2008 State of California estimates^[9]

Other cities with over 100,000 inhabitants

Ventura City Hall in Old Town Ventura

Downtown Santa Monica

Other county seats (under 100,000 inhabitants)

• Santa Barbara - 90,305
• San Luis Obispo - 44,697
• El Centro - 43,316

Counties

South of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains

North of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains

Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura are also counties in the Central Coast.

Geographical regions

Marriott Hotel in downtown San Diego

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 sparsely 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

View from La Jolla Cove in San Diego

Summits in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino County

Coachella Valley Preserve in the Colorado Desert in Riverside County

Earthquakes

Each year the southern California area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Most of them are so small that they are not felt. Only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15-20 are greater than magnitude 4.0. ^[10]

The Great Southern California ShakeOut

The Great Southern California ShakeOut is based on a potential magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault— approximately 5,000 times larger than the magnitude 5.4 earthquake that shook southern California on July 29, 2008. ^[11] The question is not if but when southern California will be hit by a major earthquake, one so damaging that it will permanently change lives and livelihoods in the region. The magnitude 8.0 ShakeOut earthquake is modeled to cause about 2,800 deaths and $213 billion of economic losses.

Transportation

One of the large LAX signs that greet visitors to LAX. This sign is at the Century Boulevard entrance to Los Angeles International Airport

Airports

The following airports currently have regularly scheduled commercial service:

Major Central business districts

Downtown Long Beach as seen from the dock of Queen Mary.

The following are major central business districts in Southern California:

Transport

Freeways

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (May 2008)

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/Indio (Dr. June McCarroll) Freeway/Blythe 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, expected to expand along current in near future)^{[citation needed]}
• 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 Interstate 905

U.S. Highway system

• Ventura Freeway/Hollywood Freeway/Santa Ana Freeway/El Camino Real (U.S. Route 101)

California State Routes

Note: 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 (State Route 1)
• Angeles Crest Highway/Glendale Freeway/Santa Monica Boulevard (State Route 2)
• Antelope Valley Freeway (State Route 14)
• Rosemead Boulevard/Lakewood Boulevard (State Route 19)
• Seventh Street/Garden Grove Freeway (State Route 22)
• Decker Road/Mulholland Highway/Westlake Boulevard
• Topanga Canyon Boulevard
• Ojai Freeway (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 (State Route 55)
• Ted Williams Freeway (State Route 56)
• Orange Freeway (State Route 57)
• Pomona Freeway/Moreno Valley Freeway (State Route 60)
• Foothill Boulevard and E Street (also known as Historic U.S. Route 66)
• Julian Road/San Vicente Freeway
• Corona Expressway/Chino Valley Freeway (State Route 71)
• Firestone Boulevard/Whittier Boulevard
• San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor (toll road) (State Route 73)
• Ortega Highway/Palms to Pines Highway (State Route 74)
• San Diego-Coronado Bridge/Silver Strand Boulevard
• Mission Avenue/Pala Road/Cuyamaca Highway
• Vista Freeway/San Pasqual Valley Road
• Winchester Road/Temecula Parkway/Firefighter Steven Rucker Memorial Highway (State Route 79)
• Historic U.S. Route 80, officially called Imperial County Route S80 Barbara Worth Highway
• Euclid Avenue
• Indio Boulevard which is Historic U.S. Route 99 (locally known as the NAFTA Highway, proposed to be called East Valley Parkway)
• Marina Freeway/Imperial Highway/Richard Nixon Freeway (State Route 90)
• Artesia Boulevard/Gardena Freeway/Artesia Freeway/Riverside Freeway (State Route 91)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway/Campo Road
• Hawthorne Boulevard
• Pasadena Freeway (State Route 110)
• Grapefruit Boulevard (Proposed name: Desert Cities Highway or Desert Resorts Highway)
• Ronald Reagan Freeway (State Route 118)
• La Mesa Freeway (State Route 125)
• Santa Paula Freeway (State Route 126)
• Eastern Transportation Corridor (toll road)/Laguna Canyon Road (State Route 133)
• Ventura Freeway (State Route 134)
• Carbon Canyon Road
• Cabrillo Freeway (State Route 163)
• Hollywood Freeway/Highland Avenue (State Route 170)
• Pierce Street (Proposed to be called Salton Sea Street) and Box Canyon Road
• Catalina Boulevard/Canon Street/Rosecrans Street
• Foothill Freeway (Merges with in San Dimas, formerly the )
• Western Avenue
• Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor (toll road) (State Route 241)
• State Route 259 Freeway
• Balboa Avenue
• 3rd/4th Street
• Cahuilla Road
• Otay Mesa Freeway/Otay Mesa Road ( once the freeway is complete.)

Major public transit organizations

Metrolink commuter lines

Communication

Telephone area codes

Map of major Southern California area codes

College and universities

This section requires expansion.

^[12]

Art Schools

^[17]

• Loma Linda University
• Loma Linda University Medical Center
• La Sierra University

Sports teams

See also

California portal

References

External links

• Historical Society of Southern California
• Southern California Subbuteo Club official site

v • d • e   State of California Sacramento (capital) Topics Climate · Culture · Demographics · Districts · Economy · Elections · Geography · Government · History · Politics · Californians · Visitor attractions · Index of California-related articles Regions Antelope Valley · Big Sur · Cascade Range · Central Coast · Central Valley · Channel Islands · Coachella Valley · Conejo Valley · Cucamonga Valley · Death Valley · Desert · East Bay (SF) · Eastern California · Emerald Triangle · Gold Country · Great Basin · Greater Los Angeles · Inland Empire · Inner Los Angeles Area · Lake Tahoe · Los Angeles Basin · Lost Coast · Mojave · North Bay (SF) · North Coast · Northern California · Owens Valley · Oxnard Plain · San Francisco Peninsula · Pomona Valley · Sacramento Valley · San Bernardino Valley · San Fernando Valley · San Francisco Bay Area · San Gabriel Valley · San Joaquin Valley · Santa Clara Valley · Santa Clara River Valley · Santa Clarita Valley · Shasta Cascade · Sierra Nevada · Silicon Valley · South Bay (SF) · Southern California · Tri-Valley · Upstate California · Victor Valley · Wine Country · Yosemite · List of protected areas within California Metro areas Bakersfield · Chico · El Centro · Fresno · Hanford–Corcoran · Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale · Madera · Modesto · Merced · Napa · Oakland–Fremont–Hayward · Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura · Redding · Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario · Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville · Salinas · San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos · San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City · San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara · San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles · Santa Ana–Anaheim–Irvine · Santa Barbara–Santa Maria–Goleta · Santa Cruz–Watsonville· Santa Rosa–Petaluma · Stockton · Vallejo–Fairfield · Visalia–Porterville · Yuba City Micro areas Bishop · Clearlake · Crescent City · Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna · Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge · Red Bluff · Susanville · Truckee–Grass Valley · Ukiah Counties Alameda · Alpine · Amador · Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Del Norte · El Dorado · Fresno · Glenn · Humboldt · Imperial · Inyo · Kern · Kings · Lake · Lassen · Los Angeles · Madera · Marin · Mariposa · Mendocino · Merced · Modoc · Mono · Monterey · Napa · Nevada · Orange · Placer · Plumas · Riverside · Sacramento · San Benito · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Joaquin · San Luis Obispo · San Mateo · Santa Barbara · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Shasta · Sierra · Siskiyou · Solano · Sonoma · Stanislaus · Sutter · Tehama · Trinity · Tulare · Tuolumne · Ventura · Yolo · Yuba