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Wikipedia

Southern California

February 10, 2023

"SoCal" redirects here. For other uses, see SoCal (disambiguation).

Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban agglomeration in the United States.[3][4] The region generally contains ten of California's 58 counties: Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.

Southern California
Southern California
Images top to bottom, left to right: Downtown Los Angeles, San Diego Skyline, Village of La Jolla, Santa Monica Pier, Surfer at Black's Beach, Hollywood Sign, Disneyland, Hermosa Beach Pier
Red: The ten counties of Southern California
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesImperial
Kern
Los Angeles
Orange
Riverside
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Luis Obispo
Santa Barbara
Ventura
Largest cityLos Angeles
Area
(10-county)[1]
 • Total56,505 sq mi (146,350 km2)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total23,762,904

The Colorado Desert and the Colorado River are located on Southern California's eastern border with Arizona, and San Bernardino County shares a border with Nevada to the northeast. Southern California's southern border with Baja California is part of the Mexico–United States border.

Constituent metropolitan areas

Southern California encompasses eight metropolitan areas (MSAs), three of which together form the Greater Los Angeles Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with over 18 million people, the second-biggest CSA after the New York CSA. These three MSAs are: the Los Angeles metropolitan area (Los Angeles and Orange counties, with 13.3 million people), the Inland Empire (Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley cities, with 4.3 million people), and the Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura metropolitan area (0.8 million people). In addition, southern California contains the San Diego metropolitan area with 3.3 million people, Bakersfield metro area with 0.9 million, and the Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and El Centro (Imperial County) metropolitan areas.

The Southern California Megaregion (or megalopolis) is larger still, extending northeast into Las Vegas, Nevada and south across the Mexican border into Tijuana.[5]

Significance

 
Sunset in Venice, a neighborhood in Los Angeles

Within Southern California are two major cities, Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as three of the country's largest metropolitan areas.[6] With a population of approximately 4 million, Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States. South of Los Angeles and with a population of approximately 1.4 million is San Diego, the second most populous city in the state and the eighth most populous in the nation.

The counties of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino are the five most populous in the state, and are among the top 15 most populous counties in the United States.[7]

The motion picture, television and music industry are centered in the Los Angeles area in Southern California. Hollywood, a district of Los Angeles, gives its name to the American motion picture industry, which is synonymous with the neighborhood name. Headquartered in Southern California are The Walt Disney Company (which owns ABC), Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, MGM, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Universal, Warner Bros. and Sony also run major record companies.

Southern California is also home to a large homegrown surf and skateboard culture. Companies such as Vans, Volcom, Quiksilver, No Fear, Stüssy, RVCA and Body Glove are all headquartered here. Skateboarder Tony Hawk; surfers Rob Machado, Timmy Curran, Bobby Martinez, Pat O'Connell, Dane Reynolds, and Chris Ward live in Southern California. Some of the most famous surf locations are in Southern California as well, including Trestles, Rincon, The Wedge, Huntington Beach and Malibu. Some of the world's largest action sports events, including the X Games,[8] Boost Mobile Pro,[9] and the U.S. Open of Surfing, are held in Southern California. The region is also important to the world of yachting with premier events including the annual Transpacific Yacht Race, or Transpac, from Los Angeles to Hawaii. 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. The first modern-era triathlon was held in San Diego's Mission Bay in 1974. Since then, Southern California, and San Diego in particular, have become a mecca for triathlon and multi-sport racing, products, and culture.

Southern California is home to many sports franchises and networks such as Fox Sports Net.

Many locals and tourists frequent the Southern California coast for its beaches. Some of southern California's most popular beaches are Malibu, Laguna Beach, La Jolla, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa Beach. Southern California is also known for its mountain resort communities, such as Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, and Wrightwood, and their ski resorts, like Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, Snow Valley Mountain Resort, and Mountain High. The inland desert city of Palm Springs is also popular.

Northern boundary

 
California counties below the 36th standard parallel

Southern California is generally considered the area of California south of the latitude 35°45', approximately one-third of the state, formed by the northern boundaries of San Luis Obispo, Kern, and San Bernardino counties, which are not exactly a straight line. Another definition for Southern California uses Point Conception and the Tehachapi Mountains as geographical landmarks for the northern boundary.

 
Topography of the border region

Following the acquisition of the territory of California by the United States, several pro-slavery politicians attempted to arrange the division of Alta California at 36 degrees, 30 minutes, the line of the Missouri Compromise. Instead, the passing of the Compromise of 1850 enabled California to be admitted to the Union as a free state, preventing the southern half California from becoming its own separate slave state.

Subsequently, Californians (dissatisfied with inequitable taxes and land laws) and pro-slavery Southerners in the lightly populated "cow counties" of southern California attempted three times in the 1850s to achieve a separate statehood or territorial status separate from Northern California. The last attempt, the Pico Act of 1859, was passed by the California State Legislature and signed by State Governor John B. Weller. It was approved overwhelmingly by nearly 75 percent of voters to form the proposed Territory of Colorado. This territory was to include a portion of the much larger Tulare County and all of San Luis Obispo County. The proposal was sent to Washington, D.C. with a strong advocate in Senator Milton Latham. However, the secession crisis following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the subsequent American Civil War led to the proposal never coming to a vote.[10][11]

In 1900, the Los Angeles Times defined Southern California as including "the seven counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura and Santa Barbara." This definition left out San Luis Obispo and Kern counties.[12]

Southern California was the name of a proposed new state which failed to get on the 2018 California ballot. The ballot measure proposed splitting the existing state into three parts.[13]

In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government led by Governor Gavin Newsom divided the state into five regions for the purpose of issuing stay-at-home orders. The Southern California region consists of the following counties: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Kern County was grouped with other counties of the San Joaquin Valley, California's central agricultural valley.[14]

Population, land area & population density (2020)
County
Ref. 		Population Land
mi2[15]		 Land
km2		 Pop.
/mi2		 Pop.
/km2
Los Angeles County[16] 10,014,009 4,059.28 10,513.49 2,466.94 952.49
San Diego County[17] 3,298,634 4,210.23 10,904.45 783.48 302.50
Orange County[18] 3,186,989 792.84 2,053.45 4,019.71 1,552.02
Riverside County[19] 2,418,185 7,209.27 18,671.92 335.43 129.51
San Bernardino County[20] 2,181,654 20,068.01 51,975.91 108.71 41.97
Kern County[21] 909,235 8,134.65 21,068.65 111.77 43.15
Ventura County[22] 843,843 1,840.79 4,767.62 458.41 176.99
Santa Barbara County[23] 448,229 2,733.94 7,080.87 163.95 63.30
San Luis Obispo County[24] 282,424 3,300.85 8,549.16 85.56 33.03
Imperial County[25] 179,702 4,175.54 10,814.60 43.04 16.62
Southern California 23,762,904 56,525.40 146,400.11 420.39 162.31
California 39,538,223 155,959.34 403,932.84 253.52 97.88

Urban landscape

 
Percent of households with incomes above $150k across LA County census tracts

Southern California consists of a heavily developed urban environment, home to some of the largest urban areas in the state, along with vast areas that have been left undeveloped. It is the third most populated megalopolis in the United States, after the Great Lakes Megalopolis and the Northeast Megalopolis. Much of Southern California 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, and Riverside-San Bernardino, each of which are the centers of their respective metropolitan areas, composed of numerous smaller cities and communities. The urban area is also host to an international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan region, created by the urban area spilling over into Baja California.

Travelling south on Interstate 5, the main barrier to continued urbanization is Camp Pendleton. The cities and communities along Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 are so interrelated that Temecula and Murrieta have as much connection with the San Diego metropolitan area as they do 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. Newly developed exurbs formed in the Antelope Valley, north of Los Angeles, the Victor Valley, and the Coachella Valley with the Imperial Valley. Also, population growth was high in the Bakersfield-Kern County, Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo areas.

 
The Downtown Los Angeles skyline seen at sunset on an October day. At 1,018 feet (310 m), 73 floors, the U.S. Bank Tower was the West Coast's tallest building when it was built in 1989, until it was surpassed by the neighboring Wilshire Grand Center in 2017.

Climate

 
Köppen climate types of southern California

Most of Southern California has a Mediterranean-like climate, with warm and dry summers, mild and wet winters, where cool weather and freezing temperatures are rare. Southern California contains other types of climates, including semi-arid, desert and mountain, with infrequent rain and many sunny days. Summers are hot or warm, and dry, while winters are mild, and rainfall is low to moderate depending on the area. Rain is infrequent, but is often heavy when it does occur, making flash floods an aspect of living in Southern California. This climatic pattern was alluded to in the hit song "It Never Rains (In Southern California)". While snow is very rare in lower elevations, mountains above 5,000 feet (1,500 m) receive plentiful snowfall in the winter.

Since the first decade of the 21st century, droughts and wildfires have increased in frequency as a result of climate change.[26][27]

Natural landscape

 
Autumn of 2008 in Southern California
Main article: Geography of Southern California

Southern California consists of one of the more varied collections of geologic, topographic, and natural ecosystem landscapes in a diversity outnumbering other major regions in the state and country. The region spans from Pacific Ocean islands, shorelines, beaches, and coastal plains, through the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges with their peaks, and into the large and small interior valleys, to the vast deserts of California.

Introductory categories include:

Geography

Geographic features

 
View from La Jolla Cove in San Diego
 
Peaks in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino County
 
Yucca Valley with Visitor Center in Background in June 2017
 
Ocean Beach Sunset in San Diego

Geology

List of major fault zones

Note: Plate boundary faults are indicated with a (#) symbol.

 
Northridge earthquake shake map

Earthquakes

Each year, Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes. Nearly all of them are so small that they are not felt. Only several hundred have been greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15–20 have been greater than magnitude 4.0.[28] The magnitude 6.7 1994 Northridge earthquake was particularly destructive, causing a substantial number of deaths, injuries, and structural collapses as well as the most property damage of any earthquake in U.S. history at an estimated $20 billion.[29]

Many faults are able to produce a magnitude greater than 6.7 earthquake, such as the San Andreas Fault, which can produce a magnitude 8.0 event. Other faults include the San Jacinto Fault, the Puente Hills Fault, and the Elsinore Fault Zone. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has released a California earthquake forecast,[30] which models earthquake occurrence in California.

List of earthquakes

This is a partial list of earthquakes in Southern California. For a full list, see List of earthquakes in California. Note: Earthquakes with epicenters in the Los Angeles Metro Area are marked with the (#) symbol. Other earthquakes mentioned means shaking was felt.

Population

See also: Greater Los Angeles § Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18506,492—
186033,280412.6%
187044,15832.7%
188091,916108.2%
1890251,770173.9%
1900337,32834.0%
1910808,408139.7%
19201,423,78676.1%
19303,044,978113.9%
19403,840,73326.1%
19505,931,97554.4%
19609,398,72258.4%
197012,103,55928.8%
198014,308,74218.2%
199018,269,09527.7%
200020,637,51213.0%
201022,680,0109.9%
202023,762,9044.8%
Sources: 1790–1990, 2000, 2010, 2020[15][31][32]
Chart does not include Indigenous population figures.
Studies indicate that the Native American
population in California in 1850 was close to 150,000
before declining to 15,000 by 1900.[33]

As of the 2020 United States Census, Southern California has a population of 23,762,904. Despite a reputation for high growth rates, Southern California's population has grown slower than the state average since the 2000s. This is due to California's growth becoming concentrated in the northern part of the state as result of a stronger, tech-oriented economy in the Bay Area and an emerging Greater Sacramento region.

Southern California consists of one Combined Statistical Area, eight Metropolitan Statistical Areas, one international metropolitan area, and multiple metropolitan divisions. The region is home to two extended metropolitan areas that exceed five million in population. These are the Greater Los Angeles Area at 17,786,419, and San Diego–Tijuana at 5,105,768.[34][35] Of these metropolitan areas, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura metropolitan area form Greater Los Angeles;[36] while the El Centro metropolitan area and San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos metropolitan area form the Southern Border Region.[37][38] North of Greater Los Angeles are the Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Bakersfield metropolitan areas.

Cities

See also: List of largest cities in California by population

Los Angeles (with a population of approximately 3.9 million people) and San Diego (at nearly 1.4 million people) are the two largest cities in all of California and are among the top eight largest cities in the United States. In Southern California, there are also 14 cities with more than 200,000 residents and 48 cities over 100,000 residents. Many of Southern California's most developed cities lie along or in close proximity to the coast, with the exception of San Bernardino and Riverside.

Counties

Literature

Southern California is home to most popular and famous literature in the region. These books include California by Kevin Starr, Malibu Farm Cookbook by Helene Henderson, L.A. Noir by John Buntin, The Mountains of California by John Muir, The New California Wine by Jon Bonné, and My Hollywood by Mona Simpson. Most of them are well received and nominated for rewards.[39][40]

Economy

Industries

Southern California has a diverse economy and is one of the largest economies in the United States. It is dominated by and heavily dependent upon the abundance of petroleum, as opposed to other regions where automobiles are not nearly as dominant, due to the vast majority of transport that runs on this fuel. Southern California is famous for tourism and the entertainment industry. Other industries include software, automotive, ports, finance, biomedical, and regional logistics. The region was a leader in the housing bubble from 2001 to 2007 and has been heavily impacted by the housing crash.

Since the 1920s, motion pictures, petroleum, and aircraft manufacturing have been major industries. In one of the richest agricultural regions in the U.S., cattle and citrus were major industries until farmlands were turned into suburbs. Although military spending cutbacks have had an impact, aerospace continues to be a major factor.[41]

Major central business districts

 
Taco Bell Headquarters in Irvine

Southern California is home to many major business districts. Central business districts (CBD) include Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown Riverside, Downtown San Bernardino, Downtown San Diego, and the South Coast Metro. Within the Los Angeles Area are the major business districts of Downtown Pasadena, Downtown Burbank, Downtown Santa Monica, Downtown Glendale and Downtown Long Beach. Los Angeles itself has many business districts, such as Downtown Los Angeles and those lining Wilshire Boulevard including Mid-Wilshire, the Miracle Mile, Downtown Beverly Hills and Westwood; others include Century City and Warner Center in the San Fernando Valley. The area of Santa Monica and Venice (and perhaps some of Culver City) is informally referred to as "Silicon Beach" because of the concentration of financial and marketing technology-centric firms located in the region.

The San Bernardino-Riverside Area maintains the business districts of Downtown San Bernardino, Hospitality Business/Financial Centre, University District which are in the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside.

In Orange County, has highly developed suburban business centers (also known as edge cities) including the Anaheim–Santa Ana edge city along I-5; and another, the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city that stretches from the South Coast Metro to the Irvine Business Complex; Newport Center; and Irvine Spectrum. Downtown Santa Ana is an important government, arts and entertainment, and retail district.

Downtown San Diego is the CBD of San Diego, though the city is filled with business districts. These include Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Mission Valley, Rancho Bernardo, Sorrento Mesa, and University City. Most of these districts are located in Northern San Diego and some within North County regions.

Theme parks and waterparks

Los Angeles

Orange County

Riverside & San Bernardino

San Diego

Vineyard-Winery American Viticultural Area (AVA) districts

California wine AVA-American Viticultural Areas in southern California:

Transportation

See: Category: Transportation in Southern California

Southern California is home to Los Angeles International Airport, the second-busiest airport in the United States by passenger volume (see World's busiest airports by passenger traffic) and the third-busiest by international passenger volume (see Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic); San Diego International Airport, the busiest single-runway airport in the world; Van Nuys Airport, the world's busiest general aviation airport; major commercial airports at San Bernardino, Orange County, Bakersfield, Ontario, Burbank and Long Beach; and numerous smaller commercial and general aviation airports.

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.

Southern California is also home to the Port of Los Angeles, the country's busiest commercial port; the adjacent Port of Long Beach, the country's second busiest container port; and the Port of San Diego.

Airports

The following table shows all airports listed by the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) as a hub airport:[42]

Airport ID City
(Metro area)		 Category Enplanements
(2011) (mil)
Los Angeles International Airport LAX Los Angeles Large Hub 30.5m
San Diego International Airport SAN San Diego Large Hub 8.5m
John Wayne Airport SNA Orange County Medium Hub 4.2m
Ontario International Airport ONT San Bernardino, Riverside Medium hub 2.3m
Hollywood Burbank Airport BUR Burbank (LA) Medium Hub 2.1m
Long Beach Airport LGB Long Beach (LA) Small Hub 1.5m
Palm Springs International Airport PSP Palm Springs Small Hub 0.8m
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport SBA Santa Barbara Small Hub 0.7m
San Luis Obispo Regional Airport SBP San Luis Obispo Small Hub 0.5m
San Bernardino International Airport SBD San Bernardino, Riverside Small Hub NA

Freeways and highways

 
Interstate and state highway system of Southern California
Main article: Southern California freeways

Sections of the Southern California freeway system are often referred to by names rather than by the official numbers.

Interstate Highways
Sign Interstate Freeway name
  Interstate 5 Golden State Freeway
Santa Ana Freeway
San Diego Freeway
Montgomery Freeway
  Interstate 8 Ocean Beach Freeway
Mission Valley Freeway
  Interstate 10 Santa Monica (Rosa Parks) Freeway
Golden State Freeway
San Bernardino Freeway
Indio (Dr. June McCarroll) Freeway
Blythe Freeway
  Interstate 15 Mojave Freeway
Barstow Freeway
Ontario Freeway
Corona Freeway
Temecula Valley Freeway
Escondido Freeway
  Interstate 40 Needles Freeway
  Interstate 105 Century (Glenn Anderson) Freeway
  Interstate 110 Harbor Freeway
  Interstate 210 Foothill Freeway
  Interstate 215 Barstow Freeway
San Bernardino Freeway
Moreno Valley Freeway
Escondido Freeway
  Interstate 405 San Diego Freeway
  Interstate 605 San Gabriel River Freeway
  Interstate 710 Long Beach Freeway
  Interstate 805 Jacob Dekema Freeway
  Future Interstate 905

Public transportation

 
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's combined Super Chief-El Capitan pulls into Los Angeles's Union Passenger Terminal on September 24, 1966.
See: Category: Public transportation in Southern California

Communication

Telephone area codes

Colleges and universities

Main article: List of colleges and universities in Southern California

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 (Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and San Diego), 12 California State University campuses (Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Northridge, Pomona, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Marcos, and San Luis Obispo); and private institutions such as the California Institute of Technology, Azusa Pacific University, Chapman University, the Claremont Colleges (Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Scripps College, Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute), Loma Linda University, Loyola Marymount University, Occidental College, Pepperdine University, University of Redlands, University of San Diego and the University of Southern California.

Parks and recreation areas

Numerous parks provide recreation opportunities and open space. Locations include:

Sports

See also: Freeway Series, Lakers–Clippers rivalry, and Sports in California § Northern California–Southern California rivalry

Major professional sports teams in Southern California include:

Southern California also is home to a number of popular NCAA sports programs such as the UCLA Bruins, the USC Trojans, and the San Diego State Aztecs. The Bruins and the Trojans both field football teams in NCAA Division I in the Pac-12 Conference, and there is a longtime rivalry between the schools.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Square Mileage by County". counties.org. California State Association of Counties (CSAC). from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "State Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010-2019". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Figures Show California's Motoring Supremacy". Touring Topics. Los Angeles, California: Automobile Club of Southern California. 8 (2): 38–39. March 1916.
  4. ^ Cooley, Timothy J. (2014). Surfing about Music. University of California Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-52095-721-3.
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  6. ^ The three metropolitan areas are:
    1. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana (the second largest in the US),
    2. Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario (the Inland Empire) and
    3. San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos – see: United States metropolitan areas
  7. ^ (PDF). California Department of Finance. January 7, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 29, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Yoon, Peter (August 7, 2006). "X Games Take a Turn for the Better". Los Angeles Times. from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Higgins, Matt (September 13, 2006). "Construction Stirs Debate on Effects on 'Perfect Wave'". The New York Times. from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  10. ^ DiLeo, Michael; Smith, Eleanor (1983). Two Californias: The Myths And Realities of a State Divided Against Itself. Covelo, California: Island Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-93328-016-8.
  11. ^ California, Historical Society of Southern (1901). The Quarterly, Volumes 5-6. Historical Society of Southern California. p. 223.
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  13. ^ Myers, John (June 13, 2018). "Radical plan to split California into three states earns spot on November ballot". Los Angeles Times. from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  14. ^ "California Health Officials Announce a Regional Stay at Home Order Triggered by ICU Capacity". State of California. December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Counties". 2020 U.S. Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Los Angeles County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "San Diego County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Orange County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  19. ^ "Riverside County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "San Bernardino County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "Kern County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Ventura County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Santa Barbara County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "San Luis Obispo County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Imperial County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. April 1, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  26. ^ Boxall, Bettina; St. John, Paige (November 10, 2018). "California's most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  27. ^ . National Integrated Drought Information System. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  28. ^ . data from southern California Earthquake Center. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  29. ^ . 2005. Archived from the original on July 12, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  30. ^ "UCERF3: A New Earthquake Forecast for California's Complex Fault System" (PDF). USGS. March 3, 2015. (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
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  36. ^ . Archived from the original (CSV) on November 17, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
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  38. ^ Loucky, James, ed. (2008). Transboundary policy challenges in the Pacific border regions of North America. University of Calgary Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-55238-223-3.
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  40. ^ "27 Books To Read If You're California Dreamin' | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
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  42. ^ "Calendar Year 2011 Primary Airports" (PDF). September 27, 2012. (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2016.

Further reading

  • Castillo-Munoz, Veronica (2016). The Other California: Land, Identity and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands. University of California Press.
  • Deverell, William; Igler, David, eds. (2013). A companion to California history. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Fogelson, Robert M. (1967). The Fragmented Metropolis: Los Angeles, 1850–1930., focus on planning, infrastructure, water and business.
  • Friedricks, William (1992). Henry E. Huntington and the Creation of Southern California., on Henry Edwards Huntington (1850–1927), railroad executive and collector, who helped build LA and southern California through the Southern Pacific railroad and trolleys.
  • Garcia, Matt. (2001). A World of Its Own: Race, Labor and Citrus in the Making of Greater Los Angeles, 1900–1970.
  • Garcia, Mario T. (1972). "A Chicano Perspective on San Diego History". Journal of San Diego History. 18 (4): 14–21.
  • Lotchin, Roger (2002). Fortress California, 1910–1961. excerpt and text search, covers military and industrial roles.
  • Mills, James R. (1960). San Diego: Where California Began. San Diego: San Diego Historical Society.
  • O'Flaherty, Joseph S. (1972). An End and a Beginning: The South Coast and Los Angeles, 1850–1887.
  • O'Flaherty, Joseph S. (1978). Those Powerful Years: The South Coast and Los Angeles, 1887–1917.
  • Pryde, Philip R. (2004). San Diego: An Introduction to the Region (4th ed.)., a historical geography
  • Shragge, Abraham. (1994). "A new federal city: San Diego during World War II". Pacific Historical Review. 63 (3): 333–361. doi:10.2307/3640970. JSTOR 3640970. in JSTOR
  • Starr, Kevin (1997). The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s. pp. 90–114., covers 1880s–1940
  • Starr, Kevin (2004). Coast of Dreams: California on the Edge, 1990–2003. pp. 372–381.
  • Starr, Kevin (2011). Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance, 1950–1963. pp. 57–87.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Southern California.
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Southern California.
  • California Historical Society Collection, 1860–1960 – USC Libraries Digital Collections
  • Historical Society of Southern California

Coordinates: 34°00′N 117°00′W / 34.000°N 117.000°W / 34.000; -117.000

February 10, 2023
southern, california, socal, redirects, here, other, uses, socal, disambiguation, commonly, shortened, socal, geographic, cultural, region, that, generally, comprises, southern, portion, state, california, includes, angeles, metropolitan, area, second, most, p. SoCal redirects here For other uses see SoCal disambiguation Southern California commonly shortened to SoCal is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U S state of California It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area the second most populous urban agglomeration in the United States 3 4 The region generally contains ten of California s 58 counties Imperial Kern Los Angeles Orange Riverside San Bernardino San Diego Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties Southern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaImages top to bottom left to right Downtown Los Angeles San Diego Skyline Village of La Jolla Santa Monica Pier Surfer at Black s Beach Hollywood Sign Disneyland Hermosa Beach PierRed The ten counties of Southern CaliforniaCountryUnited StatesStateCaliforniaCountiesImperialKernLos AngelesOrangeRiversideSan BernardinoSan DiegoSan Luis ObispoSanta BarbaraVenturaLargest cityLos AngelesArea 10 county 1 Total56 505 sq mi 146 350 km2 Population 2020 2 Total23 762 904The Colorado Desert and the Colorado River are located on Southern California s eastern border with Arizona and San Bernardino County shares a border with Nevada to the northeast Southern California s southern border with Baja California is part of the Mexico United States border Contents 1 Constituent metropolitan areas 2 Significance 3 Northern boundary 4 Urban landscape 5 Climate 6 Natural landscape 7 Geography 7 1 Geographic features 7 2 Geology 7 2 1 List of major fault zones 7 2 2 Earthquakes 7 2 2 1 List of earthquakes 8 Population 8 1 Cities 8 2 Counties 9 Literature 10 Economy 10 1 Industries 10 2 Major central business districts 10 3 Theme parks and waterparks 10 4 Vineyard Winery American Viticultural Area AVA districts 11 Transportation 11 1 Airports 11 2 Freeways and highways 11 3 Public transportation 12 Communication 12 1 Telephone area codes 13 Colleges and universities 14 Parks and recreation areas 15 Sports 16 See also 17 References 18 Further reading 19 External linksConstituent metropolitan areas EditSouthern California encompasses eight metropolitan areas MSAs three of which together form the Greater Los Angeles Combined Statistical Area CSA with over 18 million people the second biggest CSA after the New York CSA These three MSAs are the Los Angeles metropolitan area Los Angeles and Orange counties with 13 3 million people the Inland Empire Riverside and San Bernardino counties including the Coachella Valley cities with 4 3 million people and the Oxnard Thousand Oaks Ventura metropolitan area 0 8 million people In addition southern California contains the San Diego metropolitan area with 3 3 million people Bakersfield metro area with 0 9 million and the Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo and El Centro Imperial County metropolitan areas The Southern California Megaregion or megalopolis is larger still extending northeast into Las Vegas Nevada and south across the Mexican border into Tijuana 5 Significance Edit San Diego Marina district Sunset in Venice a neighborhood in Los Angeles Within Southern California are two major cities Los Angeles and San Diego as well as three of the country s largest metropolitan areas 6 With a population of approximately 4 million Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second most populous in the United States South of Los Angeles and with a population of approximately 1 4 million is San Diego the second most populous city in the state and the eighth most populous in the nation Three Arch Bay in Laguna Beach The counties of Los Angeles San Diego Orange Riverside and San Bernardino are the five most populous in the state and are among the top 15 most populous counties in the United States 7 The motion picture television and music industry are centered in the Los Angeles area in Southern California Hollywood a district of Los Angeles gives its name to the American motion picture industry which is synonymous with the neighborhood name Headquartered in Southern California are The Walt Disney Company which owns ABC Sony Pictures Universal Pictures MGM Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros Universal Warner Bros and Sony also run major record companies Southern California is also home to a large homegrown surf and skateboard culture Companies such as Vans Volcom Quiksilver No Fear Stussy RVCA and Body Glove are all headquartered here Skateboarder Tony Hawk surfers Rob Machado Timmy Curran Bobby Martinez Pat O Connell Dane Reynolds and Chris Ward live in Southern California Some of the most famous surf locations are in Southern California as well including Trestles Rincon The Wedge Huntington Beach and Malibu Some of the world s largest action sports events including the X Games 8 Boost Mobile Pro 9 and the U S Open of Surfing are held in Southern California The region is also important to the world of yachting with premier events including the annual Transpacific Yacht Race or Transpac from Los Angeles to Hawaii 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 The first modern era triathlon was held in San Diego s Mission Bay in 1974 Since then Southern California and San Diego in particular have become a mecca for triathlon and multi sport racing products and culture Southern California is home to many sports franchises and networks such as Fox Sports Net Many locals and tourists frequent the Southern California coast for its beaches Some of southern California s most popular beaches are Malibu Laguna Beach La Jolla Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach Southern California is also known for its mountain resort communities such as Big Bear Lake Lake Arrowhead and Wrightwood and their ski resorts like Bear Mountain Snow Summit Snow Valley Mountain Resort and Mountain High The inland desert city of Palm Springs is also popular Northern boundary Edit California counties below the 36th standard parallel Southern California is generally considered the area of California south of the latitude 35 45 approximately one third of the state formed by the northern boundaries of San Luis Obispo Kern and San Bernardino counties which are not exactly a straight line Another definition for Southern California uses Point Conception and the Tehachapi Mountains as geographical landmarks for the northern boundary Topography of the border region Following the acquisition of the territory of California by the United States several pro slavery politicians attempted to arrange the division of Alta California at 36 degrees 30 minutes the line of the Missouri Compromise Instead the passing of the Compromise of 1850 enabled California to be admitted to the Union as a free state preventing the southern half California from becoming its own separate slave state Subsequently Californians dissatisfied with inequitable taxes and land laws and pro slavery Southerners in the lightly populated cow counties of southern California attempted three times in the 1850s to achieve a separate statehood or territorial status separate from Northern California The last attempt the Pico Act of 1859 was passed by the California State Legislature and signed by State Governor John B Weller It was approved overwhelmingly by nearly 75 percent of voters to form the proposed Territory of Colorado This territory was to include a portion of the much larger Tulare County and all of San Luis Obispo County The proposal was sent to Washington D C with a strong advocate in Senator Milton Latham However the secession crisis following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the subsequent American Civil War led to the proposal never coming to a vote 10 11 In 1900 the Los Angeles Times defined Southern California as including the seven counties of Los Angeles San Bernardino Orange Riverside San Diego Ventura and Santa Barbara This definition left out San Luis Obispo and Kern counties 12 Southern California was the name of a proposed new state which failed to get on the 2018 California ballot The ballot measure proposed splitting the existing state into three parts 13 In December 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic the state government led by Governor Gavin Newsom divided the state into five regions for the purpose of issuing stay at home orders The Southern California region consists of the following counties Imperial Inyo Los Angeles Mono Orange Riverside San Bernardino San Diego San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara and Ventura Kern County was grouped with other counties of the San Joaquin Valley California s central agricultural valley 14 Population land area amp population density 2020 CountyRef Population Landmi2 15 Landkm2 Pop mi2 Pop km2Los Angeles County 16 10 014 009 4 059 28 10 513 49 2 466 94 952 49San Diego County 17 3 298 634 4 210 23 10 904 45 783 48 302 50Orange County 18 3 186 989 792 84 2 053 45 4 019 71 1 552 02Riverside County 19 2 418 185 7 209 27 18 671 92 335 43 129 51San Bernardino County 20 2 181 654 20 068 01 51 975 91 108 71 41 97Kern County 21 909 235 8 134 65 21 068 65 111 77 43 15Ventura County 22 843 843 1 840 79 4 767 62 458 41 176 99Santa Barbara County 23 448 229 2 733 94 7 080 87 163 95 63 30San Luis Obispo County 24 282 424 3 300 85 8 549 16 85 56 33 03Imperial County 25 179 702 4 175 54 10 814 60 43 04 16 62Southern California 23 762 904 56 525 40 146 400 11 420 39 162 31California 39 538 223 155 959 34 403 932 84 253 52 97 88Urban landscape EditThis article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Southern California news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Percent of households with incomes above 150k across LA County census tracts Southern California consists of a heavily developed urban environment home to some of the largest urban areas in the state along with vast areas that have been left undeveloped It is the third most populated megalopolis in the United States after the Great Lakes Megalopolis and the Northeast Megalopolis Much of Southern California 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 and Riverside San Bernardino each of which are the centers of their respective metropolitan areas composed of numerous smaller cities and communities The urban area is also host to an international San Diego Tijuana metropolitan region created by the urban area spilling over into Baja California Travelling south on Interstate 5 the main barrier to continued urbanization is Camp Pendleton The cities and communities along Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 are so interrelated that Temecula and Murrieta have as much connection with the San Diego metropolitan area as they do 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 Newly developed exurbs formed in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles the Victor Valley and the Coachella Valley with the Imperial Valley Also population growth was high in the Bakersfield Kern County Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo areas The Downtown Los Angeles skyline seen at sunset on an October day At 1 018 feet 310 m 73 floors the U S Bank Tower was the West Coast s tallest building when it was built in 1989 until it was surpassed by the neighboring Wilshire Grand Center in 2017 Climate Edit Koppen climate types of southern California Most of Southern California has a Mediterranean like climate with warm and dry summers mild and wet winters where cool weather and freezing temperatures are rare Southern California contains other types of climates including semi arid desert and mountain with infrequent rain and many sunny days Summers are hot or warm and dry while winters are mild and rainfall is low to moderate depending on the area Rain is infrequent but is often heavy when it does occur making flash floods an aspect of living in Southern California This climatic pattern was alluded to in the hit song It Never Rains In Southern California While snow is very rare in lower elevations mountains above 5 000 feet 1 500 m receive plentiful snowfall in the winter Since the first decade of the 21st century droughts and wildfires have increased in frequency as a result of climate change 26 27 Natural landscape Edit Proctor Valley in Chula Vista Autumn of 2008 in Southern California Main article Geography of Southern California Southern California consists of one of the more varied collections of geologic topographic and natural ecosystem landscapes in a diversity outnumbering other major regions in the state and country The region spans from Pacific Ocean islands shorelines beaches and coastal plains through the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges with their peaks and into the large and small interior valleys to the vast deserts of California Introductory categories include Category Beaches of southern California Category Mountain ranges of Southern California Category Rivers of Southern California Category Deserts of California Category Parks in Southern CaliforniaGeography EditGeographic features Edit View from La Jolla Cove in San Diego Peaks in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains Angeles National Forest San Bernardino County Yucca Valley with Visitor Center in Background in June 2017 Ocean Beach Sunset in San Diego Angeles National Forest Los Angeles San Bernardino amp Ventura Counties Antelope Hills Kern County Antelope Valley Los Angeles amp Kern Counties Arroyo Seco Los Angeles County Bacon Hills Kern County Baldwin Hills Los Angeles County Ballona Wetlands Los Angeles County Big Bear Lake San Bernardino County Bissell Hills Kern County Black Hills Kern County Bolsa Chica Estuary Orange County Buena Vista Hills Kern County Buena Vista Lake Kern County Cajon Pass San Bernardino County Calico Mountains San Bernardino County Channel Islands Santa Barbara Ventura amp Los Angeles Counties Castaic Lake Los Angeles County Chino Hills Orange Los Angeles Riverside amp San Bernardino Counties Coachella Valley Riverside County Colorado Desert San Bernardino Riverside Imperial amp San Diego Counties Colorado River San Bernardino Riverside amp Imperial Counties Baja California amp Sonora Conejo Valley Los Angeles amp Ventura Counties Cucamonga Valley San Bernardino amp Riverside Counties Cuyamaca Mountains San Diego County Death Valley San Bernardino amp Inyo Counties Diablo Range Kern County Elk Hills Kern County Elkhorn Hills San Luis Obispo County El Mirage Lake San Bernardino County El Paso Mountains Kern County Greenhorn Mountains Kern County High Desert Los Angeles Kern Inyo amp San Bernardino Counties Horned Toad Hills Kern County Imperial Valley Imperial County Irish Hills San Luis Obispo County In Ko Pah Mountains San Diego County Inland Empire Riverside amp San Bernardino Counties Jacumba Mountains San Diego County Jawbone Canyon Kern County Kern River Kern County La Jolla Cove San Diego County Laguna Mountains San Diego County Lake Arrowhead San Bernardino County Lake Casitas Ventura County Lake Elsinore Riverside County Lake Isabella Kern County Lake Perris Riverside County Lake Piru Ventura County Lakeview Mountains Riverside County Lake Webb Kern County Little San Bernardino Mountains Riverside amp San Bernardino Counties Little Signal Hills Kern County Los Angeles Basin Los Angeles amp Orange Counties Los Angeles River Los Angeles County Los Padres National Forest Kern Los Angeles San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara amp Ventura Counties Lost Hills Kern County Low Desert Imperial San Diego Riverside amp San Bernardino Counties Mojave Desert Los Angeles Kern amp San Bernardino Counties Mojave River San Bernardino County Mount San Antonio Los Angeles County New River Imperial County Mexicali Municipality Nine Sisters San Luis Obispo County Ojai Valley Ventura County Orange Coast Orange County Oxnard Plain Ventura County Palomar Mountain San Diego County Palo Verde Valley Riverside amp Imperial Counties Palos Verdes Peninsula Los Angeles County Panamint Range Inyo County Peninsular Ranges San Diego Riverside amp Orange Counties Pleito Hills Kern County Point Loma San Diego County Point Mugu Ventura County Point of Rocks Kern County Pomona Valley Los Angeles amp San Bernardino Counties Providence Mountains San Bernardino County Puente Hills Los Angeles County Pyramid Lake Los Angeles County Rand Mountains Kern County Rio Hondo Los Angeles County Rosamond Hills Kern County Saddleback Valley Orange County Salton Sea Imperial amp Riverside Counties San Andreas Fault All Counties San Bernardino Mountains San Bernardino County San Bernardino National Forest Riverside amp San Bernardino Counties San Bernardino Valley San Bernardino County San Diego Bay San Diego County San Diego River San Diego County San Emigdio Mountains Los Angeles Ventura amp Kern Counties San Fernando Valley Los Angeles County San Gabriel Mountains Los Angeles amp San Bernardino Counties San Gabriel River Los Angeles County San Gabriel Valley Los Angeles County San Jacinto Mountains Riverside County San Jacinto River Riverside County San Joaquin Valley Kern County San Luis Rey River San Diego County San Pedro Bay Los Angeles County San Rafael Mountains Santa Barbara County Santa Ana Mountains Orange amp Riverside Counties Santa Ana River San Bernardino Riverside amp Orange Counties Santa Ana Valley Orange County Santa Catalina Island Los Angeles County Santa Clara River Ventura County Santa Clara River Valley Ventura County Santa Clarita Valley Los Angeles County Santa Margarita River Riverside Orange amp San Diego Counties Santa Monica Bay Los Angeles County Santa Monica Mountains Los Angeles amp Ventura Counties Santa Rosa Mountains Riverside Imperial amp San Diego Counties Santa Susana Mountains Los Angeles amp Ventura Counties Santa Ynez Mountains Santa Barbara amp Ventura Counties Santa Ynez Valley Santa Barbara County Scodie Mountains Kern County Sequoia National Forest Kern County Shale Hills Kern County Sierra Nevada Kern County Sierra Pelona Mountains Los Angeles amp Kern Counties Simi Hills Los Angeles amp Ventura Counties Simi Valley Ventura County Sweetwater River San Diego County Tehachapi Mountains Kern amp Los Angeles Counties Tejon Hills Kern County Temescal Mountains Riverside County Telephone Hills Kern County Temblor Range Kern amp San Luis Obispo Counties Tijuana River San Diego County Topatopa Mountains Ventura County Turtle Mountains San Bernardino County Ventura River Ventura County Verdugo Mountains Los Angeles County Victor Valley San Bernardino County Geology Edit List of major fault zones Edit Note Plate boundary faults are indicated with a symbol Brawley Seismic Zone Chino Fault Elsinore Fault Zone Elysian Park Fault Garlock Fault Hosgri Fault Imperial Fault Zone Laguna Salada Fault Newport Inglewood Fault Peninsular Ranges Puente Hills Fault Raymond Fault Rose Canyon Fault Salton Trough Salinian Block San Andreas Fault San Cayetano Fault San Felipe Fault Zone San Gabriel Fault San Jacinto Fault Zone Santa Maria River Fault Santa Ynez Fault Shoreline Fault Ventura Fault White Wolf Fault Whittier Fault Yorba Linda Fault Northridge earthquake shake map Earthquakes Edit Each year Southern California has about 10 000 earthquakes Nearly all of them are so small that they are not felt Only several hundred have been greater than magnitude 3 0 and only about 15 20 have been greater than magnitude 4 0 28 The magnitude 6 7 1994 Northridge earthquake was particularly destructive causing a substantial number of deaths injuries and structural collapses as well as the most property damage of any earthquake in U S history at an estimated 20 billion 29 Many faults are able to produce a magnitude greater than 6 7 earthquake such as the San Andreas Fault which can produce a magnitude 8 0 event Other faults include the San Jacinto Fault the Puente Hills Fault and the Elsinore Fault Zone The United States Geological Survey USGS has released a California earthquake forecast 30 which models earthquake occurrence in California List of earthquakes Edit This is a partial list of earthquakes in Southern California For a full list see List of earthquakes in California Note Earthquakes with epicenters in the Los Angeles Metro Area are marked with the symbol Other earthquakes mentioned means shaking was felt 1812 San Juan Capistrano earthquake 1812 Ventura earthquake 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake 1892 Laguna Salada earthquake 1899 San Jacinto earthquake 1918 San Jacinto earthquake 1933 Long Beach earthquake 1940 El Centro earthquake 1948 Desert Hot Springs earthquake 1971 San Fernando earthquake 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake 1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake 1986 North Palm Springs earthquake 1987 Superstition Hills earthquakes 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake 1992 Big Bear earthquake 1992 Landers earthquake 1994 Northridge earthquake 2008 Chino Hills earthquake 2010 Baja California earthquake 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakesPopulation EditSee also Greater Los Angeles Demographics Historical populationCensus Pop 18506 492 186033 280412 6 187044 15832 7 188091 916108 2 1890251 770173 9 1900337 32834 0 1910808 408139 7 19201 423 78676 1 19303 044 978113 9 19403 840 73326 1 19505 931 97554 4 19609 398 72258 4 197012 103 55928 8 198014 308 74218 2 199018 269 09527 7 200020 637 51213 0 201022 680 0109 9 202023 762 9044 8 Sources 1790 1990 2000 2010 2020 15 31 32 Chart does not include Indigenous population figures Studies indicate that the Native Americanpopulation in California in 1850 was close to 150 000before declining to 15 000 by 1900 33 Downtown San Bernardino As of the 2020 United States Census Southern California has a population of 23 762 904 Despite a reputation for high growth rates Southern California s population has grown slower than the state average since the 2000s This is due to California s growth becoming concentrated in the northern part of the state as result of a stronger tech oriented economy in the Bay Area and an emerging Greater Sacramento region Southern California consists of one Combined Statistical Area eight Metropolitan Statistical Areas one international metropolitan area and multiple metropolitan divisions The region is home to two extended metropolitan areas that exceed five million in population These are the Greater Los Angeles Area at 17 786 419 and San Diego Tijuana at 5 105 768 34 35 Of these metropolitan areas the Los Angeles Long Beach Santa Ana metropolitan area Riverside San Bernardino Ontario metropolitan area and Oxnard Thousand Oaks Ventura metropolitan area form Greater Los Angeles 36 while the El Centro metropolitan area and San Diego Carlsbad San Marcos metropolitan area form the Southern Border Region 37 38 North of Greater Los Angeles are the Santa Barbara San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield metropolitan areas Cities Edit See also List of largest cities in California by population Los Angeles with a population of approximately 3 9 million people and San Diego at nearly 1 4 million people are the two largest cities in all of California and are among the top eight largest cities in the United States In Southern California there are also 14 cities with more than 200 000 residents and 48 cities over 100 000 residents Many of Southern California s most developed cities lie along or in close proximity to the coast with the exception of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Edit Imperial Kern Los Angeles Orange Riverside San Bernardino San Diego San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara VenturaLiterature EditSouthern California is home to most popular and famous literature in the region These books include California by Kevin Starr Malibu Farm Cookbook by Helene Henderson L A Noir by John Buntin The Mountains of California by John Muir The New California Wine by Jon Bonne and My Hollywood by Mona Simpson Most of them are well received and nominated for rewards 39 40 Economy EditIndustries Edit Southern California has a diverse economy and is one of the largest economies in the United States It is dominated by and heavily dependent upon the abundance of petroleum as opposed to other regions where automobiles are not nearly as dominant due to the vast majority of transport that runs on this fuel Southern California is famous for tourism and the entertainment industry Other industries include software automotive ports finance biomedical and regional logistics The region was a leader in the housing bubble from 2001 to 2007 and has been heavily impacted by the housing crash Since the 1920s motion pictures petroleum and aircraft manufacturing have been major industries In one of the richest agricultural regions in the U S cattle and citrus were major industries until farmlands were turned into suburbs Although military spending cutbacks have had an impact aerospace continues to be a major factor 41 Major central business districts Edit Taco Bell Headquarters in Irvine Southern California is home to many major business districts Central business districts CBD include Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Riverside Downtown San Bernardino Downtown San Diego and the South Coast Metro Within the Los Angeles Area are the major business districts of Downtown Pasadena Downtown Burbank Downtown Santa Monica Downtown Glendale and Downtown Long Beach Los Angeles itself has many business districts such as Downtown Los Angeles and those lining Wilshire Boulevard including Mid Wilshire the Miracle Mile Downtown Beverly Hills and Westwood others include Century City and Warner Center in the San Fernando Valley The area of Santa Monica and Venice and perhaps some of Culver City is informally referred to as Silicon Beach because of the concentration of financial and marketing technology centric firms located in the region The San Bernardino Riverside Area maintains the business districts of Downtown San Bernardino Hospitality Business Financial Centre University District which are in the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside In Orange County has highly developed suburban business centers also known as edge cities including the Anaheim Santa Ana edge city along I 5 and another the South Coast Plaza John Wayne Airport edge city that stretches from the South Coast Metro to the Irvine Business Complex Newport Center and Irvine Spectrum Downtown Santa Ana is an important government arts and entertainment and retail district Downtown San Diego is the CBD of San Diego though the city is filled with business districts These include Carmel Valley Del Mar Heights Mission Valley Rancho Bernardo Sorrento Mesa and University City Most of these districts are located in Northern San Diego and some within North County regions Theme parks and waterparks Edit Disneyland in Anaheim Los Angeles Dry Town Water Park Pacific Park Raging Waters San Dimas Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Six Flags Magic Mountain Universal Studios HollywoodOrange County Disney California Adventure Disneyland Park Knott s Berry Farm Knott s Soak City Wild Rivers water park Riverside amp San Bernardino Castle Park Wet n Wild Palm SpringsSan Diego Sesame Place San Diego Belmont Park Legoland California Legoland Waterpark San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo Safari Park SeaWorld San Diego Vineyard Winery American Viticultural Area AVA districts Edit California wine AVA American Viticultural Areas in southern California South Coast AVA Cucamonga Valley AVA Malibu Newton Canyon AVA Ramona Valley AVA Saddle Rock Malibu AVA Temecula Valley AVA Leona Valley AVA Central Coast AVA San Luis Obispo Coast AVA Arroyo Grande Valley AVA Edna Valley AVA San Pasqual Valley AVA Santa Maria Valley AVA Santa Ynez Valley AVA Sta Rita Hills AVA York Mountain AVATransportation EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message See Category Transportation in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California is home to Los Angeles International Airport the second busiest airport in the United States by passenger volume see World s busiest airports by passenger traffic and the third busiest by international passenger volume see Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic San Diego International Airport the busiest single runway airport in the world Van Nuys Airport the world s busiest general aviation airport major commercial airports at San Bernardino Orange County Bakersfield Ontario Burbank and Long Beach and numerous smaller commercial and general aviation airports 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 Southern California is also home to the Port of Los Angeles the country s busiest commercial port the adjacent Port of Long Beach the country s second busiest container port and the Port of San Diego Airports Edit The following table shows all airports listed by the Federal Aviation Association FAA as a hub airport 42 Airport ID City Metro area Category Enplanements 2011 mil Los Angeles International Airport LAX Los Angeles Large Hub 30 5mSan Diego International Airport SAN San Diego Large Hub 8 5mJohn Wayne Airport SNA Orange County Medium Hub 4 2mOntario International Airport ONT San Bernardino Riverside Medium hub 2 3mHollywood Burbank Airport BUR Burbank LA Medium Hub 2 1mLong Beach Airport LGB Long Beach LA Small Hub 1 5mPalm Springs International Airport PSP Palm Springs Small Hub 0 8mSanta Barbara Municipal Airport SBA Santa Barbara Small Hub 0 7mSan Luis Obispo Regional Airport SBP San Luis Obispo Small Hub 0 5mSan Bernardino International Airport SBD San Bernardino Riverside Small Hub NAFreeways and highways Edit Interstate and state highway system of Southern California Main article Southern California freeways Sections of the Southern California freeway system are often referred to by names rather than by the official numbers Interstate Highways Sign Interstate Freeway name Interstate 5 Golden State FreewaySanta Ana FreewaySan Diego FreewayMontgomery Freeway Interstate 8 Ocean Beach FreewayMission Valley Freeway Interstate 10 Santa Monica Rosa Parks FreewayGolden State FreewaySan Bernardino FreewayIndio Dr June McCarroll FreewayBlythe Freeway Interstate 15 Mojave FreewayBarstow FreewayOntario FreewayCorona FreewayTemecula Valley FreewayEscondido Freeway Interstate 40 Needles Freeway Interstate 105 Century Glenn Anderson Freeway Interstate 110 Harbor Freeway Interstate 210 Foothill Freeway Interstate 215 Barstow FreewaySan Bernardino FreewayMoreno Valley FreewayEscondido Freeway Interstate 405 San Diego Freeway Interstate 605 San Gabriel River Freeway Interstate 710 Long Beach Freeway Interstate 805 Jacob Dekema Freeway Future Interstate 905U S Highway system Sign U S Route Freeway name U S Route 95 U S Route 101 Ventura FreewayHollywood FreewaySanta Ana FreewayEl Camino Real U S Route 395 Public transportation Edit The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway s combined Super Chief El Capitan pulls into Los Angeles s Union Passenger Terminal on September 24 1966 See Category Public transportation in Southern CaliforniaAntelope Valley Transit Authority Big Blue Bus Santa Monica Gold Coast Transit Ventura County Golden Empire Transit Bakersfield Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metrolink North County Transit District northern San Diego County Omnitrans southwestern San Bernardino County Orange County Transportation Authority Riverside Transit Agency western Riverside County San Diego Coaster Oceanside to San Diego San Diego Metropolitan Transit System San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority Santa Barbara MTDCommunication EditTelephone area codes Edit 213 Central Los Angeles 310 West Los Angeles Inglewood Santa Monica South Bay and Catalina Island 323 Overlay with 213 424 Overlay with 310 442 Overlay with 760 562 Long Beach Gateway Cities and parts of northern Orange County 619 most of San Diego County including San Diego 626 most of San Gabriel Valley including Pasadena 657 Overlay with 714 661 Bakersfield Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley 714 Northern Orange County including Anaheim Santa Ana and Huntington Beach 760 Northern San Diego County including Oceanside and Escondido Imperial County Coachella Valley Blythe Twentynine Palms Victor Valley Barstow and Ridgecrest 805 Santa Barbara Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties 818 Eastern Conejo Valley Crescenta Valley San Fernando Valley including Glendale and Burbank 820 Overlay with 805 840 Overlay with 909 858 Overlay with 619 909 Southwestern San Bernardino County eastern Los Angeles County and portions of northwestern Riverside County 949 Southern Orange County including Irvine Newport Beach Laguna Niguel and San Clemente 951 Western Riverside County including Riverside and TemeculaColleges and universities EditMain article List of colleges and universities in Southern California University of California Los Angeles California Institute of Technology 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 Irvine Los Angeles Riverside Santa Barbara and San Diego 12 California State University campuses Bakersfield Channel Islands Dominguez Hills Fullerton Los Angeles Long Beach Northridge Pomona San Bernardino San Diego San Marcos and San Luis Obispo and private institutions such as the California Institute of Technology Azusa Pacific University Chapman University the Claremont Colleges Claremont McKenna College Harvey Mudd College Pitzer College Pomona College Scripps College Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute Loma Linda University Loyola Marymount University Occidental College Pepperdine University University of Redlands University of San Diego and the University of Southern California Parks and recreation areas EditNumerous parks provide recreation opportunities and open space Locations include National Park Service Cabrillo National Monument Carrizo Plain National Monument Castle Mountains National Monument Cesar E Chavez National Monument Channel Islands National Park Death Valley National Park Joshua Tree National Park Mojave National Preserve Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Major State Parks including Anza Borrego Desert State Park Crystal Cove State Park Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Chino Hills State Park Fort Tejon State Historic Park Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area Mount San Jacinto State Park Malibu Creek State Park Red Rock Canyon State Park California Topanga State Park Major State Historic Parks including California Citrus State Historic Park El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park La Purisima Mission State Historic Park Los Encinos State Historic Park Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Rancho Los Encinos Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park Tule Elk State Natural Reserve Watts Towers Will Rogers State Historic ParkSports EditSee also Freeway Series Lakers Clippers rivalry and Sports in California Northern California Southern California rivalry Major professional sports teams in Southern California include NFL American football Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Chargers NBA Basketball Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Clippers MLB Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Angels San Diego Padres NHL Ice hockey Los Angeles Kings Anaheim Ducks MLS Soccer LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC NWSL Soccer Angel City FC San Diego Wave FC WNBA Basketball Los Angeles SparksSouthern California also is home to a number of popular NCAA sports programs such as the UCLA Bruins the USC Trojans and the San Diego State Aztecs The Bruins and the Trojans both field football teams in NCAA Division I in the Pac 12 Conference and there is a longtime rivalry between the schools See also Edit California portalCategory History of Southern California Category California ranchos Southern California Counties categories Category Public transportation in Southern California California earthquake forecast California megapolitan areas Geography of Southern California Largest cities in Southern California List of regions of California Southern California Megaregions of the United States San Angeles South Coast Southern California Association of GovernmentsReferences Edit Square Mileage by County counties org California State Association of Counties CSAC Archived from the original on February 27 2019 Retrieved March 2 2019 State Population Totals and Components of Change 2010 2019 Census gov United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on January 26 2020 Retrieved February 8 2020 Figures Show California s Motoring Supremacy Touring Topics Los Angeles California Automobile Club of Southern California 8 2 38 39 March 1916 Cooley Timothy J 2014 Surfing about Music University of California Press p 46 ISBN 978 0 52095 721 3 Megaregions Archived from the original on May 16 2017 Retrieved October 1 2014 The three metropolitan areas are Los Angeles Long Beach Santa Ana the second largest in the US Riverside San Bernardino Ontario the Inland Empire and San Diego Carlsbad San Marcos see United States metropolitan areas California County Population Estimates PDF California Department of Finance January 7 2009 Archived from the original PDF on March 29 2012 Retrieved October 17 2016 Yoon Peter August 7 2006 X Games Take a Turn for the Better Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on December 10 2008 Retrieved May 23 2010 Higgins Matt September 13 2006 Construction Stirs Debate on Effects on Perfect Wave The New York Times Archived from the original on April 30 2011 Retrieved September 13 2008 DiLeo Michael Smith Eleanor 1983 Two Californias The Myths And Realities of a State Divided Against Itself Covelo California Island Press p 30 ISBN 978 0 93328 016 8 California Historical Society of Southern 1901 The Quarterly Volumes 5 6 Historical Society of Southern California p 223 Bernstein Leilah December 31 1999 L A Then AND NOW Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on February 27 2017 Retrieved February 27 2017 Myers John June 13 2018 Radical plan to split California into three states earns spot on November ballot Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on February 25 2020 Retrieved June 14 2018 California Health Officials Announce a Regional Stay at Home Order Triggered by ICU Capacity State of California December 3 2020 Retrieved December 30 2020 a b Counties 2020 U S Census Gazetteer Files United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 3 2021 Los Angeles County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 San Diego County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Orange County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Riverside County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 San Bernardino County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Kern County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Ventura County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Santa Barbara County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 San Luis Obispo County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Imperial County QuickFacts United States Census Bureau April 1 2020 Retrieved September 3 2021 Boxall Bettina St John Paige November 10 2018 California s most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise Los Angeles Times Retrieved November 11 2018 Advancing Drought Science and Preparedness across the Nation National Integrated Drought Information System Archived from the original on November 11 2018 Retrieved November 11 2018 USGS facts data from southern California Earthquake Center Archived from the original on February 26 2009 Retrieved March 18 2009 Northridge Earthquake 2005 Archived from the original on July 12 2006 Retrieved December 11 2013 UCERF3 A New Earthquake Forecast for California s Complex Fault System PDF USGS March 3 2015 Archived PDF from the original on February 8 2017 Retrieved October 17 2016 1990 Census of Population and Housing Unit Counts Population Estimates 1790 1990 CPH 2 1 pages 26 27 PDF United States Census Bureau United States Department of Commerce DOC Economics and Statistics Administration ESA August 20 1993 Retrieved January 1 2012 California QuickFacts United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on December 28 2009 Retrieved December 26 2009 Indians of Northern California A Case Study of Federal State and Local Policies 1850 1860 AmericanIndianTAH com Archived from the original on March 17 2012 Retrieved March 21 2012 Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas April 1 2000 to July 1 2009 2009 Population Estimates United States Census Bureau Population Division March 23 2010 Archived from the original CSV on March 27 2010 Retrieved March 29 2010 World Gazetteer San Diego Tijuana World Gazetteer Archived from the original on October 1 2007 Retrieved March 20 2011 Population Estimates Archived from the original CSV on November 17 2011 Retrieved December 7 2017 California Coast Los Angeles to San Diego Bay December 15 2008 Archived from the original on May 25 2017 Retrieved April 17 2011 Loucky James ed 2008 Transboundary policy challenges in the Pacific border regions of North America University of Calgary Press p 8 ISBN 978 1 55238 223 3 A Literary Road Trip through Southern California Electric Literature July 26 2019 Retrieved May 26 2022 27 Books To Read If You re California Dreamin Penguin Random House PenguinRandomhouse com Retrieved May 26 2022 Westwick Peter J ed June 4 2012 Blue Sky Metropolis Huntington Library University of California Press ISBN 978 0 52028 906 2 Calendar Year 2011 Primary Airports PDF September 27 2012 Archived PDF from the original on February 8 2017 Retrieved October 17 2016 Further reading EditCastillo Munoz Veronica 2016 The Other California Land Identity and Politics on the Mexican Borderlands University of California Press Deverell William Igler David eds 2013 A companion to California history John Wiley amp Sons Fogelson Robert M 1967 The Fragmented Metropolis Los Angeles 1850 1930 focus on planning infrastructure water and business Friedricks William 1992 Henry E Huntington and the Creation of Southern California on Henry Edwards Huntington 1850 1927 railroad executive and collector who helped build LA and southern California through the Southern Pacific railroad and trolleys Garcia Matt 2001 A World of Its Own Race Labor and Citrus in the Making of Greater Los Angeles 1900 1970 Garcia Mario T 1972 A Chicano Perspective on San Diego History Journal of San Diego History 18 4 14 21 online Lotchin Roger 2002 Fortress California 1910 1961 excerpt and text search covers military and industrial roles Mills James R 1960 San Diego Where California Began San Diego San Diego Historical Society revised edition online O Flaherty Joseph S 1972 An End and a Beginning The South Coast and Los Angeles 1850 1887 O Flaherty Joseph S 1978 Those Powerful Years The South Coast and Los Angeles 1887 1917 Pryde Philip R 2004 San Diego An Introduction to the Region 4th ed a historical geography Shragge Abraham 1994 A new federal city San Diego during World War II Pacific Historical Review 63 3 333 361 doi 10 2307 3640970 JSTOR 3640970 in JSTOR Starr Kevin 1997 The Dream Endures California Enters the 1940s pp 90 114 covers 1880s 1940 Starr Kevin 2004 Coast of Dreams California on the Edge 1990 2003 pp 372 381 Starr Kevin 2011 Golden Dreams California in an Age of Abundance 1950 1963 pp 57 87 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Southern California Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Southern California California Historical Society Collection 1860 1960 USC Libraries Digital Collections Historical Society of Southern California Coordinates 34 00 N 117 00 W 34 000 N 117 000 W 34 000 117 000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Southern California amp oldid 1135598275, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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