Southern California
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Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal, is an informal name for the southern one-third of the state of California. There are no clear, exact boundaries for this area; instead, residents rely on physical features to establish the boundary. On the west is the Pacific Ocean; to the south is the international border between the United States and Mexico; and to the east is the state border between California and Arizona.
The northern boundary is more difficult to define. One generally accepted 'physical' boundary between Southern California and the rest of the state is the Tehachapi Mountain range located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles . Another useful boundary is the San Gabriel Mountain range located about 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Depending on which of the two mountain ranges is used for the northern boundary of the region, different communities/cities and counties are included in, or excluded from, the area called "Southern California":
- Using the San Gabriel Mountain range as the boundary, politically the following six counties (in descending order of population) are included: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial.
- Using the Tehachapi Mountain range as the northern boundary, the following counties could also be included: Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Kern.
Southern California is also divided into the Coastal Region (Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County, and Santa Barbara County) and the larger, more sparsly populated, desert Inland Empire (San Bernardino County, Ventura 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.
Southern California is a heavily developed urban environment. It is one of the most urbanized regions in the United States, second only to the Washington, D.C./New York/Boston megalopolis (BosWash). Much of SoCal is famous for its large, spread-out, suburban communities. The dominant areas are Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana/Orange County; each of which is the center of their respective metropolitan areas, which comprise numerous other cities and communities. Review the metropolitan pages for more information regarding these cities, the economy, demographics, etc. The Tech Coast is a moniker that has gained popular use as a descriptor for the region's diversified industrial base.
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.
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Regions
Counties
- South of the San Gabriel mountains
- North of the San Gabriel mountains
Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura are also counties in the Central Coast.
Geographic features
- Antelope Valley (Los Angeles, Kern Counties)
- Coachella Valley (Riverside County)
- Conejo Valley (Ventura County)
- Channel Islands
- San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles County)
- San Gabriel Valley (Los Angeles County)
- Pomona Valley (Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties)
- Cucamonga Valley (San Bernardino County)
- High Desert (Los Angeles, Kern, and San Bernardino Counties)
- Imperial Valley (Imperial County)
- Inland Empire (Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties)
- Low Desert (Imperial, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties)
- Orange Coast (Orange County)
- Saddleback Valley (Orange County)
- Salton Sea Imperial and Riverside Counties
- San Bernardino Mountains (San Bernardino County)
- San Gabriel Mountains (Los Angeles County)
- San Jacinto Mountains (Riverside County)
- Santa Ana Valley (Orange County)
- Catalina Island (Los Angeles County)
- Santa Clara River Valley (Ventura County)
- Santa Monica Mountains (Los Angeles and Ventura Counties)
- Victor Valley (San Bernardino County)
External links
- Historical Society of Southern California (http://www.socalhistory.org/)
- Metrolink (http://www.metrolinktrains.com/)
