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Southern California
This article is about Southern California
Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, also colloquially known as
SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies
the southern-most quarter of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the
cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24
million people, and is the nation's second most populated region, behind only
the BosWash Region in the Eastern United States. There are no clear, exact
boundaries for this area; instead, residents rely on physical features to
establish the boundary. On the west is the Pacific Ocean; to the south is the
international border between the United States and Mexico; to the east are the
Mojave and Colorado Deserts and the Colorado River at the state's border with
Arizona and Nevada. To the north is the Tehachapi Mountain range, located about
70 miles north of Los Angeles, which separates the region from the rest of the
state. However, the tremendous growth of Southern California has led to
explosive growth in outlying regions, namely the Bakersfield, Las Vegas, and
Phoenix areas, and many now consider even those extreme regions a part of the
Southern California megalopolis.
Southern California Significance
The famous Hollywood sign, a symbol of the city's world famous entertainment
cultureWithin its boundaries are two world cities (Los Angeles and San Diego)
and three of the world's largest metropolitan areas.[citation needed] 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 3rd busiest airport in the United
States by passenger volume and the 2nd by international passenger volume, Van
Nuys Airport, the world's busiest general aviation airport, Ontario
International Airport, John Wayne International Airport, and San Diego
International Airport. Southern California is also home to the Port of Los
Angeles, the United States' busiest commercial port, and the adjacent Port of
Long Beach. Also of note in the region is the Los Angeles Freeway System, the
world's busiest. Six of the seven lines of the commuter rail system, Metrolink,
run out of Downtown Los Angeles, connecting Los Angeles, Ventura, San
Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties with the other line
connecting San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties directly, the nation's
first suburb-to-suburb commuter rail line.
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 research
universities and other public and private R&D institutions such as five
University of California campuses (Los Angeles (UCLA), Irvine, Riverside, Santa
Barbara, and San Diego campuses), the University of Southern California (USC),
the University of San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, Chapman University,
the Claremont Colleges (Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps, Harvey Mudd),
Pepperdine University, Cal Tech, and eleven California State University campuses
(Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pomona,
Northridge, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and San Marcos
campuses).
Southern California is the entertainment (motion picture, television, and
recorded music) capital of the world and is home to Hollywood, the motion
picture industry center. Headquartered in Southern California are The Walt
Disney Company (which also owns ABC), Sony Pictures, Universal, MGM, Paramount
Pictures (parent company of Dreamworks), 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers,
and as well as Univision, Activision, and THQ.
Besides the entertainment industry, Southern California is also home to a huge
surf and skateboard culture. Companies such as Volcom, Quicksilver, Lost
Enterprises, Sector 9, Ruca, and Surfline are all headquartered here. Pro
skateboarder Tony Hawk, pro surfers Rob Machado, Tom Curran, and Pat O'Connell,
as well as pro snowboarder Shaun White live in Southern California. Some of the
world's legendary surf spots are here, 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. Brand name skate parks including the Vans Skate
Park in Orange, the Etnies Park in Lake Forest, and the YMCA Skate Park in
Encinitas are in Southern California. Some of the world's biggest extreme sports
events including the X Games, Boost Mobile Pro, and the US Open of Surfing are
all in Southern California.[verification needed]
Southern California is also home to the world's largest adult entertainment
industry, located primarily in the San Fernando Valley. More than 85% of adult
film and video production in North America takes place in Southern California.
Southern California is home to Fox Sports Net. From high school sports to
professional, SoCal numbers many successful sports franchises. Teams 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 hosts the UCLA Bruins, the USC Trojans, and
the SDSU Aztecs.
With inhabitants from all over the world, Southern California has pioneered many
subcultures, including the hippie movement, and music movements such as skate
punk, hardcore punk, and West Coast Rap with its gangster/"g-funk" style. The
underground scene of Los Angeles is renowned and draws many artists. Record
executives have their ears open for what is hip in the scene because they
realize the influence L.A. has on the world's culture.
Southern California is also known for its car culture. The concept of Hot
Rodding had its roots in SoCal. The first organized drag racing event took place
there and spread across the country. Lowriders, MiniTrucks, and Sport Compact
tuning have all been popular with Southern California car lovers.
Many auto companies have also been stationed here. Toyota and Nissan may have
been rooted here (though it's true for both companies about 85% of production
and administration have gone to Japan, and their parent companies were
Japanese).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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