Southern California
From Wikitravel
Contents
Southern California is a megapolitian area in the southern region of the U.S state of California. The large urban areas comprised of Los Angeles and San Diego stretch all along the coast from Ventura to the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego.
To the west of Southern California lies the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands. To the south is the international border between the United States and Mexico. Towards the Arizona state border in the east lies the Colorado Desert and the Colorado River, and towards the Nevada state border lies the Mojave Desert. Though there is no official definition for the northern boundary of Southern California, most include all the land south of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Tehachapi Mountains.
Southern California is a culturally diverse and well known area worldwide. Many tourists frequently travel to South Coast for its popular beaches, and to the eastern Desert for its dramatic open spaces. Southern California, along with the San Francisco Bay Area, is a major cultural and economic center for the State of California and beyond.
[edit] Regions
Southern California is most easily divisible by counties. The following counties are completely in the Southern California region:
Due to their vast size (San Bernardino County is larger nine of the states in the U.S.) and varied topography these counties are split among two different regions. The westernmost urban portions are considered part of Southern California and the eastern desert sections are part of Desert region.
Southern California is divided culturally, politically, and economically into distinctive regions, each containing its own culture and atmosphere. A region with both national and global recognition, Southern Cali is often considered the home to many tourist destinations and the hub of economic activity for its respective regions. Each region is further divided into many culturally distinct areas, but as a whole they combine to create the Southern California atmosphere.
Out of these regions, three are major metropolitan areas, each of which have over 3 million people. The Los Angeles area has over 12 million inhabitants, the Riverside-San Bernardino area has over 4 million inhabitants, and the San Diego area has over 3 million inhabitants. The region as a whole is practically identical in population to Texas, with more than 24.2 million people, and is the nation's most populous region behind the urban seaboard of the Northeastern United States.
[edit] Cities
Some of the major cities in the Southern California region include:
Urban Landscape. Southern California consists of a heavily developed urban environment, along with vast areas that have been left undeveloped. It is the second largest urbanized region in the United States, first being the Philadelphia/New York/Boston Northeastern areas. These cities are considered dense, with major downtown populations and significant rail and transit systems, but 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, Riverside, and San Bernardino, each of which is the center of its respective metropolitan area, composed of numerous smaller cities and communities.
Natural Landscape. Southern California consists of geologic, topographic, and natural ecosystem landscapes in a diverse setting, outnumbering other major regions across the state/country. The region spans from the Pacific Ocean islands, shorelines, beaches, and coastal plains, through the Peninsular Ranges with their peaks, into the large/small interior valleys, to the vast Deserts of California. Each year, the area has about 10,000 earthquakes. Nearly all 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.
[edit] Other destinations
Southern California is home to numerous world-famous attractions including Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, Legoland, and others.
[edit] Understand
[edit] Talk
English is the official language of California and is the predominant language in Southern California. However, Spanish is also spoken by large Hispanic populations and it is not uncommon in Southern California to see store and street signs written in both English and Spanish. Chinese, Tagalog, Japanese, Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, and Cambodian are also spoken by various immigrant groups.
[edit] Get in
[edit] Get around
Transportation in Southern California consists of public transit, rail transit, airports, shuttle services, highways, roads and bike paths. The freeways and highways are one of the major trademarks of the region. Extensive and complex freeway networks criss-cross the quickly-growing region, connecting urban centers with their suburbs, as well as the areas of urban sprawl between them. Many of the major highways leading in and out of Southern California include Interstates 5,8,10,15,40, the Golden State, San Diego, Ocean Beach, Mission Valley, Santa Monica, Corona and Mojave Freeways. The major airports in the area include the Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs International Airports.
Public Transportation in Southern California includes:
- Metrolink
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- San Diego trolley and San Diego County MTS
- Orange County Transportation Authority
- Omnitrans (southwestern San Bernardino County)
- Santa Barbara MTD
- Gold Coast Transit (Ventura County)
- North County Transit District (northern San Diego County)
- San Diego Coaster (Oceanside to San Diego)
- Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica)
- Riverside Transit Agency (western Riverside County)
Major hubs of transportation and logistics are planning major capital investments in Southern California over the next several years. They have the largest federal stimulus project in L.A. County: the Harry Bridges reconstruction project. This will be a big commitment consisting of 250 construction jobs for a $25 million project. They also just kicked off a six-year expansion to the China Shipping Terminal which will include new wharfs, new cranes, and about 4,000 jobs at full capacity.
Most Southern Californians drive their personal cars to get around. Just listen to the evening traffic reports and you'll get an idea of how many cars are driven in the area each and every day.
The metropolitan regions of Southern California consist of many small cities that run into one another. It can be confusing and you can get lost very easily if you do not have a map, even with detailed directions. A Thomas Guide, which contains detailed maps of all neighborhoods, is a useful tool if you plan on doing any driving in Southern California. This book can be found in local stores and bookstores.
Mass transit is available throughout the area, with many connecting together at shared stops. The regional commuter train,MetroLink [1], connects many of the outreaching areas, where many commuters live, with Los Angeles and Orange County, where they work. This train system comes in handy when you need to get from one area to another, even with their limited schedule.
[edit] By thumb
It is not worth trying. Cities are too close together and there are too many access points to the highway, making it nearly impossible to find someone going your way. Your best bets are the 101 north of Santa Barbara, the 5 north of Santa Clarita, or east until you escape the sprawling cityscape.
[edit][add listing] See
Southern California is the entertainment capital of the world, including motion picture, television, and recorded music. This region is home to the world's largest adult entertainment industry, located primarily in the San Fernando Valley, and Hollywood (the center of the motion picture industry.) Headquartered in Southern California is The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, Universal, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers.
Besides the entertainment industry, Southern Cali is home to many sports franchises and sports networks such as Fox Sports Net. Professional 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, and San Diego Chargers. 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.
- Cabrillo National Monument - (San Diego) Climbing out of his boat and onto shore in 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stepped into history as the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. In addition to telling the story of 16th century exploration, the park is home to a wealth of cultural and natural resources.
[edit][add listing] Do
Southern California is home to the movie studios of Hollywood, theme parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios, and beautiful beaches.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Most types of food can be found in the towns and cities of Southern Californian-especially popular are Thai, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Salvadoran, Korean BBQ, Indian, Pilipino, and Armenian.
Southern California is the birthplace of modern day American fast food such as McDonald's. That being said, for healthier (and arguably tastier) American fast food, one should not miss In-N-Out Burger with multiple locations. The menu is pretty straightforward but a "secret" menu allows you to customize by ordering "animal style" fries and burgers.
For a taste of California, you can visit a farmers’ market and rub shoulders with celebrity chefs and foodie insiders picking out the finest organic produce. You can also step into sleek restaurants serving innovative, ultra-fresh California cuisine. You can taste gelato made with locally-produced chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, or handmade cheeses from local farms. Drive down a tree-lined lane to wineries in grand chateaus, or relaxed, family-run vineyards where the guy pouring and chatting in the tasting room is a world-class winemaker.
[edit][add listing] Drink
[edit] Stay safe
- Crime can be high in certain parts of southern California, particularly in the Los Angeles area, although the media tends to exaggerate this sometimes. However, some areas are extremely good and safe. Los Angeles is an extremely diverse place.
- Many tourists may suffer respiratory problems due to the pollution in the air closer to southern California's major metropolitan areas. Drink plenty of fluids and keep outdoors activities within the city itself to a minimum.
- There are no extremely dangerous animals in southern California. There are rattlesnakes in the open spaces, but they are typically shy and their bites are only considered to be potentially fatal to the very young and the elderly- even so, it's best to always be alert while hiking. Mountain lions (also known as pumas, cougars and catamounts) do exist in many (if not all) of the National Parks and open spaces in Southern California. These cats are, however, EXTREMELY shy and elusive- you have very little chance of seeing one, let alone being attacked by one. Most hikers who have been hiking these areas their whole lives have never even seen or heard a mountain lion. Attacks are rare but do happen every few years- make sure to always hike with another person, especially near dawn and dusk.
[edit] Get out
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