South Coast (California)

For the California wine region, see South Coast AVA.

South Coast
The South Coast: San Diego to Oxnard, and east to Riverside-San Bernardino
Country	United States
State	California
Population	~ 20 million

The South Coast is a term used in the West Coast region of the United States to refer to both the south Pacific Coast of California and the adjacent resort and residential communities.

It refers for the most part to the Southern California coastal counties of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego due to the cosmopolitan "SoCal" atmosphere and location of major urban coastal centers. Of these counties only the western two thirds of San Diego, most of Los Angeles and all of Orange are included.^[1]

However, some sources include the coastal half of Ventura, western part of Riverside, and southwestern part of San Bernardino Counties because of their proximity to the Pacific Coast and because they are in the same bio-region and watershed.^[2]

South Coast culture

The South Coast is a very popular area with tourists and is the home base for Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Many amusement parks such as Disneyland are located in the area. Beach culture is very prominent in the region and residents and tourist alike engage in many water sports such as surfing and bodyboarding. Famous beaches and resort towns include Malibu, Santa Monica, the Beach Cities, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Coronado. The area is also a very popular fashion location, anchoring the west coast in the fashion industry.

Many television shows such as The Hills, Beverly Hills, 90210, Laguna Beach, The OC, 90210 and Melrose Place have helped popularize the region and its districts, depicting stereotypical SoCoast and SoCal living.

Just as the region is known for its entertainment and nightlife, so is it known for its colleges, universities and involvement in the military and research sectors. The area also features many museums, zoos, wildlife parks & refuges.

Pollution controversies

Smog is a prevalent problem in the densely populated Los Angeles Basin and San Bernardino Valley, though there are efforts to help reduce the level of smog pollution.

Location and region

The South Coast has a Mediterranean climate. That means the seasons consist of warm summers, mild wet winters, cool pleasant falls, and warm springs. Summers do not get extremely hot because the ocean serves as a coastal climate mediator, nor do the winter never get extremely cold. Storms sometimes drench the coast, but the rain falls in short, heavy bursts.

More information

For more information on South Coast see:

• Southland
• Orange County
• San Diego

See also

• South Coast Air Basin
• North Coast (California)
• Central Coast of California

References

1. ^ http://ceres.ca.gov/geo_area/bioregions/South_Coast/about.html
2. ^ http://www.phrelin.com/3Cals/Rationale.htm

External links