Greater Los Angeles Area
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The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, (not to be confused with the Los Angeles Metro Area which only includes Los Angeles and Orange Counties) is the agglomeration of urbanized area around the county of Los Angeles, California, United States. Greater Los Angeles includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area (Los Angeles & Orange Counties) as well as the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Metropolitan Area, and the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura Metro Area. San Diego and Imperial Counties, while a part of Southern California, are not included in this agglomeration. It is the most commonly used term for the Combined Statistical Area (a group of interacting metropolitan areas) sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County. A common unofficial definition includes the region ranging from Ventura County to the southwestern area of San Bernardino County. It is not always meaningful to refer to Los Angeles as a distinct city, and people outside of Southern California often refer to the entire region as L.A. even though it includes five counties, more than 100 distinct municipalities, and more people than any individual state except for Texas, New York, Florida, and California itself. The region contains some of the most affluent areas of the country. It has been one of the fastest growing regions in the United States for decades, first in Los Angeles County, then Orange County, and now in the Inland Empire. As of 2005, the official estimate of the population of the Los Angeles metropolitan area is more than 12.9 million, while the larger five-county region has a population of over 17.6 million. Either definition makes it the second-largest core-based statistical area[4] in the country, behind the New York metropolitan area. The U.S. Bureau of the Census has designated the five county region as the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside combined statistical area, with a July 1, 2006 population estimate of 17,776,000[5]. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Los Angeles metropolitan area has a total area of 4,850 square miles (12,562 km²), while the wider combined statistical area covers 33,954 square miles (87,941 km²), but more than half of this is the sparsely populated eastern areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe counties and county groupings comprising the Los Angeles metropolitan area are listed below with 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their populations. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area (12,950,129)
Combined Statistical AreaIn addition to the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, the following Metropolitan Statistical Areas are also included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA Combined Statistical Area (total pop. 17,775,984):
The combined statistical area is a multicore metropolitan region containing several urban areas.
Principal citiesThe following is a list of principal cities in the Greater Los Angeles Area with 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates of their population:
GeographyUrban FormImage:Los Angeles Basin from Mulholland Pan.jpg
The Los Angeles Basin, looking south from Mulholland Drive. From left to right can be seen the San Gabriel Mountains (horizon), downtown L.A., West Hollywood, the Hollywood Bowl (foreground), West Los Angeles, Palos Verdes (background), Catalina Island (horizon), Santa Monica, and the Pacific Ocean.
Los Angeles has a long-standing reputation for sprawl; however, this reputation is undeserved. As of the 2000 Census, The "Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana" Urbanized Area had a population density of 7,068 people per square mile (2,730/km²), covering 1,668 square miles (4,320 km²) of land area, making it the most densely-populated Urbanized Area (as defined by the United States Census Bureau) in the United States.[6] For comparison, the "New York-Newark" Urbanized Area as a whole had a population density of 5,309 people per square mile, covering 3,353 square miles (8,684 km²) of land area. The popular misconception of Los Angeles as a sprawling city may originate in the region's decentralized structure. Rather than being concentrated in a single downtown area, the region's major cultural, commercial, residential, political, industrial, and institutional resources are dispersed over an intricate, interconnected network. While the overall density of the city (municipality) of Los Angeles is low compared to some other large American cities (less than one-third the density of New York City, for instance),[7] this figure is deceiving in part because the region includes largely uninhabited areas such as parts of the Santa Monica Mountains and because many of the city's suburban satellites have densities among the highest in the nation.[8] The population density of the central area was more than 13,500 per square mile in 2000[2]. Within its urbanized areas, Los Angeles is noted for small lot sizes, low vacancy rates, and general lack of large exurban spreads. In inner areas, its not uncommon for people to share rooms or rent their living room to strangers. However, even in inner areas, buildings tend to be of very low height compared to other extremely large cities in part because of stringent earthquake buildings codes which increase costs and also because of mini-clusters of buildings spread throughout greater LA. Los Angeles became a major city just as the Pacific Electric Railway spread population to smaller cities much as interurbans did in East Coast cities. In the first decades of the twentieth century, the area was marked by a network of fairly dense but separated cities linked by rail. The ascendance of the automobile helped fill in the gaps between these commuter towns with lower-density settlements. 
From a height, a flat area completely filled with houses, buildings, roads, and freeways
Suburban areas surround the city of Los Angeles on all sides. Starting in the early twentieth century, there was a large growth in population on the western edges of the city moving to the San Fernando Valley and out into the Conejo Valley in eastern Ventura County. Much of the working class whites migrated to this area during the 1960s and 1970s out of East and Central Los Angeles.[9] As a result, there was a large growth in population into the Conejo Valley and into Ventura County through the US 101 corridor. Making the US 101 a full freeway in the 1960s and expansions that followed helped make commuting to Los Angeles easier and opened the way for development westward. Development in Ventura County and along the US 101 corridor remains controversial, with open-space advocates battling those who feel business development is necessary to economic growth.[10] Although the area still has abundant amount of open space and land, almost all of it was put aside and mandated never to be developed as part of the master plan of each city. Because of this, this area which was once a relatively inexpensive area to buy real estate, has seen rising real estate prices.[11] Median home prices in the Conejo Valley for instance, now range from $700,000 to $2.2 million.[12] The Los Angeles area continues to grow, principally on the periphery where new, cheaper, undeveloped areas are being sought. As such, in these areas, populations as well as housing prices have exploded. Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, which contain large swaths of desert, attracted most of the population increase between 2000 and 2006. Growth continues not only outside the existing urbanized area, but also adjacent to existing development in the central areas. As in virtually all US core cities, there is now vigorous residential development in the downtown area, both new buildings and renovation of former office buildings. The Los Angeles Downtown News keeps a list of ongoing development projects, updated every quarter, [3].
IdentityThe term "Greater Los Angeles" can be used to denote the metropolitan area or the consolidated area. The term "Southland" is more nebulous and can refer to either. Additionally, the Southland is used more so in local media than by residents. As is the case in virtually all major metropolitan areas, most employment is now outside the downtown core and many people commute and conduct all of their daily activities in suburban areas, such as the large counties and the municipalities that are outside the city of Los Angeles. Boundaries
 Some areas are bounded by natural features such as mountains or the ocean; others are marked by city boundaries, freeways, or other constructed landmarks. For example, Downtown Los Angeles is the area of Los Angeles roughly enclosed by three freeways and one river: the Harbor Freeway to the west, the U.S. Route 101 to the north, the Los Angeles River to the east, and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south. Or, the San Fernando Valley: lying north-northwest of downtown ("The Valley") is a 15 mile (24 km) wide basin ringed by mountains. Some other areas of Los Angeles include the Westside; South L.A. (formerly known as South Central L.A.); and the San Pedro/Harbor City area. Adjoining areas that are outside the actual city boundaries of the incorporated city of Los Angeles include the South Bay, the Gateway Cities, the San Gabriel Valley and the Foothills. The San Pedro/Harbor City area was annexed by the city of Los Angeles so the city could have access and control over the Port of Los Angeles, and is connected by only a narrow Corridor, which follows the Harbor Freeway for the most part, with the rest of L.A. Many Angelenos consider the Eastside to be the area east of the Los Angeles River, above Orange County. The city boundaries are quite complicated. For example, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood are completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles except for a small border the two cities share. Culver City is surrounded by L.A. except where it shares a boundary with the unincorporated communities of Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills. Both Santa Monica and the unincorporated area of Marina del Rey are surrounded except on their ocean side. San Fernando in the northern corner of the San Fernando Valley is also a separate city entirely surrounded by L.A. territory. Most of the Los Angeles County land area is unincorporated and under the primary jurisdiction of Los Angeles County. TourismDue to L.A.'s stance as the "Entertainment Capital of the World", there is an abundance of attractions here, and that is why it is one of the most visited destinations in the world. Here is a breakdown of some of the major attractions throughout the greater Los Angeles area: Image:Castillo de Disneyland.jpg
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland
Theme Parks
Image:Laguna Beach condos.jpg
Laguna Beach coastline is popular for sunbathers
Beaches
Image:Two Rodeo1.jpg
Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills
Shopping
Image:WarnerStudio.jpg
Warner Brothers Studios in the San Fernando Valley
Motion Picture Studios
Image:94583308 d0d872bc01 o.jpg
Blue Cavern Habitat at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Waterparks
Zoos and AquariumsNightlife
Image:DSC Main.jpg
The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California
Museums
OtherImage:Qm2 qmsmall1.jpg
The Queen Mary (front) in Long Beach, California, now a hotel and tourist attraction.
Image:Ocpac-sidepano.jpg
Exterior day view of the Orange County Performing Arts Center's Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa
Commercial Airports
SportsMajor sports teams serving the Greater Los Angeles area include the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association, the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League and the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse. The Los Angeles media market currently lacks a National Football League team. After the 1994 season, the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis, Missouri and the Los Angeles Raiders moved to Oakland, California, their original home. There were several years that made Los Angeles area sports dominate:
In 2007, the Los Angeles area finally acquired the only title that had eluded the region, when the Anaheim Ducks captured the Stanley Cup chamipionship over the Ottawa Senators, in the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. As a whole, the Los Angeles area has more national championships, all sports combined (college and professional), than any other city in the United States, with over four times as many championships as the entire state of Texas, and just over twice that of New York City. Counties in the Southland
Regions of the Southland
Cities
County Seats of the Greater L.A. area
Other important cities of the Greater L.A. area
Cities with a population over 200,000Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants
See also
References
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