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Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal or the South Land, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southernmost 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. Counties usually associated with Southern California are Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, and in some cases Santa Barbara. 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. Adding to the confusion over the northern border is the issue of just how many sections California is actually to be broken up into. For those supporting only two divisions, North and South, the border would shift a bit more northward. Yet for those supporting three sections, which would include a center section known as Central California, the border tends to get shifted a bit more southward.

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Local News from San Diego Union-Tribune via Yahoo! News

'Real belly-fillers'

Nov 22, 2008 2:03 pm

Call it cheap eats chic. Or, perhaps more accurately, hard times grub. From Kool-Aid to Spam, many of the iconic working stiffs of American food are enjoying a resurgence as the U.S. economy slips fur...

Companies that hauled fire debris in hot seat

Nov 22, 2008 2:03 pm

The company the city of San Diego is investigating for possibly overcharging to clear rubble after last fall's wildfires is also in the middle of a dispute between county officials and the contractor ...

Reflection to follow Gaylord's pullout

Nov 22, 2008 2:03 pm

With the dust settling from the Gaylord hotel and convention center implosion this week, Chula Vista and port district officials say they need to analyze what went wrong before jumping into another wa...

Weather experts predict another dry winter for region

Nov 22, 2008 2:03 pm

Long-range forecasters aren't willing to lay down money in Las Vegas on the prospects, but the odds appear good Southern California will have another dry winter. On the plus side, the Sierra Nevada an...

Team efforts fuel the fun as seniors and kids bond

Nov 22, 2008 2:02 pm

On a warm afternoon at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, third-graders and older adults partnered up for the Intergenerational Games.

Mass transit funding expected to drop 4%

Nov 21, 2008 2:03 pm

Funding for mass transit in San Diego County continues to lose traction, even as more commuters turn to buses, trolleys and trains for their daily ride. The San Diego Association of Governments expect...

County sues SDG&E;, Cox for damages in '07 fires

Nov 20, 2008 2:04 pm

Add San Diego County to the long list of plaintiffs suing San Diego Gas & Electric and Cox Communications for damages caused by three of last October's wildfires. The suits, filed yesterday in San...

News from the Orange County Register

News from the Orange County Register

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