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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

Mass transit funding expected to drop 4%

Nov 21, 2008 2:14 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 2:15 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...

No kayak needed at very low tide

Nov 20, 2008 2:15 pm

Fall and winter are the best times to explore the La Jolla caves on foot because tides are favorable. Extreme low tides occur many afternoons from now through March.

Church is allowed to meet in bar

Nov 20, 2008 2:14 pm

Worshippers who had been barred from their East County church because it was zoned for a bar, and not religious services, may return as early as Sunday.

City Council to consider budget gap again Monday

Nov 20, 2008 2:14 pm

SAN DIEGO: The City Council will next take up the issue of how to close San Diego's $43 million budget gap Monday. Mayor Jerry Sanders is proposing to shutter 17 libraries and recreation facilities.

County is facing painful cuts

Nov 19, 2008 2:15 pm

San Diego County is facing a $78 million budget deficit that is expected to persist in coming years and could force cuts in public safety and programs for low-income families. The county Board of Supe...

News from the Orange County Register

News from the Orange County Register

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