The palm trees sway in the wind patrolling the dyed-blue ocean rolling over the sand. Happiness and relaxation collide to form a meteor shower of friendliness, yet a scenic atmosphere of hospitality. Venture into the land of Southern California to find a wonderful history, an abundance of things to do, and the place known as SoCal.
Southern California is located on the west coast of the United States, roughly the bottom third of the state that borders Mexico to its south, the mighty Pacific along its western coast, and desert and hills to its north and east. Located within it are some of the most beautiful mountain ranges and most popular beach hotspots in all of the United States. In fact, Southern California is well known for its deserts and recreational facilities (Young, Don and Marjorie, 3).
One of these mountain ranges is the Transverse Ranges. The Transverse Ranges extends for about 300 miles across Southern California. There is also the well known Mohave Desert in Southern California (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1). The Mohave Desert receives only about 2 inches of rainfall a year (Hutchinson, W.H., 2230).
There is also the Sierra Nevada, and, the hottest place in the world, Death Valley (hence the name). Believe it or not, a long time ago, Death Valley held a lake at least 600 feet deep. On the other hand, the Sierra Nevada collects about 30 to 40 feet of snowfall per year, so this place isn't hot at all (Hutchinson, W.H., 2230).
The Sierra Nevada Range extends to the east for 430 miles from North to South. It rises over 14,000 feet. It's between 40 to 70 miles wide (The Geography of California) and rises 14,000 feet above Owens Valley at the eastern base and 14,000 feet above the Great Valley at its northern base (Fradkin, 63).
The San Diego Ranges cover most of San Diego in the southeastern corner of California. It has a collection of mountains, sometimes called the Peninsular Ranges which are comprised of Agua Tibia, Laguna, and Vallecito Mountains all of which extend down into the Mexican Peninsula known as Baja California (The Geography of California).
Southern California also has a unique climate. The hottest temperature on record was 134 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded in Death Valley, hence the name. The lowest temperature was 45 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, recorded in Boca (The Geography of California). The humidity is consistent with that of the rest of the country's average and its sunshine mostly runs along the average of the rest of the country, with the exception of the winter months where the sun shines over 70% of the time. There is no snowfall present whatsoever. The Temperature appears to be more steady that the US average. The precipitation in Southern California is lower than the average and the average wind speed is so low it doesn't cross paths with the US average at all, but it's not as low as the average sunshine. The area of SoCal also has a high average of tornado activity, which is high above the state average (City-Data).
More climate information is that for temperatures, it tends to be below 68 degrees Fahrenheit for the average July temperatures and is somewhere around 52 degrees Fahrenheit for average January temperatures. Ever year, the average rainfall it receives is only some 8-16 inches (World Book Millennium, 54). Its rainy season is November to March or April (The Geography of California).
There are also numerous graphs and charts on Southern California, specifically in the Laguna Beach area. The household value of this area is on average three times above the state average. The black race population of the Laguna Beach area is below the average of the state. A good thing though is that the percent of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher is above the state average. The length of stay since moving in is, unfortunately, below state average (city-data).
In the year 2000, the population of the area was 23,727 and the estimated population by July 2005 is 24,127. The zip code for Laguna Beach is 92651 and the area codes are 714 and 949. The median resident age of Laguna Beach is 43.4 years. There are also some common industries for men and women. For males the most common industry is professional, scientific and technical. On the other hand, the most common industry for women is education (city-data).
Southern California, being part of California, shares its state facts. The State flag has the words “California Republic” on it and it shows the picture of a bear (Hutchinson, 2230). The state bird is the quail. Also, the state tree is the California Redwood (SIRS Discoverer, 4).
