TheGateway Cities region, orSoutheast Los Angeles County, is an urbanized region located in southeasternLos Angeles County, California, between theCity of Los Angeles proper,Orange County, and the Pacific Ocean. The cluster of cities has been termed "Gateway Cities" in that they serve as a "gateway" between the LA and Orange counties, with the city ofCerritos equidistant from Downtown L.A., Long Beach, and Santa Ana in Orange County.^[1] As such, the area is central to theLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and has a population of approximately 2,000,000 residents.^[2]

Despite a predominating urban fabric ofsingle-family homes and low-risemultifamily residential structures, Southeast LA County comprises some of themost densely populated municipalities in the United States.^[3][4] As with other regions of Los Angeles, Southeast LA's demographics are notable for ethnic and age diversity.

The Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG), the coordinating body for the Southeast LA Region, is located in the city ofParamount.^[5]

Area residents generally identify as being part of urban Los Angeles, despite technically living in separate, independent municipalities. The following cities are members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments,^[6] though these cities at times may also be considered part of other LA regions, including theSan Gabriel Valley Region,East Los Angeles Region, theSouth Los Angeles Region, the Southeast LA (or SELA) region, and theLos Angeles Harbor Region.

Also members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments:

• Avalon (onCatalina Island)
• Los Angeles County
• Port of Long Beach
• City of Industry

The region hosts the following colleges and universities:

Southeast LA County'sLong Beach Airport (LGB) provides Southeast LA regulardirect flights to and from approximately a dozen cities in the Western United States.^[7]

ThePort of Long Beach, located in Southeast LA, is the second busiest port in the United States,^[8] Significant freightrail infrastructure runs through Vernon, Commerce, Industry, Santa Fe Springs, and Pico Rivera; as well as lines running between the Port of Long Beach and Vernon & Commerce.^[9]

The LA Metro connects Southeast LA County toGreater Los Angeles via the following commuter and light rail lines:

• A Line (formerly the "Blue Line"), connecting todowntown Los Angeles and theSan Gabriel Valley
• C Line (formerly the "Green Line"), connecting toLAX and theBeach Cities
• Southeast Gateway Line (planned and funded underMeasure M)^[10]

Given its high population, Southeast LA is noticeably crisscrossed with regional freeway infrastructure, connecting it to other parts ofGreater Los Angeles,Orange County, and theInland Empire. The following freeways directly service Southeast LA County:

• Interstate 5 also known as theSanta Ana Freeway
• Interstate 405 also known as the San Diego Freeway
• Interstate 605 also known as the San Gabriel River Freeway
• Interstate 105 also known as the Glenn Andersen Freeway
• Interstate 710 also known as the Long Beach Freeway
• Interstate 110 also known as the Harbor Freeway
• California State Route 91 also known as the Artesia Freeway
• California State Route 60 also known as the Pomona Freeway
• California State Route 22 also known as the 7th Street Extension
• California State Route 1 Pacific Coast Highway also known as the Pacific Coast Highway

Wikivoyage has a travel guide forGateway Cities.

• Gateway Cities Council of Governments

• Gateway Cities
• Los Angeles County, California, regions

• All articles lacking reliable references
• Articles lacking reliable references from April 2019
• Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from April 2019
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata