South Bay | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 The South Bay and surrounding regions in Southern California | |
 Interactive map of South Bay | |
| Coordinates:33°50′13″N118°19′05″W / 33.83694°N 118.31806°W /33.83694; -118.31806 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Los Angeles |
TheSouth Bay is a region of theLos Angeles metropolitan area, located in the southwest corner ofLos Angeles County. The name stems from itsgeographic location stretching along the southern shore ofSanta Monica Bay. The South Bay contains sixteen cities plus portions of the City of Los Angeles andunincorporated portions of the county. The area is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the south and west and generally by the City of Los Angeles on the north and east.[1]
The South Bay includes:[2]
The region is bordered on the north by theWestside region of Los Angeles, on the northeast by theSouth Los Angeles region and on the east and southeast by theGateway Cities.
The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) is a joint powers authority government agency made of politicians from the sixteen South Bay cities and unincorporated Los Angeles County that share the goal of maximizing the quality of life and productivity of the South Bay region of Los Angeles. The SBCCOG members are Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, the Harbor City/San Pedro/Wilmington communities of the City of Los Angeles and the unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles District 2 and 4.
ThePort of Los Angeles, sprawling across the shorelines ofSan Pedro andWilmington, is the busiest in the United States. When combined with thePort of Long Beach, it is the fifth-busiest in the world. Traditionally, most of the populations of Wilmington and San Pedro have worked for the port in some capacity. It is increasingly the primary driver of the Southern California economy. Industrial growth in theInland Empire is almost entirely attributable to increased port traffic since the 1980s. The massive increase in cargo volume has created significant air pollution (especially ofparticulate matter in neighboring communities, resulting from the combustion of low-grade marinediesel fuel).
The South Bay is the traditional home of Southern California'saerospace industry. While considerably shrunken from itsCold War peak, it still represents a major economic force, employing thousands in high-skill, high-wage engineering positions and generating enormous amounts of tax revenue.Northrop Grumman has a major facility in El Segundo where theF/A-18 Hornet fuselage is manufactured, as well as the headquarters of the Space Technology division inRedondo Beach and a facility at theHawthorne Municipal Airport.Howmet Fastening Systems, a subsidiary ofHowmet Aerospace, has their corporate headquarters located in Torrance with manufacturing facilities in both Torrance and Carson.Boeing andLockheed Martin also maintain extensive production facilities throughout the South Bay andRaytheon maintains a facility in El Segundo. TheLos Angeles Air Force Base and neighboringAerospace Corporation inEl Segundo are a main focus of aerospace research activity and serve as the primary development facilities for militarysatellites and other space programs.DirecTV, a former subsidiary ofHughes Aircraft, is also headquartered in El Segundo for the same reason.SpaceX is also headquartered in the South Bay inHawthorne.
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Petroleum refining is another important component of the South Bay's economy. Major South Bay refiners includeTesoro (ARCO facility in Carson),Chevron (El Segundo),Phillips 66 (Wilmington),PBF Energy (Torrance),Tesoro (Wilmington), andValero (Wilmington). These refiners supply a large share of petroleum products for Southern California as well as forNevada andArizona.
Japanese automobile manufacturerHonda maintains its North American headquarters in the South Bay, in the city ofTorrance. (Nissan was also headquartered in the South Bay until late 2005, but relocated to Tennessee, citing the high cost of running a business in California.Toyota relocated toPlano, Texas in 2017 for many of the same reasons.) While these locations are largely the legacy of the region's historical importance as a Japanese-American population center, it has proven fortunate for two reasons; first, it enables closer oversight of vehicle import operations at the nearby ports; and second, it gives them proximity to theautomobile customization culture that is prominent in nearbySouth Los Angeles.Tesla is stationed near the headquarters ofSpaceX inHawthorne.
TheHarbor (I-110),San Diego (I-405),Gardena (SR 91), andCentury (I-105) Freeways provide the region with its principal transportation links.
TheLos Angeles MTA'sA Line (opened in 1990 as the Blue Line) is alight rail line running betweenDowntown Los Angeles and DowntownLong Beach. It was the first of the MTA's modern rail lines since the 1961 demise of thePacific Electric Railway's Red Car system. TheC Line (opened in 1995 as the Green Line, together with theGlenn Anderson Freeway), a freeway-median light rail line, also serves the South Bay. It runs betweenRedondo Beach andNorwalk in the median of theCentury Freeway (Interstate 105), providing indirect access to LAX via a shuttle bus and future automated people mover. TheK Line opened fromExpo/Crenshaw station toWestchester/Veterans station, and became fully operational toRedondo Beach station in 2025.
Several ports andharbors in the South Bay provide access toSanta Catalina Island, a popular resort. In addition,LAX borders El Segundo to the north in the neighborhood ofWestchester, Los Angeles. The area is also home to two public airports;Zamperini Field inTorrance andHawthorne Municipal Airport inHawthorne.
In addition to theLos Angeles Times, the South Bay cities are served by daily papers, theDaily Breeze, the weekliesThe Beach Reporter,The Easy Reader andSouth Bay Community News, a bi-monthly real estate magazine,South Bay DIGS and lifestyle publication 'Southbay Magazine'. TheNational Football League has its West Coast headquarters and production facility forNFL Network,NFL RedZone and the NFL.com app inInglewood.
The South Bay has a rich history in music, and has produced a number of significant rock bands, like Hawthorne nativesThe Beach Boys in the early 1960s, and continuing particularly inpunk music. Other notable South Bay-based artists include:
(Ambrosia) Torrance
Black Flag guitaristGreg Ginn'sSST record label, a seminalalternative rock label of the 1980s, maintained its headquarters in Lawndale.
The South Bay is host to many professional sports teams and entertainment venues. TheLos Angeles Rams andLos Angeles Chargers of theNational Football League play atSoFi Stadium inInglewood. TheLos Angeles Clippers of theNational Basketball Association play atIntuit Dome, which is also in Inglewood, while theLA Galaxy ofMajor League Soccer play their home games atDignity Health Sports Park inCarson.
Various entertainment venues are located in the South Bay, includingSoFi Stadium,Kia Forum, andYouTube Theater inInglewood,Dignity Health Sports Park inCarson, andToyota Sports Center inEl Segundo. Three casinos also operate in the South Bay; theHollywood Park Casino in Inglewood and theNormandie Casino andHustler Casino inGardena.
Other regions of Los Angeles County
Sacramento (capital) | |
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