Southern California consists of the land in California south of the Tehachapi Mountains. Most of Southern California’s population is centered in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego; the total population of Southern California is nearly 24 million. Southern California borders Mexico in the South, the Pacific Ocean on the West, and Arizona and Nevada make up the areas eastern border. Counties within Southern California: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and San Diego are among the 15 most populous counties in the United States. Southern California is also known as So Cal.

Southern California is home to several different industries. The Tech Coast is made up of the Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties. The Tech Coast consists of Universities, research institutes and multi-technology companies. Major Universities in the region include: The University of Southern California, The University of California, Los Angeles and The California Institute of Technology. There is a long list of distinguished technology corporations within the Tech Coast, two of the most well know corporations are Google and Yahoo!. The Tech Coast is also home to the following research institutes: The Aerospace Corporation, Beckman Research Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and many more.

In addition to the Tech Coast, Southern California is the capital of the entertainment industry: Hollywood, Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company are a few notable destinations and companies located in Southern California. Southern California also plays host to a long line of surf and skateboard clothing companies. Companies like O’Neil, Sector 9, Quicksilver and Volcom help maintain the robust Southern California economy.

Southern California is made up of 12 counties. South of San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains: Imperial, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino. North of San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains: Northern Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita), Northern San Bernardino (Mohave Desert), Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kern.

Real estate in Southern California is often considered overvalued and many areas in Southern California are home to the most expensive real estate in the world. However, developing areas such as the San Bernardino County and Riverside County are providing many home buyers with affordable new home options. Although new homes in big Southern California cities like Los Angeles and San Diego are often expensive, these cities offer world class design options, amenities and quick access to seek after destinations. The lack of available real estate near the downtown areas of these large cities leaves home buyers with little detached new home opportunities.

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