South Coast and Peninsular Ranges

It may have been Carey McWilliams who, in his seminal publication “Southern California: An Island on the Land” said that “Southern California is California only more so.” Indeed, what America is to the world and what California is to America, so Southern California is to the rest of the Golden State; a legendary place that more often than not lives up to its own hype.

Almost everything that can be found within California either exists outsized or in miniature within this sunkissed corner of the state. Here you will find the largest urban conglomeration in the state. Nearly half of California’s population resides in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Statistical Area. And that population is diverse. For instance, some 92 different languages are reported to be spoken in the homes of students enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School district.

Here too is a freakish land where it is possible to swim in the ocean and ski in the mountains all within the same day. It is no accident that the fledgling film industry chose Hollywood as the pace to set up shop. Within a few hours drive in any direction you can can find landscapes that resemble places on every continent but Antartica.

Too Many People?

The South Coast and Peninsular Ranges (along with adjacent portions of the Transverse Ranges) are home to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. An estimated 13 million people live in the L.A. metro area making it the second largest such agglomeration in the country. And while that crush of humanity may be intimidating and frustrating at rush hour, it is not without some tangible monetary benefits. The industries and workforce in this statistical area of less than 5,000 square miles generates over $1 trillion worth of goods and services per year. That is the 3rd largest city GDP in the world.

Smog over L.A.

Here we see a thin and wispy layer of smog forming over downtown Los Angeles. Smog can form in many large urban areas when air stagnates due to an inversion layer and/or restricted airflow. In L.A. it is the millions of automobiles along with the ring of mountains that wall off the city, that make this basin especially prone to this type of air pollution.

Topographic Relief

Though the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges are not the most dramatic in the state, the effect they have on the south coastal basins and plains is enormous. The primary reason for the diversity of climates, landscapes, and biota in this region can be tied to the presence of these encircling mountains.

Palms to Pines

One of the most spectacular displays of the effects of altitude can be found in winter at the base of the peninsular ranges near Palm Springs. You can stand in a balmy sub-tropical desert while staring up into an alpine winter wonderland. Believe it or not, only about 2 lateral miles separate the palm in this picture from the frosty pines on the ridge.

Big Box Bingo

A dozen or so year ago, this stretch of I-15 sported dairy farms. Since that time the Inland Empire has filled in many of its last large parcels of open space. Today places like Eastvale, Norco and Corona are home to ever larger big-box stores, retail outlets and distribution centers.

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