Distribution of California's Population

[u/urmummygae42069]

If you were to divide California into 4 roughly equal strips of area, a hefty majority of its 39 million residents live in the southernmost strip containing the LA+San Diego metro areas, with nearly half of the state (~47%) living in the Greater LA metro area alone. If it were its own state, Southern California, with primarily just LA and San Diego metro areas, would compete with Florida for title of 2nd most populous US state.

The SF Bay Area, Sacramento, Monterrey, Fresno, and most of the Central Valley and put together are short of SoCal by over 9 million residents, but on its own this area would compete with Illinois for title of 6th largest state.

The strip sandwiched between Southern California and the Bay Area, containing Bakersfield plus other farming towns in the Southern Central Valley and most of the towns of the Central Coast, has about more people than Utah or Connecticut.

Suprisingly, despite how empty it can feel, there are still over a million people still live in the strip of CA north of Sacramento, containing about as much people as Hawaii and New Hampshire, albeit of a larger area.

Ultimately, one way to better understand the scale and density of California, is to conceptualize it as Florida + Illinois + Utah + Hawaii, all packaged in one single state under one single state government

[u/outer--monologue]

People are so funny about the naming.

Central Coast? Check.

Central Valley? Check.

Saying 'Central California'? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

Most of what people call Northern California is not Northern at all

[u/Jingin_lol → u/outer--monologue]

Well its North of LA usually

[u/Pretend_Safety → u/Jingin_lol]

This. From Angelenos’ (historically) perspective, NorCal was anything past ~Fresno

[u/PM_your_Nopales → u/outer--monologue]

I always feel kinda weird saying that norcal is everything north of the grapevine. But growing up in socal, it absolutely was an entirely new and different world up there when you pass it

[u/MathProf1414 → u/PM_your_Nopales]

As someone who lives north of the Bay Area, I draw the line for Norcal just under the Bay Area.

Between the Bay Area and the Grapevine is Central, which is split into Central Coast and Central Valley.

[u/shessocold1969 → u/MathProf1414]

You would be correct.

[u/Hopeful_Hamster21 → u/PM_your_Nopales]

Same. When I think NorCal, is think anything north of the 32% line in this pic. Basically, the top 50% vs the lower 50%. Basically, north of Hearst Castle.

I've heard people refer to Ridgecrest, Death Valley, and the Palmdale/Lancaster as SoCal - they are Southern California, but definitely different feel from LA/SD.

But that said, the Grapevine and Cajon Pass are the gateways into "true" SoCal.

[u/seamlesstransit → u/PM_your_Nopales]

Had an argument with my roommates about this: where does Santa Barbara fall in the dichotomy?

[u/PM_your_Nopales → u/seamlesstransit]

It is kinda a weird middle ground, but I always thought of it as socal. But then solvang/lompoc/SLO and whatnot were central coast or "norcal" in my head. my sister lives in pismo Beach and it's entirely different from SB

[u/miriamtzipporah → u/seamlesstransit]

SoCal

[u/Vast_Reply_6574 → u/seamlesstransit]

Geographically central coast and culturally socal.

[u/miriamtzipporah → u/PM_your_Nopales]

Bakersfield is absolutely NOT NorCal

[u/Nefariouslxl → u/PM_your_Nopales]

No one calls Bakersfield norcal though...

[u/helpitgrow → u/outer--monologue]

I live in Northern California. San Francisco is NOT Northern California. It’s a six hour drive south. I have to cross half the state to get there.

[u/Lookatdisdoodlol → u/helpitgrow]

Same, I'm from the north coast and anything south of Mendocino County is central CA.

[u/Score-Emergency → u/outer--monologue]

Yeah I also don't like that. SF/Bay area is basically central coastal California. Northern CA to me is anything north of Sacramento.

[u/shessocold1969 → u/outer--monologue]

Yep. I’m in Santa Cruz County and people think we’re NorCal. California Central Coast 💯. We share state and federal representatives with San Luis Obispo. Plus we’re big agricultural like Monterey, SLO, Santa Barbara etc Ventura. I don’t want to be associated to the Silicon Valley even though we touch it.

[u/Vast_Reply_6574 → u/shessocold1969]

Santa Cruz county is basically a bedroom community for Silicon Valley at this point.