The South Bay is a region of the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Co ...

, located in the southwest corner of

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

. The name stems from its

geographic Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, a ...

location stretching along the southern shore of

Santa Monica Bay Santa Monica Bay is a bight of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, United States. Its boundaries are slightly ambiguous, but it is generally considered to be the part of the Pacific within an imaginary line drawn between Point Dume, ...

. The South Bay contains fifteen cities plus portions of the City of Los Angeles and

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

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.

Area

The South Bay includes:Choose LA County
/ref> *The

Beach Cities Beach Cities is a nickname for the coastal area of Los Angeles County comprising the oceanfront cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, located on the south end of the Santa Monica Bay west and south of downtown Los Angeles, ...

** El Segundo ** Manhattan Beach ** Hermosa Beach ** Redondo Beach ** Torrance *The

Palos Verdes Peninsula The Palos Verdes Peninsula (''Palos Verdes'', Spanish for "Green Sticks") is a landform and a geographic sub-region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the So ...

Palos Verdes Estates Palos Verdes Estates (''Palos Verdes'', Spanish for "Green Sticks") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The city was master-planned by the noted American landscape architect and p ...

** Rolling Hills **

Rolling Hills Estates Rolling Hills Estates is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. On the northern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, facing Torrance, Rolling Hills Estates is mostly residential. Incorporated in 1957, Rolling Hills Estates has ...

Rancho Palos Verdes Rancho Palos Verdes (Spanish for "Green Sticks Ranch") is a coastal city located in Los Angeles County, California atop the bluffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, neighboring other cities in the Palos Verdes Hills, including Palos Verdes Esta ...

*The southernmost neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles **

Harbor City Harbor City is a highly diverse neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, with a population upward of 36,000 people. Originally part of the Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, the Harbor City was brought into Los Angeles as ...

** Harbor Gateway ** San Pedro ** Wilmington *Inland cities of the South Bay ** Hawthorne ** Gardena ** Lawndale **

Lomita Lomita (Spanish for "Little hill") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,921 at the 2020 census, up from 20,256 at the 2010 census. History The Spanish Empire had expanded into this area when the ...

** Carson ** Inglewood *And unincorporated areas of

L.A. County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...

including: **

Del Aire Del Aire () (Spanish for "Of The Air") is a census-designated place (CDP) in the inland South Bay, Los Angeles County, California, United States, between El Segundo and Hawthorne. The population was 10,001 at the 2010 census, up from 9,012 at th ...

**And other small

"county strip" areas of Los Angeles County. The region is bordered on the north by Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), on the northeast by the

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

region, on the east by the Gateway Cities, and on the southeast by

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporat ...

. The Harbor (

I-110 Interstate 110 may refer to: *Interstate 110 (California), a north–south freeway running through Los Angeles, California *Interstate 110 (Florida), a spur route in Pensacola, Florida * Interstate 110 (Louisiana), a spur route in Baton Rouge, Lou ...

), San Diego ( I-405), Gardena ( SR 91), and

Century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

( I-105) Freeways provide the region with its principal transportation links. The Los Angeles MTA's A Line (opened in 1990 as the Blue Line) is a light rail line running between

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

and Downtown

. It is the first of the MTA's modern rail lines since the 1961 demise of the

Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway syst ...

's Red Car system. The C Line (opened in 1995 as the Green Line, together with the Glenn Anderson Freeway), a freeway-median light rail line, also serves the South Bay. It runs between Redondo Beach and Norwalk in the median of the

Century Freeway A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

( Interstate 105), providing indirect access to LAX via a shuttle bus and future automated people mover. The

K Line is a Japanese transportation company. It owns a fleet that includes dry cargo ships (bulk carriers), container ships, liquefied natural gas carriers, Ro-Ro ships, tankers, and container terminals. It used to be the fourteenth largest conta ...

open from Expo/Crenshaw and Westchester/Verterans but is expected to be fully operational at Aviation/Imperial station in 2023. Several ports and

harbors A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

in the South Bay provide access to Santa Catalina Island, a popular resort. In addition, LAX borders El Segundo to the north in the neighborhood of Westchester, Los Angeles.

Major employers

Port of Los Angeles

The

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "America's Port", t ...

, sprawling across the shorelines of San Pedro and Wilmington, is the busiest in the United States. When combined with the

Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach, also known as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies of land with ...

, 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 the Inland Empire is almost entirely attributable to increased port traffic since the 1980s. Unfortunately, the massive increase in cargo volume has created significant air pollution (especially of particulate matter resulting from the combustion of low-grade marine diesel fuel) in neighboring communities.

Aerospace

The South Bay is the traditional home of Southern California's

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...

industry. While considerably shrunken from its Cold 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 the

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now par ...

fuselage is manufactured, as well as the headquarters of the Space Technology division in Redondo Beach and a facility at the Hawthorne Municipal Airport.

Howmet Howmet Aerospace Inc. (formerly Arconic Inc.) is an American aerospace company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company manufactures components for jet engines, fasteners and titanium structures for aerospace applications, and forged alumin ...

Fastening Systems, a subsidiary of

Howmet Aerospace Howmet Aerospace Inc. (formerly Arconic Inc.) is an American aerospace company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company manufactures components for jet engines, fasteners and titanium structures for aerospace applications, and forged alumin ...

which produces aerospace fasteners, has their corporate headquarters located in Torrance with manufacturing facilities in both Torrance and Carson.

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and produc ...

and Lockheed Martin also maintain extensive production facilities throughout the South Bay, and Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems business unit is based in El Segundo. The Los Angeles Air Force Base and neighboring

Aerospace Corporation The Aerospace Corporation is an American nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in El Segundo, California. The corporation provides technical guidance and advice on all aspects of space mi ...

, in El Segundo, is the locus of much of this aerospace research activity, as it is the primary development facility for military satellites and other space programs.

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. ...

, a former subsidiary of

Hughes Aircraft The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace company, aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of Hughes Tool Company. The company was known for producing ...

, is also headquartered in El Segundo for this reason. SpaceX also headquartered in the South Bay, is located in Hawthorne.

Oil refining

Petroleum refining is another important component of the South Bay's economy. Major South Bay refiners include

Tesoro Tesoro or El Tesoro may refer to: People * Ashley Tesoro (born 1983), American actress, model, and singer **Tesoro Ministry Foundation, a charity * Donya Tesoro (born 1991), a Filipina politician * Giuliana Tesoro (1921–2002), Italian-born Am ...

(

ARCO ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States and ...

facility in Carson),

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock la ...

(El Segundo), Phillips 66 (Wilmington), PBF Energy (Torrance),

(Wilmington), and Valero (Wilmington). These refiners supply a large share of petroleum products for Southern California, as well as for Nevada and Arizona.

Automotive

Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda maintains its North American headquarters in the South Bay, in the city of Torrance. ( Nissan was also headquartered in the South Bay until late 2005, and The company then relocated to Tennessee, citing the high cost of running a business in California. Toyota left in 2017 for Plano, Texas 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 fortuitous for two reasons: first, it enables closer oversight of vehicle import operations at the nearby ports; and second, it gives them proximity to the automobile customization culture that is prominent in nearby

. Tesla is stationed near the headquarters of SpaceX in Hawthorne

Higher education

California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH, CSU Dominguez Hills, or Cal State Dominguez Hills) is a public university in Carson, California. It was founded in 1960 and is part of the California State University (CSU) system. In 2020, ...

* El Camino College *

Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) is a public community college in Wilmington, California. It is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles. LAHC serves mainly students from Harbor City, Carson, San Pedro, ...

Marymount California University Marymount California University was a private Catholic university in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Originally founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RHSM), the university awarded associate, bachelor's, and graduate degrees. T ...

* Southern California Regional Occupational Center *

University of West Los Angeles The University of West Los Angeles (UWLA) is a private, for-profit law school and business school in Los Angeles, California. It maintains two campuses, one in Inglewood (West Los Angeles) and one in Woodland Hills (San Fernando Valley). His ...

Media

In addition to the '' Los Angeles Times'', the South Bay cities are served by their own daily paper, the '' Daily Breeze'', the weeklies ''

The Beach Reporter ''The Beach Reporter'' is a weekly newspaper serving the Beach Cities Beach Cities is a nickname for the coastal area of Los Angeles County comprising the oceanfront cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, located on the ...

'' and '' The Easy Reader'', a bi-monthly real estate magazine, ''South Bay DIGS'', and lifestyle publication 'Southbay Magazine'. The National Football League has its West Coast headquarters and production facility for NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and the NFL.com app in Inglewood.

Music

The South Bay has a rich history in music, and has produced a number of significant rock bands, like Hawthorne natives The Beach Boys in the early 1960s, and continuing particularly in punk music. Other notable South Bay-based artists include: *

98 Mute 98 Mute was an American hardcore punk band from Hermosa Beach, California, United States. They were formed in 1993, and signed to Theologian Records in 1995. Their first, self-titled album was released in 1996, and the band was featured on severa ...

(Hermosa Beach) *

Ab-Soul Herbert Anthony Stevens IV (born February 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where ...

(Carson) * Black Flag (Hermosa Beach) * Brandy (Carson) *

By All Means By All Means was an American male/female vocal group, consisting of James Varner, Lynn Roderick, and Billy Sheppard. Their single "I Surrender to Your Love" was released on the Fourth And Broadway label, and entered the UK Singles Chart on 18 ...

(Torrance) *

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

(Hermosa Beach) * Cuco (Hawthorne) * Descendents (Manhattan Beach) *

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores i ...

(Torrance) *

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the ...

(Carson) *

KeyKool Visionaries is an underground hip hop crew from Los Angeles, California. The crew formed in 1995, and have since released four full-length albums on Up Above Records, and their fifth album "V" on their newly re-formed label Visionaries Crew, In ...

(Torrance) * Kurupt (Hawthorne) *

Left Alone Left Alone is a punk rock band from Wilmington, California. They were formed in May 1996 by lead vocalist and guitarist Elvis Cortez. Cortez formed his own label, Smelvis Records, to release Left Alone's records, and has since expanded the l ...

(Wilmington) *

Joyce Manor Joyce Manor is an American punk rock band from Torrance, California, formed in 2008. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Barry Johnson, guitarist Chase Knobbe, and bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ebert. Since their formation, the band hav ...

(Torrance) *

Miguel --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disam ...

(San Pedro) * Minutemen (San Pedro) * Pennywise (Hermosa Beach) * Ray-J (Carson) * Redd Kross (Hawthorne) *

Rotting Out Rotting Out is an American hardcore punk band from the San Pedro community of Los Angeles in California. History Formation (2007–2011) Rotting Out began in 2007 after disbanding from their original band Dogpile. The following year they relea ...

(San Pedro) * Seahaven (Torrance) * The Thirsty Crows (Redondo Beach) *

Tokimonsta Jennifer Lee, known professionally as Tokimonsta (stylized as TOKiMONSTA), is an American record producer and DJ based in Los Angeles. She has collaborated with artists such as Anderson .Paak, Earthgang EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an Amer ...

(Torrance) *

Tyler The Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape '' ...

(Hawthorne) *

The Last The Last may refer to: *The Last (band) The Last is an American, Los Angeles-based, early pop/punk band, formed in 1976 by Joe Nolte with high school bandmates Vitus Matare and Dave Harbison. By 1978 the band included three brothers: Joe (guitar ...

(Hermosa Beach) Black Flag guitarist

Greg Ginn Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, bassist, singer and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led ...

's SST record label, a seminal

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...

label of the 1980s, maintained its headquarters in Lawndale.

Sports and Entertainment

The South Bay is host to many professional sports teams and entertainment venues. The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League play at

SoFi Stadium SoFi Stadium () is a 70,240-seat sports and entertainment indoor stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, California, United States. SoFi occupies the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack, from Los Angeles International Airport an ...

in Inglewood. The LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer play their home games at

Dignity Health Sports Park Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dignity ...

in Carson. The Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association will play in their new stadium,

Intuit Dome Intuit Dome is an indoor arena under construction in Inglewood, California. Located south of SoFi Stadium, it will be the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), moving from Crypto.com Arena. After ...

, in Inglewood beginning 2024. Various entertainment venues are located in the South Bay, including

, Kia Forum, and

YouTube Theater YouTube Theater is a 6,000 seat music and theater venue in Inglewood, California, U.S. Located under the same structure that houses SoFi Stadium, the home of the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. It is part of ...

in Inglewood,

in Carson, and

Toyota Sports Center The Toyota Sports Center (formerly the HealthSouth Training Center) is a practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings, and the Ontario Reign, located on 555 North Nash Street in El Segundo, California. The $24 million, facility broke ground on A ...

in El Segundo. Three casinos also operate in the South Bay, the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, and the Normandie Casino and Hustler Casino in Gardena.

Area

Major employers

Port of Los Angeles

Aerospace

Oil refining

Automotive

Higher education

Media

Music

Sports and Entertainment

See also

References

External links