Editing Southern California (section)

==Northern boundary==
[[File:Southern California.png|thumb|upright=1.35|right|California counties below the latitude 35°45'N]]
Southern California is generally considered the area of California south of the latitude 35°45'N,<ref>{{cite book |title=Pacific Summary / Index: June 1, 1986 – July 31, 1987 |series=Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Activities |author=[[Minerals Management Service]] |date=1987 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of the Interior]] |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSJPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA6 |access-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221022446/https://books.google.com/books?id=CSJPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA6 |url-status=live }}</ref> approximately one-third of the state, formed by the northern boundaries of [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]], [[Kern County, California|Kern]], and [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]] counties, which are not exactly a straight line. Another definition for Southern California uses [[Point Conception]] and the [[Tehachapi Mountains]] as the northern geographical barriers, especially when defining California's [[bioregion]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Thomas |date=2023-04-23 |title=Where Does Southern California Stop and Northern California Start? |url=https://bayareatelegraph.com/2023/04/23/where-does-southern-california-stop-and-northern-california-start/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |work=Bay Area Telegraph |language=en-US |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425141209/https://bayareatelegraph.com/2023/04/23/where-does-southern-california-stop-and-northern-california-start/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dF4KBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA265 |page=265 |editor1=Cheryll Glotfelty |editor2=Eve Quesnel |title=The Biosphere and the Bioregion: Essential Writings of Peter Berg |author=Peter Berg |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134504091 |access-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-date=October 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023205057/https://books.google.com/books?id=dF4KBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA265 |url-status=live }}</ref> In this definition, [[Owens Valley]] and [[Death Valley]] are part of the Southern California desert system.<ref>{{cite book |title=Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley |page=44 |last1=Sharp |first1=Robert Phillip |last2=Glazner |first2=Allen F. |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing |isbn=9780878423620 |date=1997}}</ref> Because of the barrier formed by the Tehachapi and [[Sierra Nevada]] ranges, cartographer [[George Wheeler (explorer)|George Wheeler]] observed in 1876 that Northern California was better connected to Oregon and Nevada than it was to Southern California.<ref name=Wheeler1876>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xhG8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA172 |page=172 |last=Wheeler |first=George |author-link=George Wheeler (explorer) |date=1876 |title=Annual Report Upon the Geographical Surveys West of the One-hundredth Meridian |publisher=US Government Printing Office }}</ref>

[[File:California's mountain barrier.png|thumb|upright|left|The [[Tehachapi Mountains|Tehachapi]] and [[Sierra Nevada|Sierra]] mountains formed a significant barrier to human travel before highways were built,<ref name=Wheeler1876/> and continue to affect weather, plants and animals.]]
Following the acquisition of the territory of California by the United States, several pro-slavery politicians attempted to arrange the division of Alta California at 36 degrees, 30 minutes, the [[Missouri Compromise line|line of the Missouri Compromise]]. Instead, the passing of the [[Compromise of 1850]] enabled California to be admitted to the Union as a [[Slave and free states|free state]], preventing the southern half of California from becoming its own separate [[slave state]].

[[File:California divided in 1859 by the Pico Act.png|thumb|upright|The Pico Act of 1859 proposed to divide California to create the [[Territory of Colorado (California)|Territory of Colorado]] in the south]]
Subsequently, southern Californians dissatisfied with inequitable taxes and land laws attempted several times in the 1850s to achieve a separate statehood or territorial status [[Partition and secession in California|separate from northern California]]. The only successful proposal, the Pico Act of 1859, was passed by the [[California State Legislature]] and signed by State Governor [[John B. Weller]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ellison |first=William Henry |date=2021 |title=A Self-Governing Dominion: California, 1849–1860 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |pages=182–191 |isbn=9780520338036}}</ref> It was approved overwhelmingly by nearly 75 percent of southern California voters to form the proposed [[Territory of Colorado (California)|Territory of Colorado]]. The Pico Act bisected California starting at a latitude of six standard parallels south of the [[Mount Diablo meridian]], then ducking southward around part of the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] before cutting northeast to the California border.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvdEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA350 |pages=350–351 |title=Journals of the Legislature of the State of California |volume=2 |date=March 3, 1859 |last1=Legislature |first1=California }}</ref> Six standard parallels is 144 miles south of [[Mount Diablo]]—which corresponds to the current northern border of [[San Luis Obispo County]], at the latitude 35°45'N. The proposal was sent to [[Washington, D.C.]], with a strong advocate in Senator [[Milton Latham]]. However, the secession crisis following the [[U.S. presidential election, 1860|election]] of [[Abraham Lincoln]] in 1860 and the subsequent [[American Civil War]] led to the proposal never coming to a vote.<ref>{{cite book|last1=DiLeo|first1=Michael|last2=Smith|first2=Eleanor|year=1983|title=Two Californias: The Myths And Realities of a State Divided Against Itself|publisher=Island Press|location=Covelo, California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEqiYRm-ohMC&pg=PA27|isbn=978-0-93328-016-8|page=30|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=March 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315184920/https://books.google.com/books?id=OEqiYRm-ohMC&pg=PA27|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=California|first=Historical Society of Southern|year=1901|title=The Quarterly, Volumes 5-6|publisher=Historical Society of Southern California|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WCMLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA223|page=223|access-date=May 9, 2021|archive-date=March 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315184948/https://books.google.com/books?id=WCMLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA223|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1900, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' defined Southern California as including "the seven counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, and Santa Barbara." This definition left out San Luis Obispo and Kern counties.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-31-cl-49174-story.html|title=L.A. Then AND NOW|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 31, 1999|last=Bernstein|first=Leilah|access-date=February 27, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170227180649/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/31/news/cl-49174|archive-date=February 27, 2017}}</ref>

Southern California was the name of a [[Cal 3|proposed new state]] which failed to get on the 2018 California ballot. The ballot measure proposed splitting the existing state into three parts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-split-three-states-20180612-story.html|title=Radical plan to split California into three states earns spot on November ballot|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 13, 2018|last=Myers|first=John|access-date=June 14, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225170640/https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-split-three-states-20180612-story.html|archive-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref>

In December 2020, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the state government led by Governor [[Gavin Newsom]] divided the state into five regions for the purpose of issuing stay-at-home orders. The Southern California region consisted of the following counties: [[Imperial County, California|Imperial]], [[Inyo County, California|Inyo]], [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]], [[Mono County, California|Mono]], [[Orange County, California|Orange]], [[Riverside County, California|Riverside]], [[San Bernardino County, California|San Bernardino]], [[San Diego County, California|San Diego]], [[San Luis Obispo County, California|San Luis Obispo]], [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]], and [[Ventura County, California|Ventura]]. However, Kern County was grouped with other counties of the [[San Joaquin Valley]], California's central agricultural valley.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/12/03/california-health-officials-announce-a-regional-stay-at-home-order-triggered-by-icu-capacity/|title=California Health Officials Announce a Regional Stay at Home Order Triggered by ICU Capacity|publisher=State of California|date=2020-12-03|access-date=2020-12-30|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327144757/https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/12/03/california-health-officials-announce-a-regional-stay-at-home-order-triggered-by-icu-capacity/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" class="wikitable sortable"
|+Population, land area & population density (2020)
!County<br /><small>[[#References|Ref.]]</small>
!Population
!Land<br />mi{{sup|2}}<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Counties |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.2020.html |website=2020 U.S. Census Gazetteer Files |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 3, 2021 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026060851/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.2020.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
!Land<br />km{{sup|2}}
!Pop.<br />/mi{{sup|2}}
!Pop.<br />/km{{sup|2}}
|-
|align=left|[[Los Angeles County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/losangelescountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Los Angeles County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518091537/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/losangelescountycalifornia,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{Nts|10014009}}||{{convert|4059.28|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|2466.94|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[San Diego County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=San Diego County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=September 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924205247/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sandiegocountycalifornia,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{Nts|3298634}}||{{convert|4210.23|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|783.48|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[Orange County, California|Orange County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/orangecountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Orange County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128163939/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/orangecountycalifornia,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{Nts|3186989}}||{{convert|792.84|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|4019.71|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[Riverside County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/riversidecountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Riverside County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201070212/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/riversidecountycalifornia,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{Nts|2418185}}||{{convert|7209.27|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|335.43|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[San Bernardino County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanbernardinocountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=San Bernardino County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118143307/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanbernardinocountycalifornia,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{Nts|2181654}}||{{convert|20068.01|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|108.71|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[Kern County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kerncountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Kern County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref>
|{{Nts|909235}}||{{convert|8134.65|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|111.77|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[Ventura County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/venturacountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Ventura County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308035312/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/venturacountycalifornia,US/PST045219|url-status=live}}</ref>
|{{Nts|843843}}||{{convert|1840.79|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|458.41|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[Santa Barbara County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/santabarbaracountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Santa Barbara County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref>
|{{Nts|448229}}||{{convert|2733.94|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|163.95|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[San Luis Obispo County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanluisobispocountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=San Luis Obispo County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref>
|{{Nts|282424}}||{{convert|3300.85|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|85.56|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|[[Imperial County]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/imperialcountycalifornia,US/PST045219|title=Imperial County QuickFacts|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref>
|{{Nts|179702}}||{{convert|4175.54|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}|| {{convert|43.04|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|Southern California||{{Nts|23762904}}||{{convert|56525.40|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|420.39|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|-
|align=left|California||{{Nts|39538223}}||{{convert|155959.34|sqmi|km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}||{{convert|253.52|/sqmi|/km2|2|disp=table|sortable=on}}
|}