how big is the greater LA area really?

[bowneline]

When do people that don't technically live in the city of LA, say they live in LA? I think it depends on:

1) who you are talking to, and the context
2) where outside LA you live
3) your connection to where you live

I live in OC, and was born and raised here. I would never say I was "from LA," even if I was in NYC or London. But, I have co-workers who are from the East Coast and now live in OC, and to them it is less clear that OC has a separate identity, and they might be more likely to say they are from LA, if they were out of state.

I also think there is a difference between, say, Glendale or Inglewood, on the one hand, and Mission Viejo, Ventura and Palmdale, on the other hand. Places like Glendale and Inglewood are, in my mind, basically continuous with LA and not much separates them but an arbitrary line on a map. I think that, unless you are talking to someone in LA who knows the area, there would be little reason to say you were from Inglewood, and then have to have explain that its basically in LA.

I would not really see any of OC as being part of "greater LA." There just isn't enough of a connection. Very few people actually commute up to LA for work. The vast majority of people in OC, I would guess, don't travel there for entertainment or leisure on anything resembling a regular basis. And, I just don't think people in OC have that same pull towards LA, as other suburb areas outside places like SF, NYC, Boston etc....

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by bowneline

When do people that don't technically live in the city of LA, say they live in LA? I think it depends on:

1) who you are talking to, and the context
2) where outside LA you live
3) your connection to where you live

I live in OC, and was born and raised here. I would never say I was "from LA," even if I was in NYC or London. But, I have co-workers who are from the East Coast and now live in OC, and to them it is less clear that OC has a separate identity, and they might be more likely to say they are from LA, if they were out of state.

I also think there is a difference between, say, Glendale or Inglewood, on the one hand, and Mission Viejo, Ventura and Palmdale, on the other hand. Places like Glendale and Inglewood are, in my mind, basically continuous with LA and not much separates them but an arbitrary line on a map. I think that, unless you are talking to someone in LA who knows the area, there would be little reason to say you were from Inglewood, and then have to have explain that its basically in LA.

I would not really see any of OC as being part of "greater LA." There just isn't enough of a connection. Very few people actually commute up to LA for work. The vast majority of people in OC, I would guess, don't travel there for entertainment or leisure on anything resembling a regular basis. And, I just don't think people in OC have that same pull towards LA, as other suburb areas outside places like SF, NYC, Boston etc....

The "pull" toward Los Angeles is manifested in the fact that LA is home to a huge international port (Port of LA/Port of Long Beach), international banks, a major international airport, the film/TV industry and many state and federal agencies.

Orange County, whether it likes to admit it or not, has more or less always served LA as an elite southeastern suburb. Ventura County is the counterpart of Orange County on the opposite side of LA County. Much of the wealth in Orange County is derived from Los Angeles or its proximity thereto.

[disgruntled la native]

Originally Posted by bowneline

When do people that don't technically live in the city of LA, say they live in LA? I think it depends on:

1) who you are talking to, and the context
2) where outside LA you live
3) your connection to where you live

I live in OC, and was born and raised here. I would never say I was "from LA," even if I was in NYC or London. But, I have co-workers who are from the East Coast and now live in OC, and to them it is less clear that OC has a separate identity, and they might be more likely to say they are from LA, if they were out of state.

I also think there is a difference between, say, Glendale or Inglewood, on the one hand, and Mission Viejo, Ventura and Palmdale, on the other hand. Places like Glendale and Inglewood are, in my mind, basically continuous with LA and not much separates them but an arbitrary line on a map. I think that, unless you are talking to someone in LA who knows the area, there would be little reason to say you were from Inglewood, and then have to have explain that its basically in LA.

I would not really see any of OC as being part of "greater LA." There just isn't enough of a connection. Very few people actually commute up to LA for work. The vast majority of people in OC, I would guess, don't travel there for entertainment or leisure on anything resembling a regular basis. And, I just don't think people in OC have that same pull towards LA, as other suburb areas outside places like SF, NYC, Boston etc....

I agree, except I would say Glendale and Inglewood are somewhat different from most of LA city. Just the lifestyle you have growing up there. But if someone grows up in Glendale or Inglewood and says they're from LA to an outsider, I wouldn't jump to criticize them.

[bowneline]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

The "pull" toward Los Angeles is manifested in the fact that LA is home to a huge international port (Port of LA/Port of Long Beach), international banks, a major international airport, the film/TV industry and many state and federal agencies.

Orange County, whether it likes to admit it or not, has more or less always served LA as an elite southeastern suburb. Ventura County is the counterpart of Orange County on the opposite side of LA County. Much of the wealth in Orange County is derived from Los Angeles or its proximity thereto.

I agree, somewhat, but also disagree.

I agree that from an economic point of view, OC is tied to LA and would not likely be as relevant and wealthy as it is as a stand alone county. But, I don't think it is accurate to say that "much" of the wealth of OC is derived from LA. I think the vast majority of wealthy people and successful companies in OC have little or no connection to LA. This is different than other prominent suburbs. For example, I'm guessing that much of the wealth in Westchester County is derived from NYC, wealth in Marin County is derived from San Francisco, wealth in Fairfax County derives from Washington DC, and the wealth in Lake County derives from Chicago. Those places are wealthy not because they have their own thriving economy, but wealthy people live there and work in the big city. Not so in OC.

Moreover, unlike other prominent suburbs, we have many of our own amenities. We have our own airport, our own restaurants, our own newspaper, our own entertainment, our own sports teams etc.... Unless you are twenty-something club junky, very few in OC are traveling to LA for a night out. I'm guessing this is in stark contrast to other prominent suburbs around the country.

But, the kicker is the relative lack of people in OC who work in LA. I read not to long ago that only something like 5% of employed people in OC work in LA. I can't be sure that was the exact number, but I do remember it was pretty low, and I remember the article saying that in actual numbers, the flow of workers going from OC to LA County was not that far from the other way around. I'm guessing that in most prominent suburbs around the country, the number is significantly, significantly higher.

[hipcat]

Originally Posted by bowneline

I agree, somewhat, but also disagree.

I agree that from an economic point of view, OC is tied to LA and would not likely be as relevant and wealthy as it is as a stand alone county. But, I don't think it is accurate to say that "much" of the wealth of OC is derived from LA. I think the vast majority of wealthy people and successful companies in OC have little or no connection to LA. This is different than other prominent suburbs. For example, I'm guessing that much of the wealth in Westchester County is derived from NYC, wealth in Marin County is derived from San Francisco, wealth in Fairfax County derives from Washington DC, and the wealth in Lake County derives from Chicago. Those places are wealthy not because they have their own thriving economy, but wealthy people live there and work in the big city. Not so in OC.

Moreover, unlike other prominent suburbs, we have many of our own amenities. We have our own airport, our own restaurants, our own newspaper, our own entertainment, our own sports teams etc.... Unless you are twenty-something club junky, very few in OC are traveling to LA for a night out. I'm guessing this is in stark contrast to other prominent suburbs around the country.

But, the kicker is the relative lack of people in OC who work in LA. I read not to long ago that only something like 5% of employed people in OC work in LA. I can't be sure that was the exact number, but I do remember it was pretty low, and I remember the article saying that in actual numbers, the flow of workers going from OC to LA County was not that far from the other way around. I'm guessing that in most prominent suburbs around the country, the number is significantly, significantly higher.

Well said. The OC stands alone when compared to LA. It's not like the OC is a commuter suburb in the LA area.

[jorge112597]

IE, OC and venture are all part of the greater los angeles area, as Los Angeles being the center city of all these areas.

[HuntingtonHenry]

Originally Posted by hipcat

Well said. The OC stands alone when compared to LA. It's not like the OC is a commuter suburb in the LA area.

I don't think anybody is denying that OC is its own county and I don't think the OP meant to be all technical or anything. Just as a general point of reference, LA is the centerpiece of Ventura, SB, OC, and maybe even Riverside Counties. When traveling abroad or to other parts of the US, everybody will know where LA is but they probably don't know where OC is or what it means. Most likely the easiest explanation would be south of LA. Or maybe even north of San Diego?

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by bowneline

I agree, somewhat, but also disagree.

I agree that from an economic point of view, OC is tied to LA and would not likely be as relevant and wealthy as it is as a stand alone county. But, I don't think it is accurate to say that "much" of the wealth of OC is derived from LA. I think the vast majority of wealthy people and successful companies in OC have little or no connection to LA. This is different than other prominent suburbs. For example, I'm guessing that much of the wealth in Westchester County is derived from NYC, wealth in Marin County is derived from San Francisco, wealth in Fairfax County derives from Washington DC, and the wealth in Lake County derives from Chicago. Those places are wealthy not because they have their own thriving economy, but wealthy people live there and work in the big city. Not so in OC.

Moreover, unlike other prominent suburbs, we have many of our own amenities. We have our own airport, our own restaurants, our own newspaper, our own entertainment, our own sports teams etc.... Unless you are twenty-something club junky, very few in OC are traveling to LA for a night out. I'm guessing this is in stark contrast to other prominent suburbs around the country.

But, the kicker is the relative lack of people in OC who work in LA. I read not to long ago that only something like 5% of employed people in OC work in LA. I can't be sure that was the exact number, but I do remember it was pretty low, and I remember the article saying that in actual numbers, the flow of workers going from OC to LA County was not that far from the other way around. I'm guessing that in most prominent suburbs around the country, the number is significantly, significantly higher.

Well said and great points. I think the fact that Metrolink has a commuter service from the Inland Empire to Orange County speaks volumes for OC as a job center - It is the first suburb-to-suburb commuter line in the United States. The LA metro is very unique in the United States and the Orange County's status as a non-bedroom-community suburban county is a huge part of that.

It's too complicated to say that Orange County could survive on its own without Los Angeles, but I think it has the strongest claim to this out of all the US suburban counties.

[Marv101]

Area-wise, LA is the fifth-largest city in the USA, behind Juneau, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City & Phoenix.

That makes it pretty huge, I would say.

[moonsparkle]

If you are flying in from the east, and you go over the LA metro, it's almost an hour of just seeing lights. Amazed me the first time.