When you think of Los Angeles, do think of the entire county? Or just THE CITY of Los Angeles? (San Francisco: neighborhood, construction)

[s0nginmyheart]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but (growing up) I always considered the South Bay cities as L.A. as well, i.e. Torrance, Redondo, Carson, etc. Each are their own respective cities, however the l.a. "boundaries" still run through these cities along the 110 all the way down to San Pedro. On one side of the L.A. border you have Harbor City (a neighborhood of L.A.) and across the street is Lomita (its own city). And to add some more confusion, even though Carson, for example, is their own City - the schools are still part of LAUSD.

[bpeeps]

County.

To someone who lives in LA, I'll refer to LA by neighborhood, the valley, Hollywood, the west side, DTLA, with everything else just being LA. To someone who doesn't live in LA, everything is just LA.

[disgruntled la native]

This is one of my favorite topics that seems to come up every few months or so.

Let's start by saying what's definitely not LA. That is anything outside of LA county. Ventura, San Bernadino, Riverside, and Orange - while close to LA county - are entirely different places with their own culture. Anyone not from LA county saying they're from LA is lying. If I'm from West LA, would it be accurate to say I grew up in Temecula? Simi Valley? Moreno Valley? Anaheim? Dana Point? NO.

Then what definitely is LA. Of course, anywhere in the city of LA. Then the eight independent cities that are an integral part of LA culture and are basically entirely surrounded by the city of LA. Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Burbank, Glendale, Inglewood and San Fernando. The first four are the most important, and each one corresponds closely to the LA neighborhoods it borders. . If you are from any of those independent cities you are definitely from LA and have the same experience as an LA person. Most tourists also arguably spend more time in those independent cities than LA itself! Burbank, Glendale Inglewood and San Fernando are a different LA experience then the four westside cities, but still undoubtedly LA.

The rest of LA county cities like Pasadena, Long Beach, Torrance, Hawthorne, Beach Cities, Santa Clarita anything San Gabriel Valley, Calabasas, Agoura. They are in LA county but the culture varies in each place. Growing up in Santa Clarita or Long Beach is nothing like growing up in LA. I think most accurate would be to say you're from "near LA".

[s0nginmyheart]

I don't think "culture" is an appropriate driving boundary of what makes up L.A.

Santa Monica is beach culture, but I consider it L.A.

Harbor Gateway and Harbor City are, by definition, neighborhoods of Los Angeles, but they are located in the South Bay and lack "culture" (i.e. not Hollywood Blvd???). So, someone who grew up in Harbor City couldn't say they are from L.A.?

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by s0nginmyheart

I don't think "culture" is an appropriate driving boundary of what makes up L.A.

Santa Monica is beach culture, but I consider it L.A.

Harbor Gateway and Harbor City are, by definition, neighborhoods of Los Angeles, but they are located in the South Bay and lack "culture" (i.e. not Hollywood Blvd???). So, someone who grew up in Harbor City couldn't say they are from L.A.?

I bet they wouldn't. I bet most people in San Pedro would say they are from San Pedro and not LA. They might mention it is technically in the city limits.

It is insane that LAs borders run from Tujunga to San Pedro. Talk about disparate cultures!

[hipcat]

As someone who grew up in Gardena. I say to people outside the Southland that Im from LA. Because people outside of LA would'nt have a clue where Gardena is.

But Gardena is outside of the main LA bubble like Santa Monica and West Hollywood and is part of the South Bay.

And the South Bay is quite distinct from the mainstream LA culture.

[theraven24]

I automatically think the city and not the county. I'm a native.

[saybanana]

I think MOST of the county not just the LA City limits. Even within the city, many neighborhoods are so different from each other. Bel Air, Brentwood, Hancock Park are so different from Lincoln Heights, Koreatown, Watts. Lots of differences from those in the middle. I never tell people if I go to Koreatown, Im going to LA. I think the valley is different from the westside, or South central, NELA, eastside, central LA as much as LA city is different from Long Beach or Manhattan Beach, Norwalk or Claremont. For those in LA city we flow in and out of different cities regularly. I go to/through Santa Clarita to get to the SJV/SF/Yosemite or Magic Mountain. I go to SGV to eat and visit friends a lot. I hit beaches in South Bay beaches regularly. I attend events in Long Beach all the time. I hang with friends in Santa Monica, Malibu, west Hollywood, Culver city. I shop/eat in Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena all the time. Some places too far and visit almost never is what I dont consider LA like Palmdale, Lancaster.

[HyperionGap]

Originally Posted by disgruntled la native

This is one of my favorite topics that seems to come up every few months or so.

Let's start by saying what's definitely not LA. That is anything outside of LA county. Ventura, San Bernadino, Riverside, and Orange - while close to LA county - are entirely different places with their own culture. Anyone not from LA county saying they're from LA is lying. If I'm from West LA, would it be accurate to say I grew up in Temecula? Simi Valley? Moreno Valley? Anaheim? Dana Point? NO.

Then what definitely is LA. Of course, anywhere in the city of LA. Then the eight independent cities that are an integral part of LA culture and are basically entirely surrounded by the city of LA. Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Burbank, Glendale, Inglewood and San Fernando. The first four are the most important, and each one corresponds closely to the LA neighborhoods it borders. . If you are from any of those independent cities you are definitely from LA and have the same experience as an LA person. Most tourists also arguably spend more time in those independent cities than LA itself! Burbank, Glendale Inglewood and San Fernando are a different LA experience then the four westside cities, but still undoubtedly LA.

The rest of LA county cities like Pasadena, Long Beach, Torrance, Hawthorne, Beach Cities, Santa Clarita anything San Gabriel Valley, Calabasas, Agoura. They are in LA county but the culture varies in each place. Growing up in Santa Clarita or Long Beach is nothing like growing up in LA. I think most accurate would be to say you're from "near LA".

Can you explain why Glendale and Burbank are considered "LA" while Pasadena is not? Geographically they all three share borders with LA. They're all connected via freeways. Only Pasadena is connected via metro.

[disgruntled la native]

Pasadena has its own culture and is a bit further. Burbank and Glendale are interchangeable with most parts of the san fernando valley. Also, both (especially Burbank) are key to the entertainment industry.