California megapolitan areas

These regional concepts are usually based on geographic, cultural, political, and environmental differences, rather than transportation and infrastructure connectivity and boundaries.

"Beyond Megalopolis", by Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute, defines two megapolitan areas which extend from California into Nevada: NorCal, which includes the Reno, Nevada area, and the Southland which encompasses Greater Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and San Diego and includes Metropolitan Las Vegas.

[9] The Northern California megaregion is home to the Silicon Valley with major corporations such as Cisco Systems, Apple Inc., Oracle, EBay, Yahoo!, Facebook, YouTube, Google, and Hewlett-Packard, the San Francisco Financial District (home to headquarters of various financial and business firms such as VISA, Wells Fargo, and Union Bank of California and is the largest financial district outside New York City), Wine Country, and much of the Central Valley, which is one of the world's most productive agricultural areas, producing 8% of the nation's crops.

[10] Southern California holds the eight counties and municipalities of Greater Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and San Diego-Tijuana.

Corporations such as Fox Sports Net, Guess, In-n-Out Burger, ARCO, Farmers, and many financial and banking companies are also based in the region.

Southern California is also one of the world's largest tourist industries thanks to its famous beaches, entertainment districts such as L.A. Live and Sunset Boulevard, and theme parks including Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Universal Studios Hollywood.