Coastal California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coastal California refers to the coastal regions of the US state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by sociological, economical and political attributes. The coastal regions of California tend to be more liberal, affluent and expensive that other regions of the state. The area includes the San Francisco Bay Area (including Silicon Valley), Central Coast, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles metropolitan area and San Diego. During the 2000 Census, roughy a third of households in coastal California had incomes exceeding $75,000, compared to 17.6% in the Central Valley[1] and 22.5% at the national average.[2] Nearly all congressional districts in the region are left-leaning with a mean Cook Partisan Voting Index of D +13.3, meaning that a Democratic presidential candidate will, on average, be 13.3 percentage points ahead of his Republican opponent.
Cook Partisan Index ratings ranged from D +9 in California's 23rd congressional district, which includes coastal San Luis Obispo county and the northern coast to D +20 in the 30th district, which includes Malibu, West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, to D +36 in Nancy Pelosi's 8th district, which includes most of San Francisco. The region is renowned for being home to artisan communities such as Laguna Beach and Carmel as well as its natural beauty. While the area has always been relatively expensive, when compared to inland regions and the national average, the recent real estate boom has left it as the most expensive housing market in the nation. An October 2004 CNN Money publication found that a 2,200 square foot home in a "middle management neighborhood" would cost an average of $1.8 million.[3]
Exceptions to the liberal dominance in Coastal California are Del Norte, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Orange, and San Diego counties, all of which were Coastal California counties won by president George W. Bush in 2004.
Moreover, within the coastal regions there remains a further political divide. The 23rd congressional district which includes a narrow coastal strip from San Luis Obispo to Ventura County has a partisan rating of D +9 with Bush having received 40% of votes in this district, while a few miles inland is the 24th congressional district with a partisan rating of R +5 and Bush garnering 56% of the votes. A similar case is found in San Diego County, where the 53rd district which includes the city itself and La Jolla is heavily Democratic while the rest of the county remains Republican.
[edit] Political inclination by congressional district
| District | Location | Cook Partisan Index | % for Bush, 2004 | Median Household Income[4] | Per Capita Income[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st district | Coastal regions of Del Norte, Humbolt, Yolo, Mendecino and Napa Counties | D +10 | 38% | $38,918 | $20,615 |
| 6th district | Marin and Sonoma County | D +21 | 28% | $59,115 | $33,036 |
| 9th district | Oakland, Berkeley and the Oakland hills | D +38 | 13% | $52,322 | $34,552 |
| 8th district | City of San Francisco | D +36 | 14% | $44,314 | $25,201 |
| 10th district | City of Fairfield, Antioch, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Livermore | D +9 | 42% | NO DATA | NO DATA |
| 12th district | San Francisco Peninsula including most of San Mateo County | D +22 | 27% | $70,307 | $34,448 |
| 13th district | Silicon Valley and East Bay, including Fremont, Union city and Hayward | D +22 | 28% | $62,415 | $26,076 |
| 14th district | Silicon Valley, including Redwood City, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and most of Santa Cruz County | D +18 | 30% | $77,985 | $43,063 |
| 15th district | City of San Jose (western areas) | D +14 | 36% | $74,947 | $32,617 |
| 16th district | San Jose, Morgan Hill | D +16 | N/A | $67,689 | $25,064 |
| 17th district | Central Coast encompassing Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito County | D +17 | 33% | $49,234 | $21,244 |
| 23rd district | Costal regions of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura County | D +9 | 40% | $44,874 | $20,747 |
| 24th district | Inland regions of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties as well some coastline near Thousand Oaks | R +5 | 56% | $61,453 | $26,998 |
| 30th district | Western Los Angeles County, including Malibu, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Hollywood | D +20 | 33% | $60,713 | $47,498 |
| 33rd district | Western Los Angeles County, including Culver City | D +36 | 16% | $31,655 | $19,250 |
| 34th district | Los Angeles | D +23 | 30% | $29,863 | $11,816 |
| 35th district | Los Angeles | D +33 | 20% | $32,156 | $14,041 |
| 36th district | Beach cities, Torrance as well as parts of Los Angeles | D +11 | 40% | $51,633 | $28,962 |
| 37th district | Long Beach, parts of Los Angeles and Compton | D +27 | 25% | $34,006 | $14,286 |
| 38th district | Eastern Los Angeles county and western San Gabriel Valley including Norwalk, Pomona, Santa Fe Springs, La Puente, the City of Industry, Montebello, and Pico Rivera, plus the unincorporated communities of Avocado Heights, Hacienda Heights, West Puente Valley | D +20 | 34% | $42,488 | $14,021 |
| 39th district | South-eastern Los Angeles County | D +13 | 40% | $45,307 | $15,250 |
| 40th district | Northern Orange County, including Buena Park and Orange | R +8 | 60% | $54,356 | $22,434 |
| 44th district | Orange County, including San Clemente and Riverside County, including the city of Riverside | R +6 | 59% | $51,578 | $21,335 |
| 46th district | Northern Orange County, including Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and Westminster as well as parts of Long Beach and Los Angeles further north | R +6 | 57% | $61,567 | $30,942 |
| 47th district | Orange County, including Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Anaheim | D +5 | 50% | $41,618 | $12,541 |
| 48th district | Southern Orange County, including Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, and parts of Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano | R +8 | 58% | $69,663 | $37,242 |
| 49th district | Northern San Diego and South-western Riverside County | R +10 | 63% | $46,445 | $19,659 |
| 50th district | Northern San Diego County, including costal communities such as Carlsbad but excluding La Jolla | R +5 | 55% | $59,813 | $29,877 |
| 53rd district | City of San Diego including La Jolla, Coronado and Imperial Beach | D +12 | 39% | $36,637 | $21,715 |
| Regional averages | |||||
| San Francisco Bay Area | Districts: 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 | D +23.4 | 25.14% | $63,637 | $31,757 |
| Central Coast | Districts: 17 & 23rd | D +13 | 36.5% | $47,054 | $20,995 |
| Southern California | Districts: 24, 30, 33rd, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53rd | D +9.8 | 43.23% | $47,703 | $24,289 |
| Overall averages | |||||
| National Average | N/A | 51% | $41,994 | $21,587 | |
| Means for all districts | Coastal California | D +13.4 | 37.85% | $51,895 | $31,757 |
[edit] See also
- California Congressional Districts
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Central Coast of California
- Greater Los Angeles Area
- Left Coast
[edit] References
- ^ Stanford University, income in California. Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
- ^ US Census Bureau, US household income. Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
- ^ CNN Money, housing markets. Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
- ^ a b US Census Bureau, 2000 Census income data by congressional district. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
