Southern California beach at sunset. Photo courtesy of PublicCo and Pixabay.com.
The geographic label "Southern California" (or “SoCal”) has fairly recent origins. It was only during the 1920s that it became a common practice to capitalize the "S." During the 1800s, Southern California was referred to as "California del sur," "California of the south," "subtropical California," "the cow counties” (a derisive mid-19th century term), and "the land south of Tehachapi." The term "Southland" is normally only used by television news reporters. Sources: The Seven States of California: A Natural and History by Philip L. Fradkin and Los Angeles A to Z by Leonard & Dale Pitt.
