What visitors should know
Learn geography and context before imitation. The Valley is not a stereotype, Angeleno is not an ethnic category, the definite article before freeway numbers is a Southern California speech pattern rather than a rule for all California English, and weather terms such as Santa Ana winds can carry real safety implications.
Reviewed words and expressions
Angeleno
Angeleno is the standard English demonym for a resident or person identified with Los Angeles.
Los AngelesDTLA
DTLA is the common abbreviation for Downtown Los Angeles, the city’s central business, civic, cultural, residential, and transportation district.
Los AngelesJune Gloom
June Gloom is the Southern California name for recurring late-spring and early-summer periods of coastal low clouds, marine-layer stratus, fog or drizzle, and cooler gray mornings that may clear later in the day.
Los AngelesLA Basin
LA Basin is everyday and technical shorthand for the Los Angeles Basin, a broad lowland and geologic region covering much of the urbanized Los Angeles coastal plain and extending into parts of surrounding Southern California counties depending on the geographic or scientific definition being used.
Los AngelesMay Gray
May Gray is Southern California weather shorthand for recurring late-spring periods of low coastal clouds, fog, a deep marine layer, and cool gray mornings that can spread into valleys before clearing later in the day.
Los AngelesPCH
In Los Angeles and Southern California road language, PCH is the common shorthand for Pacific Coast Highway, the State Route 1 corridor along the coast through places including Santa Monica, Malibu, the South Bay and other coastal communities.
Los AngelesSanta Ana winds
Santa Ana winds are strong, dry downslope winds that move from inland high-pressure areas through Southern California mountain passes toward the coast, often producing very dry and potentially dangerous fire-weather conditions.
Los AngelesSigAlert
A SigAlert is a Southern California traffic alert for a significant unplanned roadway incident or closure likely to cause substantial delay.
Los AngelesSouthland
In Southern California media and regional speech, Southland is a long-used nickname for greater Los Angeles and, depending on context, a broader Southern California area extending beyond Los Angeles County.
Los Angelesthe 101
In Los Angeles conversation, the 101 means U.S. Route 101, the major freeway corridor running through Downtown/Hollywood and into the San Fernando Valley before continuing through California.
Los Angelesthe 405
In Los Angeles and Southern California, the 405 means Interstate 405, a major north-south freeway serving the Valley, Westside, LAX area, South Bay, Long Beach, and Orange County.
Los Angelesthe Valley
In Los Angeles context, the Valley usually means the San Fernando Valley, the broad northern part of the City of Los Angeles and adjacent communities beyond the Santa Monica Mountains.
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