I totally agree with this also. I live in the Bay Area, but I do a lot of traveling and work in the Central Valley. It’s just something else.
When people here tease me about being from a backward mid-western state, I ask them if they’ve ever even seen the Central Valley. The only distinguishable difference, in my mind, between rural Missouri and rural California is that one grows corn and the other grows strawberries. Both grow 'pubbies rather well. 
Well, I haven’t lived there in a good while, but having been there for 6th through 14th grade, I think I know something of the character of the place. I know not of this BBQ predilection, nor your reason for declaring its importance.
You have custom surf shops, kids surfing before school, Dodgers and Lakers fans; for crying out loud, you still get all the L.A. tv stations with rabbit ear antennas.
Strawberries? In the Valley? It sounds nice enough, but 99% of the state’s strawberries are grown along the coast (which even in rural areas leans left). Your point still stands - I’d bet that there are far more KKK members in the Valley than in all of Missouri, even.
As for dividing the state, the two big population centers (the Bay Area in the North, and LA in the South) are clear that the other one is a different culture. Setting the line halfway in between doesn’t seem right, as each side sees a clear distinction somewhere a bit closer to them than that. Of course, if they set a “north/south” dividing line there, the other side will object to being lumped with the group they aren’t part of, which is why the third section arises.
The “true North” is ignored and mostly doesn’t seem to mind or care; it may as well all be part of the state of Franklin.
I think it’s divided by whether you say “the 101” or just “101”.
even sven, did they flight about the freeway “the” as well?
Born in Long Beach, raised in NoCal (primarily Redwood City) and went to school in Santa Barbara. Worked in Silicon Valley and lived in SF for about 10 years…
I tend to think of it as King City, too - is the Feed Bag still there? Great burgers and onion rings, baby!
Well, I am a Dodgers fan and most of my friends were surfing before school and we had all of the custom surf shops you could want all the way up to San Luis. But I would say there is a huge difference between Pismo Beach and Long beach. I have received KCAL in Vegas so I don’t think any of those things is really an indicator of how LA a place is. As for not knowing what Tri Tip is your are obviously a heathen, it’s also known as Santa Maria style BBQ.
When ever we drove down to Magic Mountain we always figured that LA started at the turn off the coast, right above Oxnard. But like I said originally if you’re not breaking out in to multiple areas the North/South line runs through King City and all of the Central Coast is So. Cal.
I lived in Woodlake, right near Visalia, for 6 years, and the people there, if pressed to choose between North and South, would say they live in Southern California.
Joe
Lots of neighborhoods in L.A. are like that too. My neighborhood offers numerous places I can walk to, although it’s true that if I need to go further afield the only practical way to do so is by driving. The only thing my neighborhood doesn’t have is bars. We’re near the VA, and an ancient law prohibits the sale of alcohol within a half-mile or so of a VA facility, except by pharmacists(!). The local grocery store does sell all types of alcohol, and the restaurants do serve wine and beer, but there’s no place where people go just to kick back a couple.
Also because the commuter rail line goes up that far, IIRC.
That’s what I came in to post. But I’m not quite sure where the line is.
I live in Santa Barbara and say “the”, but I picked it up while going to school further south. I’m not sure if native Barbarians use the article. I think that this division would put the line somewhere north of SLO.
So, is Hearst Castle a NoCal or a SoCal tourist attraction?
Definitely SoCal. Nice place, but we don’t think about it up here. Anyhow, it must be SoCal since he had all the Hollywood people visiting.
I’m wondering how this overlaps with Joel Garreau’s* cultural definition of “Ecotopia” as “the wet part of California” and “Mexamerica” as “the dry part”?
[sub]*author of The Nine Nations[/sub]