View source for Gateway Cities

{{short description|Region of Los Angeles County, California, US}}
{{this|the region in California|the cities in Massachusetts|Massachusetts gateway cities}}
[[Image:Gateway Cities in Southern California.png|310px|right|thumb|The Gateway Cities, shaded in blue (the boundary is generalized)]]

The '''Gateway Cities''' region, or '''Southeast Los Angeles County''', is an urbanized region located in southeastern [[Los Angeles County, California]], between the [[City of Los Angeles]] proper, [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], and the Pacific Ocean. The cluster of cities has been termed "Gateway Cities" in that they serve as a "gateway" between the LA and Orange counties, with the city of [[Cerritos, California|Cerritos]] equidistant from Downtown L.A., Long Beach, and Santa Ana in Orange County.<ref name="Sonksen2015">{{cite news |last1=Sonksen |first1=Mike |title=On Location: Cerritos |url=https://www.kcet.org/history-society/on-location-cerritos |access-date=20 September 2019 |work=[[KCET]] |date=March 13, 2015}}</ref> As such, the area is central to the [[Los_Angeles_metropolitan_area|Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)]], and has a population of approximately 2,000,000 residents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gatewaycogsiteprospector.org/demographics.html|title=Demographics of the Gateway Cities COG Region|website=Gateway Cities Site Selector|access-date=2018-01-19|archive-date=2020-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126112301/http://www.gatewaycogsiteprospector.org/demographics.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Despite a predominating urban fabric of [[single-family homes]] and low-rise [[multifamily residential]] structures, Southeast LA County comprises some of the [[List_of_United_States_cities_by_population_density|most densely populated municipalities in the United States]].<ref>[[List of United States cities by population density]] {{circular reference|date=April 2019}}</ref><ref>https://www.census.gov {{nonspecific|date=April 2019}}</ref> As with other regions of Los Angeles, Southeast LA's demographics are notable for ethnic and age diversity.

The Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG), the coordinating body for the Southeast LA Region, is located in the city of [[Paramount, California|Paramount]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.gatewaycog.org/ |title = Gateway Cities Council of Governments |access-date = April 7, 2021}}</ref>

==Cities of Southeast LA==
[[File:GATEWAY CITIES.jpg|thumb|Gateway Cities]]
Area residents generally identify as being part of urban Los Angeles, despite technically living in separate, independent municipalities. The following cities are members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatewaycog.org/ |title = Gateway Cities Council of Governments}}</ref> though these cities at times may also be considered part of other LA regions, including the [[San Gabriel Valley]] Region, [[East Los Angeles]] Region, the [[South Los Angeles]] Region, the Southeast LA (or SELA) region, and the [[Los Angeles Harbor Region]].

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Artesia, California|Artesia]]
*[[Bell, California|Bell]]
*[[Bell Gardens]]
*[[Bellflower, California|Bellflower]]
*[[Cerritos, California|Cerritos]]
*[[Commerce, California|Commerce]]
*[[Compton, California|Compton]]
*[[Cudahy, California|Cudahy]]
*[[Downey, California|Downey]]
*[[Hawaiian Gardens]]
*[[Huntington Park]]
*[[La Habra Heights]]<!--Do not add the city of La Habra, as that is part of Orange County. Orange County cities aren't part of the Gateway Cities.-->
*[[La Mirada]]
*[[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]]
*[[Long Beach]]
*[[Lynwood, California|Lynwood]]
*[[Maywood, California|Maywood]]
*[[Montebello, California|Montebello]] 
*[[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]]
*[[Paramount, California|Paramount]]
*[[Pico Rivera]]
*[[Santa Fe Springs]]
*[[Signal Hill, California|Signal Hill]]
*[[South Gate, California|South Gate]]
*[[Vernon, California|Vernon]]
*[[Whittier, California|Whittier]] 
{{div col end}}

Also members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments:

*[[Avalon, California|Avalon]] (on [[Santa Catalina Island (California)|Catalina Island]])
*[[Los Angeles County]]
*[[Port of Long Beach]]
*[[City of Industry]]

==Higher education==

===Universities===
The region hosts the following colleges and universities:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Institution || Location || Founded || Type || Enrollment || Shorthand || Nickname || Primary Conference || Division
|-
|[[Biola University]]
|[[La Mirada]]
|1901
|[[Private university|Private]]
|4,011
|Biola
|[[Pacific_West_Conference|Eagles]]
|[[Pacific West Conference]]
|[[NCAA Division II]]
|-
|[[California State University, Long Beach]]
|[[Long Beach]]
|1949
|[[Public university|Public]]
|37,776
|Cal State Long Beach
|[[Long_Beach_State_49ers|49ers]]
|[[Big West Conference]]
|[[NCAA Division I]]
|-
|[[Whittier College]]
|[[Whittier,_California|Whittier]]
|1887
|[[Private university|Private]]
|2,259
|Whittier
|[[Whittier_College#Athletics|Poets]]
|[[Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]
|[[NCAA Division III]]
|-
|[[Southern California University of Health Sciences]]
|[[Whittier,_California|Whittier]]
|1911
|[[Private university|Private]] [[Graduate_school|Graduate]]
|469
|SCU
|None
| -
| -
|-
|}

===Community colleges===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Institution || Location || Founded || Enrollment || Nickname || Primary Conference || Division
|-
|[[Cerritos College]]
|[[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]]
|1955
|22,731
|Falcons
|[[South Coast Conference (CCCAA)|South Coast Conference]]
|[[California Community College Athletic Association|CCCAA]]
|-
|[[Compton College]]
|[[Compton, California|Compton]]
|1927
|7,018
|Tartars
|[[South Coast Conference (CCCAA)|South Coast Conference]]
|[[California Community College Athletic Association|CCCAA]]
|-
|[[Long Beach City College]]
|[[Long Beach]]
|1927
|24,650
|Vikings
|[[South Coast Conference (CCCAA)|South Coast Conference]]
|[[California Community College Athletic Association|CCCAA]]
|-
|[[Rio Hondo College]]
|[[Whittier,_California|Whittier]]
|1963
|19,948
|Roadrunners
|[[South Coast Conference (CCCAA)|South Coast Conference]]
|[[California Community College Athletic Association|CCCAA]]
|-
|}

==Infrastructure==
===Air===
Southeast LA County's [[Long Beach Airport]] (LGB) provides Southeast LA regular [[Direct_flight|direct flights]] to and from approximately a dozen cities in the Western United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.longbeach.gov/lgb/airlines-destinations/|title=Airlines and Destinations}}</ref>

===Sea and heavy rail===
The [[Port of Long Beach]], located in Southeast LA, is the second busiest port in the United States,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2011-aug-07-la-fi-himi-steinke-20110807-story.html|title=Long Beach port chief's long voyage nears an end|last=White|first=Ronald D.|date=2011-08-07|work=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> Significant freight [[rail transport|rail]] infrastructure runs through Vernon, Commerce, Industry, Santa Fe Springs, and Pico Rivera; as well as lines running between the Port of Long Beach and Vernon & Commerce.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?msa=0&mid=1zDRqIYw-tVW6g59U4-8ctgh37yA&ll=33.87583802426858%2C-118.09526849121094&z=11|title = California Railroads}}</ref>

===Commuter and light rail===
The LA Metro connects Southeast LA County to [[Greater Los Angeles]] via the following commuter and light rail lines:
*[[A Line (Los Angeles Metro)|A Line (formerly the "Blue Line")]], connecting to [[downtown Los Angeles]] and the [[San Gabriel Valley]]
*[[C Line (Los Angeles Metro)|C Line (formerly the "Green Line")]], connecting to [[LAX]] and the [[Beach Cities]]
*[[Southeast Gateway Line]] (planned and funded under [[Measure M]])<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlepp |first=Travis |date=2024-01-22 |title=Metro project with 'confusing' moniker gets new name |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/metro-project-with-confusing-moniker-gets-new-name/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=KTLA |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Freeways===
Given its high population, Southeast LA is noticeably crisscrossed with regional freeway infrastructure, connecting it to other parts of [[Greater Los Angeles]], [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], and the [[Inland Empire]]. The following freeways directly service Southeast LA County:
*[[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]] also known as the [[Santa Ana Freeway]]
*[[Interstate 405 (California)|Interstate 405]] also known as the San Diego Freeway
*[[Interstate 605]] also known as the San Gabriel River Freeway
*[[Interstate 105 (California)|Interstate 105]] also known as the Glenn Andersen Freeway
*[[Interstate 710]] also known as the Long Beach Freeway
*[[Interstate 110 (California)|Interstate 110]] also known as the Harbor Freeway
*[[California State Route 91]] also known as the Artesia Freeway
*[[California State Route 60]] also known as the Pomona Freeway
*[[California State Route 22]] also known as the 7th Street Extension
*[[California State Route 1|California State Route 1 Pacific Coast Highway]] also known as the Pacific Coast Highway

==References==
{{Portal|Los Angeles|Greater Los Angeles|California}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Gateway Cities}}
* [http://www.gatewaycog.org/ Gateway Cities Council of Governments]

{{Greater Los Angeles Area}}
{{South Coast (California)}}
{{California}}

[[Category:Gateway Cities| ]]
[[Category:Los Angeles County, California, regions]]