The South Bay contains fifteen cities plus portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated portions of the County of Los Angeles. The area is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the south and west and generally by the City of Los Angeles on the north and east. Its name comes from its location on the south end of the Santa Monica Bay.

The South Bay, is heavily reliant on the aerospace and related industries. It has two major transportation hubs on its borders--Los Angeles International Airport and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach--and the Pacific Ocean is at its backdoor. These factors, and its diverse cities, make it economically, geographically and socially unique.