Southern California

Southern California, also known as South California or more commonly  SoCal, is a state member of the New United States of America. It is located in the southern half of California, bordering NorCal to the north. Formerly called the Free State of Southern California, it was one of the American Free States until some rejoined the Union during the Unification War.

1990s - 2020s
California became a Free State in 2002 after the economic collapse of the original USA. Northern California separated itself from the rest of California in 2012, and it would later became the newest state of the union, officially recognized by the US government in 2016 after years of seceding. What remained of the old California was renamed as Southern California.

The Free State of Southern California is comprised of San Luis Obispo, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo counties and those further south. Monterey, Fresno, and Mono counties and points north seceded to become Northern California, an action that angered many down south.

The Los Angeles Metroplex covered the entire coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and stretched as far east as San Bernardino. With the rise in temperatures, the eastern part of the state was all but uninhabitable, and everyone had migrated into the cities, leaving Death Valley, the Devil's Playground, and other such areas as empty wasteland, patrolled only by the occasional nomad group.

The weather was the worst of the hazards in the metroplex. L.A. residents must cope with dense groundfogs mixing with smog to create an acidic, poisonous soup. Gas masks and air vendors were everywhere, and the Superfan chain of telephone-style air booths can be seen in every mall. Everyone in L.A. owned thin, hooded dusters and knee-high boots, each made of special acid-resistant fabrics.

Policing within was just as unpleasant as it was to live. Through a series of threatened strikes, the Southern California Highway Patrol and the urban police departments had garnered some real power from the state government. The Highway Patrol had near-total power in the state. They had a covert operations section which amounted to a secret police force rivaling the Gestapo in reputation, though not nearly as dangerous. Outside of city limits, the CHiPs were effectively lord of all they surveyed. This power, combined with the lenient urban police regulations, kept the SoCal government on top of the heap in a state dominated by disgruntled urbanites. Southern California was no longer the pleasant place it once was in it's prime. It became an urban hell, rotten with pollution and acid rain. The people were not properly educated and became violent with more people buying guns then ever before.

Known settlements

 * Avila Beach (reclaimed as of 2045)
 * Bakersfield
 * Los Angeles Metroplex
 * Los Angeles
 * Pasadena
 * Santa Barbara
 * San Bernardino
 * San Diego
 * Pismo Beach (reclaimed as of 2045)
 * San Luis Obispo (reclaimed as of 2045)
 * Yucca

Former settlements

 * Stateline (initially shared with NorCal)

Other

 * Death Valley
 * Devil's Playground