This article is about the northern half of California. For other uses, see California (disambiguation).Southern California (also known as South California[2] or more commonly SoCal) is a NUSA state located on the Pacific Coast of North America. It was originally known simply as California, one of the US states that would eventually split off to become a Free State. Not long after, it separated into the Free State of Allied Southern California and the Free State of Northern California, and many decades later it would rejoin the United States during the Unification War.
History[]
1990s - 2020s[]
The economy of the USA state of California shattered in the late 1990s, accelerated after the devastating 10.5 earthquake that destroyed much of Los Angeles in 1998. With the Collapse of the United States, Texas took the opportunity to become what would later be known as a Free State, soon followed by a number of other ones. Including California, these former US states took back most of their autonomy, all signing a pact with the USA government in order to not cause another civil war.
California became the third North American Free State in 2002. Over the course of the following years, the relations between the northern and southern areas of the state deteriorated. The increasing control exercised by the Los Angeles Metroplex, as well as the reoccurring number of pro-urban and anti-rural laws and regulations being put forward led the northern counties to vote to secede after they had grown tired of the unequal treatment from the counties in the south. This friction was followed by the Northern Separation War of 2011, in which major roads, highways and other crucial infrastructures connecting both regions were destroyed. The conflict ended in 2012 with the Northern Separation Treaty delimitating the border between the two Californias, and allowing the counties in the north to form the Free State of Northern California (NorCal), with its capital in Sacramento. The old California instead became the Free State of Allied Southern California (SoCal), centered around the Los Angeles Metroplex and with its capital in San Diego. Although many roads and highways (such as 1 or 101) had been destroyed in the process, the border was not physical. Highway patrols from both states tried to maintain the roads as secure as possible, but road gangs were a common presence. After the recognition of Northern California by the US government, a number of roads were repaired, including Route 1, though the old Highway 101 portion connecting to the south was never recovered. Other major roads between the states were Route 99, connecting NorCal's Fresno with SoCal's Bakersfield, or the Interstate 5, whose border was so transited that a new settlement known as Stateline was formed in the highway, shared by both states.[1][3]
The separation of the northern counties angered many residents in SoCal, who would carry that hate for many years. Due to various events, by 2020 much of the climate in the Californias had changed, with the south taking the worst part, but at the same time being a region of contrasts, as a large space of the state was already occupied by the gigantic LA Metroplex. The Plex was so large it covered most if not all neighborhoods from the capital of San Diego in the south, as far as Santa Barbara in the north. This didn't save the megacity though, as the weather there was by far the most horrible of its hazards. On occasions, the dense groundfogs mixed with smog, prompting the creation of acid, poisonous clouds toxic for the population. For this reason, most residents wore gas masks and protective gear, and air vendors could be found everywhere. The rest of the state, however, became almost uninhabitable, with mostly everyone there moving over the the largest cities. Places like Death's Valley or the Devil's Playground became complete wastelands were no one lived. Giving the truest of meanings to their names. The only ones who occasionally visited these areas were the passing nomad families. Through a series of threated strikes, the police forces around the state, especially the Highway Patrol, gained some real power from the local government, with the later having near-total power over the state. Outside of the city limits, the Highway Patrol ruled with an iron fist and no opposition. In short, SoCal was a dangerous urban hell, rotten with pollution and acid rain, though its residents attitude to threats is what kept the state from collapsing.[1]
2070s[]
Database Entry (2077)[]
SOUTH CALIFORNIA
People used to say that California was big enough to be carved up into smaller states. And it was – only in much more extreme circumstances than anyone ever imagined. The Gold Coast state was split into two following a referendum in 2002, ratified only in 2016 by the federal government in Washington, D.C. Though clearly a symbolic division didn't go far enough – as soon as the Unification War breaks out, both Californias are at each other's throats. Today the citizens of South California want nothing to do with their cousins in the North. To make that blindingly obvious, they built a not-so-subtle 20-foot wall. And like most border walls these days, there are no warning shots.[2]
Locations[]
Known Settlements[]
- Arvin
- Avila Beach (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Bakersfield
- Edwards Air Force Base
- Lancaster
- Los Angeles Metroplex
- Los Angeles
- Pasadena
- Santa Barbara
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- Pismo Beach (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Ridgecrest
- San Luis Obispo (reclaimed as of 2045)
- Yucca
Former Settlements[]
- Stateline (initially shared with NorCal)
Other[]
- Death Valley
- Devil's Playground
- Mojave Desert[4]
- Mojave Orbital Air Facility[4]
- NorCal-SoCal Border Wall
Notes[]
- The town of Yucca and its surroundings are the only area of South California present in Cyberpunk 2077.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 MACDONALD, M. Home of the Brave. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1992. (pp.109–113)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.
- ↑ PONDSMITH, M. Night City Sourcebook. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1991. (pp.6–7,13,179)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 PONDSMITH, M. Night City Sourcebook. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1991. (p.7)