Gateway Cities


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, 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 equidistant from Downtown L.A., Long Beach, and Santa Ana in Orange County. As such, the area is central to the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, and has a population of approximately 2,000,000 residents.
Despite a predominating urban fabric of single-family homes and low-rise multifamily residential structures, Southeast LA County comprises some of the most densely populated municipalities in the United States. As with other regions of Los Angeles, Southeast LA's demographics are notable for ethnic and age diversity.
The Gateway Cities Council of Governments, the coordinating body for the Southeast LA Region, is located in the city of Paramount.

Cities of Southeast LA

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, 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 region, and the Los Angeles Harbor Region.
  • Artesia
  • Bell
  • Bell Gardens
  • Bellflower
  • Cerritos
  • Commerce
  • Compton
  • Cudahy
  • Downey
  • Hawaiian Gardens
  • Huntington Park
  • La Habra Heights
  • La Mirada
  • Lakewood
  • Long Beach
  • Lynwood
  • Maywood
  • Montebello
  • Norwalk
  • Paramount
  • Pico Rivera
  • Santa Fe Springs
  • Signal Hill
  • South Gate
  • Vernon
  • Whittier
Also members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments:
  • Avalon
  • Los Angeles County
  • Port of Long Beach
  • City of Industry

    Higher education

Universities

The region hosts the following colleges and universities:
InstitutionLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentShorthandNicknamePrimary ConferenceDivision
Biola UniversityLa Mirada1901Private4,011BiolaEaglesPacific West ConferenceNCAA Division II
California State University, Long BeachLong Beach1949Public37,776Cal State Long Beach49ersBig West ConferenceNCAA Division I
Whittier CollegeWhittier1887Private2,259WhittierPoetsSouthern California Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceNCAA Division III
Southern California University of Health SciencesWhittier1911Private Graduate469SCU---

Community colleges

Infrastructure

Air

Southeast LA County's Long Beach Airport provides Southeast LA regular direct flights to and from approximately a dozen cities in the Western United States.

Sea and heavy rail

The Port of Long Beach, located in Southeast LA, is the second busiest port in the United States, Significant freight 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.

Commuter and light rail

The LA Metro connects Southeast LA County to Greater Los Angeles via the following commuter and light rail lines:
Given its high population, Southeast LA is noticeably crisscrossed with regional freeway infrastructure, connecting it to other parts of Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. The following freeways directly service Southeast LA County: