In honor of the USC vs. UC Berkeley football game, we seek to investigate the tension between NorCal and SoCal. While they’re both in California, some students love to argue over which is better. These arguments are heated and contentious. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to review the evidence and find out once and for all which is the superior region of California. From beaches to public transport, let’s take a look at the differences between Southern California and Northern California.

Sandy vs. foggy

Although Southern Californian students claim to have the superior beaches, many Southern California beaches are man-made. While Southern California beaches fit the stereotypical image of a beach, many of them lie just off the highway or in a bustling town. Meanwhile, Northern California beaches are made by none other than Mother Nature herself. They are often in beautiful desolate locations like Point Reyes or Big Sur. The Northern California fog adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the beachgoing experience. 

Mexican food vs. wine 

SoCal students love to talk about how the SoCal Mexican food is just that much better, and we have to give it to them. NorCal is home to many foodie movements with iconic eateries like Chez Panisse, The French Laundry and The Slanted Door, however. Furthermore, NorCal has the whole wine country thing going on. 

Entertainment vs. tech

SoCal is home to the entertainment industry. Obviously starting with a long history of Hollywood, Southern California remains a hotbed of artistic innovation in television, music and film. NorCal, on the other hand, is home to seemingly every major tech company which impacts the world in a whole different way.

Traffic vs. BART

Don’t get us wrong, Bay Area traffic is heinous, but at least we have BART to help combat it. Bay Area traffic has nothing on LA traffic. Southern California is seriously lacking in the public transportation front. We do, however, give LA props for having the Metro – it’s way nicer than BART.

USC vs. UC Berkeley

The better school is obvious. Do we even have to say it?

Maybe we are biased because we live in Berkeley, but it seems like NorCal might be the winner, but SoCal definitely can do “superficial” better, for whatever that’s worth. We’ll see who wins the football showdown this weekend and then decide for sure!