How is Los Angeles viewed by the rest of the USA?

by Sean Quinn - Repost from https://travelstories1.quora.com/

Here are a few stereotypes of LA that people around the US hold, some of which are true and some of which have truth behind them but are exaggerated:

Horrible traffic.  This one is true. Traffic in LA is bad no matter where you’re coming from and the freeways are like something out of Mad Max.

Smog. You’ll find this opinion more among older folks because LA before the 80’s had absolutely horrible smog.

Everyone’s fake and is an actor,  Many people around the US think LA=Hollywood and that everyone’s a struggling actor who’s waiting tables and bartending until they get their break.

Most people outside of Southern California consider the parts of all five counties (LA, Orange, Riverside, Ventura and San Bernardino) to be LA

Lumping the entire Southland together and calling it LA,

Everyone’s a surfer dude There are definitely more surfers in the LA area than in NYC or St. Louis, but if you don’t live in a beach community there’s a decent chance you get to the beach

It’s expensive. If you’re from Little Rock your head is going to explode when you look at real estate prices.