9 Ridiculously Weird But Totally True Facts About Southern California

You might think you know Southern California, but there’s always more beneath the surface. From little-known history to surprising local quirks, these facts about SoCal may catch even longtime residents off guard — and yes, they’re all true.

1. Dinosaurs Loved Southern California

California has more dinosaur fossils that any other state in the country, and many of them have been discovered in Southern California. In fact, collections at La Brea Tar Pits, one of the most famous locations for fossils in the entire world, are estimated to contain at least 3.5 million items and digging hasn’t stopped! Could it be that the sun, sand, and sea were as much of a draw in prehistoric times as it is now?

2. The Biggest California State Park Is a Desert in SoCal

When you hear the words "Southern California" and "park," you probably don't imagine a desert. But, as it turns out, the largest state park is indeed the 60,000-square-acre Anza-Borrego Desert. With slot canyons, sloping palms, and countless cacti, the park transports you to a completely different landscape.

3. You Can Go From the Desert Floor to a Snow-Covered Mountain Peak in Just 10 Minutes

Believe it or not, there's a cable car that will whisk you up 6,000 feet from the desert to the Mount San Jacinto State Park. A ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway takes just 10 short minutes and comes with spectacular 360-degree views as you ascend the canyon. Enjoy a meal with the stunning backdrop of the Coachella Valley at one of the restaurants at the Mount Station. Tickets range from about $20 for kids to $37 for adults.

4. Los Angeles’s Iconic Palm Trees Were Imported From Mexico

This is something even many native L.A. residents don’t know. Those tall, slender palms lining the streets that have come to symbolize the city were essentially part of an enormous marketing plan. Over 40,000 of these non-native trees were brought from Mexico and planted along streets to help sell Los Angeles as an exotic, Mediterranean-type vacation destination.

5. Beverly Hills Was Originally a Lima Bean Ranch

That’s right, the most prestigious community in Southern California, home to the rich and famous, used to be a humble lima bean farm. According to the Beverly Hills Historical Society, in 1868, Edward Preuss "sought to establish a community for immigrant German farmers to be called Santa Maria." Later, Henry Hammel and Charles Denker intended to use the land to build a Moroccan-themed subdivision. Eventually, oil investor Burton E. Green bought the land, renaming it Beverly Hills, marking the beginnings of the iconic city.

6. There Is a Beach in the Desert Made Up of Fish Bones

In the Southern California desert lies a strange saline lake known as the Salton Sea. The salt levels are so high that fish die in droves. At least part of the shoreline is a beach that resembles sand, but is actually crushed fish bones. This is definitely Southern California’s most bizarre beach.

7. A Columbian Mammoth Skeleton Was “Accidentally” Discovered in Southern California

In 2006, a project began to build a new underground parking garage at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. While digging for the garage, an almost-complete skeleton of a male Columbian Mammoth was unearthed, along with hundreds of other fossils. The Mammoth was nicknamed Zed and is now at La Brea Tar Pits and Museum.

8. The Fortune Cookie Originated in Los Angeles

Both Los Angeles and San Francisco take credit for the invention, but it was definitely started in California. This unique crescent-shaped cookie that is usually served with Chinese food wasn't actually invented in China. The Los Angeles claim is that the cookie was invented in 1918 by the founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company, David Jung.

9. Los Angeles Once Produced 25 Percent of the World’s Oil Supply

Remember the oil investor who helped start Beverly Hills? Well, he wasn't the only one looking for liquid gold in the City of Angels. In the late 1800s, oil was discovered beneath the city and by the 1920s and the city became one of the world’s major suppliers of crude oil.

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