The vast majority of USC alumni live in Southern California as well as the vast majority of UCLA alumni. Despite its congestion and expense, Southern California is a wonderful place to live, and USC is relatively close to the Pacific ocean, has no smog issues (unlike the Inland Empire), and is situated in an urban but relatively safe area, as compared to Chicago, Penn, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia. In fact, the campus has a lower crime rate than many other schools, check the Clery stats.