When thinking of California and Nevada, the mental map usually places California entirely to the west of Nevada. However, because the coastline of California curves significantly eastward as it moves south, several cities in Nevada are actually further west than major cities in California. The most famous example is Reno, Nevada, which is further west than Los Angeles, California. In fact, Reno is even further west than San Diego and several other coastal California cities. This is a favorite trick question among geographers because it defies the general perception of the US West Coast's verticality and highlights the sharp inward curve of the North American continent at the Pacific edge.