People who have never been to L.A. really have no idea how insanely huge it is. Driving to my apartment from the start of city (before you even get to L.A. county) and having the city just keep going and going and going for two hours and not because of traffic jams is something you have to experience to truly understand.
Why is NY blue? NYC is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with a population more than double L.A.
New York is grey… Are you looking at the wrong state?