CA: 11,000 Gay Couples Have Married

An estimated 11,000 gay couples have married in California since the May ruling, more than in the first four years of legalized same sex marriages in Massachusetts, with the most weddings taking place Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County has been the venue of more same- sex marriages than any other California county since such unions were legalized in June, according to a study released today. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reported that 2,719 gay couples tied the knot in Los Angeles County, edging out San Francisco County's 2,708 same-sex marriages.

Five counties -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Riverside and Alameda -- account for 80 percent of the estimated 11,000 married same-sex couples statewide, according to the study. Researchers credited the counties' "large and visible" lesbian and gay populations, as well as the the fact that they make attractive tourist destinations for out-of-state couples wanting to get married.

There's no data on how many weddings were for out-of-state couples.