Final answer:
By the late 1960s, the West Coast had emerged as a major trend-setter in popular culture, influencing music, television, and the counterculture movement. This represented a significant shift in the cultural landscape of America from previous decades.
Step-by-step explanation:
The geographic reorientation of popular culture that occurred by the later 1960s can be categorized as the rise of the West Coast as a trend-setter. During this era, the popular culture experienced a significant shift from traditional centers such as New York City to new focal points like Los Angeles and San Francisco. This reorientation was influenced by a variety of factors including the growth of the music industry, with the West Coast producing influential music styles such as surf rock and psychedelic rock. Additionally, the television industry began to portray American life in more suburban and urban settings, with shows like Leave it to Beaver illustrating a departure from earlier depictions of apartment dwelling families in sitcoms.
The reorientation was also tied to broader societal changes. The counterculture movement, which was prominent on the West Coast, challenged traditional values and promoted alternative lifestyles, further solidifying the region's status as a cultural trendsetter. The West Coast's rise to prominence in popular culture indicated broader changes in American society, with a greater openness to new and diverse forms of expression that were in stark contrast to the more conservative values of previous decades.