|  | Los Angeles—often simply called L.A.—is the largest city in the state of California and the second-largest in the United States. It is an alpha world city having a population of 3.8 million people[1] and spanning 498 square miles. The Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan area is home to 12.9 million people.[2] Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish Captain Rivera y Moncada, yet it was not incorporated as a municipality until April 4, 1850—five months before California achieved statehood. It is the county seat of Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles area is one of the world's centers of culture, science, technology, international trade, and higher education, and is home to world-renowned institutions in a broad range of professional and cultural fields. The city and its immediate surrounding vicinity lead the world in producing popular entertainment—such as motion pictures, television, and recorded music—which forms the base of Los Angeles's international fame and global status. | History
The Los Angeles coastal area was inhabited by the Tongva (or Gabrieleos), Chumash, and earlier Native American nations for thousands of years. The first Europeans to arrive came in 1542, led by Juan Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer who claimed the area for the Spanish Empire but did not stay. The next contact came 227 years later when Gaspar de Portol, together with Franciscan padre Juan Crespi, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2, 1769. In 1771, Father Junpero Serra had the Mission San Gabriel Arcngel built near Whittier Narrows in today's nearby San Gabriel Valley.[3] On September 4, 1781, a group of 52 settlers from New Spain, set out from the San Gabriel mission to establish a settlement along the banks of the Porcincula River[4] (now Los Angeles River). These settlers were of Filipino,[5]Indian and Spanish ancestry, of whom two-thirds were mestizo .[6] In 1777, the new governor of California, Felipe de Neve, recommended to the viceroy of New Spain that the site be developed into a pueblo (town). The area was duly named "El Pueblo de Nuestra Seora la Reina de los ngeles del Ro de Porcincula," ("The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the River Porcincula"). It remained a small ranch town for decades, but by 1820 the population had increased to about 650 residents, making it the largest civilian (non mission) community in Spanish California. Today the outline of the Pueblo is preserved in a historic monument familiarly called Olvera Street, formerly Wine Street, which was named after Agustin Olvera. New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, and the pueblo continued as a part of Mexico. Mexican rule ended during the Mexican-American War, when Americans took control from the Californios after a series of battles that included; The Battle of San Pascual, the Battle of Dominguez Rancho, and ultimately, the Battle of Rio San Gabriel in 1847. The Treaty of Cahuenga, signed on January 13, 1847, ended hostilities in California, and in the later Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), the Mexican government formally ceded Alta California and other territories to the United States. Europeans and Americans solidified control over the city after they immigrated into California during the California Gold Rush and secured the subsequent admission of California into the United States in 1850. Railroads arrived when the Southern Pacific completed its line to Los Angeles in 1876. Oil was discovered in 1892, and by 1923 Los Angeles was supplying one-quarter of the world's petroleum. Even more important to the city's growth was water. In 1913, William Mulholland completed the aqueduct that assured the city's growth. In 1915, the City of Los Angeles began annexation of dozens of neighboring communities without water supplies of their own. A largely fictionalized account of the Owens Valley Water War can be found in the 1974 motion picture Chinatown. In the 1920s the motion picture and aviation industries both flocked to Los Angeles and helped to further develop it. The city was the proud host of the 1932 Summer Olympics which saw the development of Baldwin Hills as the original Olympic Village. This period also saw the arrival of the exiles from the increasing pre-war tension in Europe, including such notables as Thomas Mann, Fritz Lang, Bertolt Brecht, Arnold Schoenberg, and Lion Feuchtwanger. World War II brought new growth and prosperity to the city, although many of its Japanese-American residents were transported to internment camps for the duration of the war. The postwar years saw an even greater boom as urban sprawl expanded into the San Fernando Valley. The Watts riots in 1965 and Chicano High School "blowouts" along with the 1970 Chicano Moratorium showed the nation the deep racial divisions existing in the city. In 1969, Los Angeles was one of two "birthplaces" of the Internet, as the first ARPANET transmission was sent from UCLA to SRI in Menlo Park. In the 1980s Los Angeles was the center of the 80's Glam Metal scene with bands like W.A.S.P., Mtley Cre, Ratt, Dokken, Quiet Riot & Van Halen playing their earliest concerts in Los Angeles nightclubs like the Rainbow Bar & Grill & The Starwood Club. The XXIII Olympiad was hosted in Los Angeles in 1984. The city was once again tested by the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and in 2002, the attempted secession by the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood sections of the city which was defeated at the polls. Recently, urban redevelopment and gentrification have been taking place at a furious pace in various parts of the city, most notably Downtown. | Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km)—469.1 square miles (1,214.9 km) of it is land and 29.2 square miles (75.7 km) of it is water. The total area is 5.86% water. The extreme north-south distance is 44 miles (71 km), the extreme east-west distance is 29 miles (47 km), and the length of the city boundary is 342 miles (550 km). The land area is the 9th largest among cities in the Continental United States. The highest point in Los Angeles is Sister Elsie Peak (5,080 feet) at the far reaches of the northeastern San Fernando Valley, part of Mt. Lukens. The Los Angeles River is a largely seasonal river flowing through the city, with headwaters in the San Fernando Valley. Its length is almost entirely lined in concrete. The Los Angeles area is remarkably rich in native plant species. With its beaches, dunes, wetlands, hills, mountains, and rivers, the area contains a number of important biological communities. The largest area is coastal sage scrub, which covers the hillsides in combustible chaparral. Native plants include: California poppy, matilija poppy, toyon, coast live oak, giant wild rye grass, and hundreds of others. Unfortunately, many native species are so rare as to be endangered, such as the Los Angeles sunflower. There are many exotic flowers and flowering trees that are blooming year-round, with subtle colors, including the jacaranda, hibiscus, phlox, bougainvillea, coral tree blossoms and bird of paradise. If there were no city here, flower-growing could still flourish as an industry, as it does in Lompoc. Wisteria has been known to grow to house-lot size, and in Descanso Gardens there are forests of camellia trees. Orchids require special attention in this Mediterranean climate. - See also: Los Angeles Basin, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County, California, Maps of Los Angeles, California, and List of area codes in Southern California
| Geology Like most areas of coastal California, Los Angeles is subject to earthquakes, due to its proximity to the San Andreas Fault, as well as to the smaller San Jacinto and Banning faults. The most recent major earthquake was the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which was centered in the northern San Fernando Valley. Coming less than two years after the 1992 riots, the Northridge earthquake was an emotional shock to Southern Californians, and caused physical damage totalling billions of dollars. Other major earthquakes in the Los Angeles area include the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, and the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Nevertheless, most earthquakes are relatively minor. Many areas in Los Angeles witness one or two minor earthquakes per year, usually inflicting little or no damage. Imperceptible quakes are detected by seismometers on a daily basis. Parts of the city are also vulnerable to Pacific Ocean tsunamis; harbor areas were damaged by waves from the Great Chilean Earthquake in 1960.[7] |
The city is divided into many neighborhoods, many of which were towns that were annexed by the growing city. There are also several independent cities in and around Los Angeles, but they are popularly grouped with the city of Los Angeles, either due to being completely engulfed as enclaves by Los Angeles, or lying within its immediate vicinity. Generally, the city is divided into the following areas: Downtown L.A., East L.A., South Los Angeles, the Harbor Area, Hollywood, Wilshire, the Westside, and the San Fernando and Crescenta valleys. Some well-known communities of Los Angeles include Venice Beach, the Downtown Financial District, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Koreatown, and the extremely affluent areas of Bel-Air, Hollywood Hills, Pacific Palisades, and Brentwood, to name a few. - See also: Greater Los Angeles Area and Downtown Los Angeles
| | Climate Temperatures in the summer can get well over 90 F (32 C), but average summer daytime highs are 85 F (29 C), with overnight lows of 66 F (19 C). Winter daytime high temperatures will get up to around 65 F (18 C), on average, with overnight lows of 45 F (7 C) and during this season rain is common. The median temperature in January is 58.3 F (14.6 C) and 74.3 F (23.5 C) in July. The highest temperature recorded within city borders was 119.0 F (48.33 C) in Woodland Hills on July 22, 2006;[8] the lowest temperature recorded was 18.0 F (−7.8 C) in 1989, in Canoga Park. The highest temperature ever recorded for Downtown Los Angeles was 112.0 F (44.4 C) on June 26, 1990, and the lowest temperature ever recorded was 24.0 F (−5.0 C) on January 9, 1937. Rain occurs mainly in the winter and spring months (February being the wettest month) with great variations in storm severity year by year. Los Angeles averages 15 inches (381 mm) of precipitation per year. Snow is extraordinarily rare in the city basin, but the mountainous slopes within city limits typically receive snow every year. The National Weather Service reports the greatest snowfall in downtown Los Angeles was 2.0 inches on January 15, 1932.[citation needed] With weather permitting, it is possible to snow ski and surf on the same day in the Los Angeles area.
| Weather averages for Los Angeles, California | | Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Avg high F (C) | 65 (18) | 66 (19) | 68 (20) | 70 (21) | 73 (23) | 76 (25) | 82 (28) | 82 (28) | 81 (27) | 77 (25) | 73 (23) | 68 (20) | 73 (23) |
|---|
| REC high F (C) | 90 (32) | 92 (33) | 93 (33) | 96 (35) | 99 (37) | 104 (40) | 103 (39) | 102 (39) | 110 (43) | 104 (40) | 96 (35) | 92 (33) | 110 (43) |
|---|
| Avg low F (C) | 48 (9) | 49 (9) | 50 (10) | 53 (12) | 56 (13) | 58 (14) | 62 (17) | 63 (17) | 61 (16) | 58 (14) | 53 (11) | 50 (10) | 55 (12) |
|---|
| REC low F (C) | 28 (-2) | 34 (1) | 38 (3) | 41 (5) | 43 (6) | 50 (10) | 54 (12) | 51 (10) | 50 (10) | 46 (8) | 40 (4) | 24 (-4) | 24 (-4) |
|---|
| Precipitation in (cm) | 2.7 (6) | 3.1 (4) | 2.2 (5) | 1.3 (3) | 0.3 (0.8) | 0.1 (0.2) | -- (--) | -- (--) | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.4 (1) | 1.1 (2) | 2.5 (6) | 14 (35) |
|---|
| Source: weatherbase.com[9] Jan 2007 |
| Environmental problems Due to the city's geography, which makes it susceptible to atmospheric inversion, heavy reliance on automobiles as a major form of transportation, and the L.A./Long Beach port complex, the city suffers from air pollution in the form of smog. The Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley hold in the fumes from automobiles, diesel trucks, shipping, and locomotive engines, as well as manufacturing and other sources. In addition, the groundwater is increasingly threatened by MTBE from gas stations and perchlorate from rocket fuel. Unlike other large cities that rely on rain to clear smog, Los Angeles only gets 15 inches (380 mm) of rain each year, so the smog is able to accumulate over multiple consecutive days. This has brought much attention from the state of California to the need for low emissions vehicles. As a result, pollution levels have dropped markedly in recent decades. The number of Stage 1 smog alerts has declined from over 100 per year in the 1970s to almost zero in the new millennium. Despite this remarkable success, the 2006 annual report of the American Lung Association ranks the city as the most polluted in the country with short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution.[10][11] Smog from the basin is pushed towards the mountains, where the pollutants harm trees. However, the city is taking even more aggressive steps to improve air quality.[12][13] | Economy
The economy of Los Angeles is driven by international trade, entertainment (television, motion pictures, recorded music), aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism. Los Angeles is also the largest manufacturing center in the United States. The contiguous ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together comprise the most significant port in North America and one of the most important ports in the world, and they are vital to trade within the Pacific Rim. Other significant industries include media production, finance, telecommunications, law, health and medicine, and transportation. For many years, up until the mid-1990s, Los Angeles was home to many major financial institutions in the western United States, including First Interstate Bank, which merged with Wells-Fargo in 1996, Great Western Bank, merged with Washington Mutual in 1998, and Security Pacific National Bank, which merged with Bank of America in 1992. Los Angeles was also home to the Pacific Stock Exchange until it closed in 2001. The city is home to three major Fortune 500 companies, including aerospace contractor Northrop Grumman, energy company Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and homebuilding company KB Home. The University of Southern California (USC) is the city's largest private sector employer.[14] Other companies headquartered in Los Angeles include Twentieth Century Fox, Latham & Watkins, Univision, Metro Interactive, LLC, Premier America, CB Richard Ellis, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Guess?, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, Tokyopop, The Jim Henson Company, Paramount Pictures, Robinsons-May, Sunkist, Fox Sports Net, Health Net, Inc., 21st Century Insurance, L.E.K. Consulting, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. The metropolitan area contains the headquarters of even more companies, many of whom wish to escape the city's high taxes. For example, Los Angeles charges a gross receipts tax based on a percentage of business revenue, while most neighboring cities charge only small flat fees. The companies below clearly benefit from their proximity to Los Angeles, while at the same time avoiding the city's taxes (and other problems). Some of the major companies headquartered in the cities of Los Angeles county are Shakey's Pizza (Alhambra), Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Beverly Hills), City National Bank (Beverly Hills), Hilton Hotels (Beverly Hills), DiC Entertainment (Burbank), The Walt Disney Company (Fortune 500 – Burbank), Warner Bros. (Burbank), Countrywide Financial Corporation (Fortune 500 – Calabasas), THQ (Calabasas), Belkin (Compton), Sony Pictures Entertainment (parent of Columbia Pictures, located in Culver City), Computer Sciences Corporation (Fortune 500 – El Segundo), DirecTV (El Segundo), Mattel (Fortune 500 – El Segundo), Unocal (Fortune 500 – El Segundo), DreamWorks SKG (Glendale), Sea Launch (Long Beach), ICANN (Marina Del Rey), Cunard Line (Santa Clarita), Princess Cruises (Santa Clarita), Activision (Santa Monica), and RAND (Santa Monica). The L.A. area is also home to the U.S. headquarters of all but two of the major Asian automobile manufacturers (Nissan North America is in the process of relocating its headquarters from Gardena to the Nashville area, and Subaru's U.S. operations are based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey). Further, virtually all the world's automakers have design and/or tech centers in the L.A. region. Downtown Los Angeles is also the home of the Los Angeles Convention Center which hosts many popular events including the annual LA Auto Show in January. - Further information: Los Angeles County Economy
| | Culture | | Sports Los Angeles is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Club Deportivo Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse, and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League. Los Angeles is also home to USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA, both of which are Division I teams part of the Pacific 10 Conference. There is no NFL franchise in the Los Angeles Market, which is the second-largest television market in North America. Prior to 1995, the Rams called Memorial Coliseum (1946-1979) and Anaheim Stadium (1980-1994) home;[17] and the Raiders played their home games at Memorial Coliseum from 1982 to 1994.[citation needed] The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Anaheim Ducks are both based in nearby Anaheim. Beach volleyball and windsurfing were both invented in the area (though predecessors of both were invented in some form by Duke Kahanamoku in Hawaii). Venice, also known as Dogtown, is credited with being the birthplace of skateboarding and the place where Rollerblading first became popular. Area beaches are popular with surfers, who have created their own subculture. Los Angeles has twice played host to the summer Olympic Games, in 1932 and in 1984. When the tenth Olympic Games were hosted in 1932, the former 10th Street was renamed Olympic Blvd. The 1984 Summer Olympics inspired the creation of the Los Angeles Marathon, which has been held every year in March since 1986. Super Bowls I and VII were also held in the city as well as soccer's international World Cup in 1994. Los Angeles is also hoping to be the host of the 2016 Olympics. The Los Angeles area contains varied topography, notably the hills and mountains rising around the metropolis, making Los Angeles the only major city in the United States bisected by a mountain range; four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries. Thousands of miles of trails crisscross the city and neighboring areas, providing opportunities for exercise and wilderness access on foot, bike, or horse. Across the county a great variety of outdoor activities are available, such as skiing, rock climbing, gold panning, hang gliding, and windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports, including the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, which leads over 4,000 outings annually in the area. Los Angeles also boasts a number of sports venues, including the STAPLES Center, a sports and entertainment complex that also hosts concerts and awards shows such as the Grammys. | | Famous Landmarks Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Chinatown, Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theater, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art , Staples Center. La Placita Olvera-birthplace of Los Angeles | | Freeways & Streets Los Angeles has one of the largest freeway systems in the world, with 27 intertwining freeways handling millions of commuters as they journey a daily collective migration of about 100 million miles (160 million km). Los Angeles is the most car-populated metropolis in the world with 1 registered automobile for every 1.8 people.[18] | | Mass Transit In the works is a new rail line called the Expo Line. Momentum is slowly building to extend the subway under Wilshire Boulevard all the way to the ocean in Santa Monica, extending the city's public transportation system further. Rail passenger service is provided by Amtrak and Metrolink from historic Union Station. Rail shipping is handled by Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway. | | Airports
The Los Angeles metropolitan area is served by more airports than any major city in the world, with 5 major commercial airports, and many more general-aviation airports. The main Los Angeles airport is:
Other major commercial airports include: Los Angeles also has the world's busiest general-aviation airport: | | Harbors The sea ports of the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach together make up the Los Angeles – Long Beach Harbor, the busiest and overall third-largest container shipping port in the world. There are also smaller, non-industrial harbors along L.A.'s coastline. Most of these contain sailboats and yachts, like Redondo Beach and Marina del Rey. | Educaton
Colleges and universities There are several public colleges and universities in the city, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), and California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Other nearby Universities include: California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), and California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Private schools in and around the city include the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of Southern California (USC), Antioch University's Los Angeles campus, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Pepperdine University, Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Mount St. Mary's College, Occidental College (Oxy), Otis College of Art and Design (Otis), American InterContinental University, Art Center College of Design, Alliant International University, Southwestern University School of Law, American Film Institute, Charles R. Drew University, Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising's Los Angeles campus, and Los Angeles Film School. The community college system consists of nine campuses governed by the trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District: Los Angeles City College (LACC), Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), Los Angeles Mission College, East Los Angeles College (ELAC), West Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Southwest College, and Los Angeles Trade Technical College. The nearby Santa Monica College in Santa Monica and El Camino College in Torrance (part of Los Angeles County, but with separate school districts) are popular among the local community, as well as foreign students. | | Schools and Libraries Los Angeles Unified School District serves almost all of the city of Los Angeles, as well as several surrounding communities. It is the second-largest school district in the United States, with over 700,000 students. After Proposition 13 in 1978, urban school districts had considerable trouble with funding and LAUSD became known for its underfunded, overcrowded and poorly maintained campuses, although its magnet schools have won countless award and score with the top private schools in the state. Wealthy and upper-middle-class parents placed their children in elite private schools, while many middle-class families left for suburban school districts beyond LAUSD boundaries. Since then, the LAUSD has embarked on an aggressive school construction program to relieve overcrowding. Several small sections of Los Angeles are in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Los Angeles County Office of Education [6] operates the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. - See also: Los Angeles County, California#Colleges and universities and List of high schools in Los Angeles County, California
The Los Angeles Public Library system operates 72 public libraries in the city. | Sister Cities  Athens, Greece  Auckland, New Zealand  Beirut, Lebanon  Berlin, Germany  Bordeaux, France .svg/22px-Flag_of_South_Korea_(bordered).svg.png) Busan, South Korea  Eilat, Israel  Giza, Egypt  Guangzhou, People's Republic of China  Ischia, Italy .svg/22px-Flag_of_Indonesia_(bordered).svg.png) Jakarta, Indonesia  Kaunas, Lithuania  Lusaka, Zambia
| |  Makati City, Philippines  Mexico City, Mexico  Mumbai, India .svg/22px-Flag_of_Japan_(bordered).svg.png) Nagoya, Japan .svg/22px-Flag_of_Russia_(bordered).svg.png) St. Petersburg, Russia  Salvador, Brazil  San Salvador, El Salvador - Krumbach, Germany
 Split, Croatia  Taipei, Taiwan  Tehran, Iran .svg/22px-Flag_of_Canada_(bordered).svg.png) Vancouver, Canada  Yerevan, Armenia[25]
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