Los Angeles

I

Introduction

Los Angeles, city in southern California, the most populous city in the state and the second most populous city and metropolitan region in the United States, after New York City. Located on the Pacific Ocean, the metropolis is noted for its balmy climate, scenic setting, motion-picture and television industries, and many freeways—as well as for occasional earthquakes, wildfires, and smog. Referred to casually as “LA,” Los Angeles is one of the major industrial, commercial, and financial centers of the United States.

Los Angeles traces its origins to a tiny, 18th-century colonial settlement at the extreme northern frontier of the colony of New Spain. The Spanish colonial governor Felipe de Neve originally named the settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula (The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels of the River Porciúncula). However, both the town and the river soon became known simply as Los Angeles (The Angels).

Los Angeles has grown at a phenomenal rate since the late 19th century. Since the 1920s it has been the leading city of California as well as the most important metropolis west of the Mississippi River. Its population increased during the last decades of the 20th century as the result of immigration from Latin America, especially Mexico, and from Asia. According to the 2000 census, about 40 percent of the city’s residents were born outside the United States. The influx of immigrants has made Los Angeles one of the world’s most ethnically diverse cities. The city’s population in the year 2000 was about 3.7 million.

Decades of self-promotion and the global reach of the movies and television shows set in the city have broadcast a glorified image of Los Angeles around the world. The city, with its palm trees, beaches, and swimming pools, has been idealized as the ultimate “American Dream” for millions in the United States and abroad. As an immigrant metropolis on the Pacific Rim, it faces the problems and prospects of modern society on a larger scale than almost any other U.S. city. Therefore, Los Angeles is often looked to for important national and global trends.

---

---

Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. This gives the region a year-round growing season suitable for everything from cacti and citrus fruits to walnuts and corn. Temperatures vary widely from the desert regions to the high mountains, but July averages range from highs of 24°C (75°F) and lows of 17°C (63°F). January averages range from highs of 19°C (66°F) to lows of 9°C (48°F). The Pacific Ocean moderates the climate, providing a periodic layer of fog to the coastal areas. Rainfall is greatest in the mountain zones, averaging 760 to 1,020 mm (30 to 40 in) a year, and lowest along the coastal zones, which receive an average of 250 to 381 mm (10 to 15 in) annually. Interaction between these two climatic zones causes hot and dry winds (called Santa Ana winds) to blow downward from the mountains to the coast during the late summer and fall. Sometimes fierce and dangerous, these winds can reach 110 km/h (70 mph) and are often responsible for fanning wildfires.

II

Los Angeles and Its Metropolitan Area

The sprawling city of Los Angeles covers 1,215 sq km (469 sq mi). It is situated on a hilly coastal plain with beaches to the west and mountains and deserts in other directions. The Santa Monica Mountains run east to west through the city, and the San Fernando Valley lies north of those mountains. Several separate cities—such as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Culver City—lie partly or completely within Los Angeles. Hollywood, the traditional mecca of the motion-picture industry, is part of the city and located northwest of downtown.

The City of Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, which includes most of the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area. In turn, Los Angeles County is at the heart of the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA), a vast metropolitan region that stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the San Gabriel Mountains in the north to the Mojave Desert in the east and to the San Diego Metropolitan Statistical Area in the south.

In many respects the Los Angeles region is highly centralized around its core, the City of Los Angeles. In other respects, Los Angeles is very dispersed and fragmented, often described as “100 suburbs in search of a city.” This observation is especially true of the residential and commercial districts. Although outlying cities once may have been considered suburbs of the City of Los Angeles, today the metropolitan area consists of literally hundreds of central business districts, each surrounded by suburb-like rings, which fade again into adjacent downtowns. Even within the City of Los Angeles proper there are several distinct central business districts marked by clusters of skyscrapers.

A

City of Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles comprises 1,215 sq km (469 sq mi) and had a population of about 3.7 million people at the 2000 census. It is the largest municipality (in terms of size and population) among all the cities in Los Angeles County. It is irregular in shape because it has grown over the years through the annexation of surrounding territory and cities. The city proper is shaped like a lighted torch, its narrow handle extending north from the Port of Los Angeles to downtown Los Angeles, and its flames flickering irregularly to the north, west, and northwest.

Prior to the 1950s the most visible architectural landmark of downtown Los Angeles was the distinctive pyramid-topped Los Angeles City Hall, which is now dwarfed by surrounding tall office towers. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument preserves a historic Spanish and Mexican neighborhood on the north side of downtown Los Angeles. The historic site includes the Avila Adobe, built in 1818 and the city’s oldest building. The Staples Center, a major sports arena, is located in western downtown Los Angeles.

South of downtown, the city tapers sharply after the University of Southern California campus and Memorial Coliseum, the only site in the world to host two Olympic Games (1932 and 1984). Predominantly Latino residential neighborhoods located to the south make up an area known as South Central Los Angeles. One of these neighborhoods is Watts, home to the 30-m (100-ft) Watts Towers, decorated with shells, broken glass, and tile. Farther south is the very narrow Alameda Corridor, which links South Central Los Angeles with Harbor City, San Pedro, and the Port of Los Angeles, at the southern tip of the city. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located west of Watts.

Hollywood is located northwest of downtown Los Angeles. In the hills north of Hollywood are the Hollywood Bowl and Griffith Park. The Hollywood Bowl, which opened in 1916, is a large natural amphitheater used for music, dance, and other performances. Also in the hills is a huge sign spelling out “HOLLYWOOD” in 15 m- (50 ft-) tall letters. The sign was originally constructed in 1923 as a real estate promotion.

Southwest of Hollywood are Westwood—home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)—and Century City, headquarters of many motion-picture and broadcasting companies. North of Westwood and Century City, and on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains, is the vast San Fernando Valley. The valley is dotted with commercial centers ringed by residential neighborhoods such as Studio City, Van Nuys, and Northridge.

B

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County covers 10,518 sq km (4,061 sq mi) and had a population of about 9.5 million people at the 2000 census. After the City of Los Angeles, the next largest city in the county is Long Beach (2006 population, 472,494), located east of the Port of Los Angeles. Other large cities in the county include Glendale, Santa Clarita, Pomona, Torrance, and Pasadena.

	More from Encarta
	•  Important Notice: MSN Encarta to be discontinued. Learn more. •  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain