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 near the U.S. border with Mexico, the metropolis is noted for its pleasant climate and scenic setting. It is situated on a hilly coastal plain surrounded by beaches in the west and mountains and deserts in other directions. Referred to casually as “LA,” Los Angeles is one of the major industrial, commercial, and financial centers of the United States. It is known especially for its motion-picture, aeronautics, and aerospace industries. This international, multicultural city is also home to the largest Mexican, Korean, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan populations outside of those countries. 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.

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.

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).

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II

Los Angeles and Its Metropolitan Area

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 Mohave 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. Several separate cities—such as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Culver City—are partly or completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles. The city is bisected by the Santa Monica Mountains, which run east to west.

Downtown Los Angeles boasts the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi (Library Tower) and the most visible skyline of the many surrounding business centers. Prior to the 1950s the most visible architectural landmark of the region 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.

Several predominantly Asian neighborhoods surround downtown Los Angeles: Koreatown to the west, Chinatown to the northeast, and Little Tokyo to the east. The city’s futuristic four-level freeway interchange (the first high-speed freeway interchange in the world) opened west of downtown in 1953, soon becoming the leading icon of Los Angeles. Dodger Stadium is located north of Chinatown. East of downtown is East Los Angeles, home to a large Hispanic population.

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. The Theme Building at LAX was constructed in 1962 and immediately joined the four-level freeway interchange as another major icon of the city.

Hollywood, the traditional mecca of the motion-picture industry, 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 another major icon of the Los Angeles region: a huge sign spelling out “HOLLYWOOD” in 15 m- (50 ft-) tall letters, originally constructed in 1923 as a real estate promotion.

Southwest of Hollywood are Westwood—home of the University of California, Los Angeles—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. Encompassing 88 cities, it is the most populous county in the United States (if it were a state, it would be the 9th largest). After the City of Los Angeles, the next largest city in the county is Long Beach (2005 population, 474,014), located east of the Port of Los Angeles. The city of Compton (95,659) is located north of Long Beach, on the east side of the Alameda Corridor. On the other side of the corridor are the cities of Torrance (142,384) and Inglewood (114,467).

Northwest of Inglewood and west of downtown Los Angeles are the wealthy and fashionable Santa Monica (87,800) and Beverly Hills (35,078). Both cities are enclaves: Santa Monica is surrounded by the City of Los Angeles to the north, east, and south (with the Pacific Ocean to the west); and Beverly Hills is completely encircled by the city.

West to east, the cities of Burbank (104,108), Glendale (200,065), and Pasadena (143,731) are located north of downtown Los Angeles. Further to the east is Pomona (153,787), near the eastern border of Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County also includes two of the offshore Channel Islands: Santa Catalina and San Clemente.

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