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Los Angeles is the largest city in
California, both in population and in area. According to the 2000 census, 3,694,820 people lie there. It covers an area of 498.29 square miles (1,290.57 square kilometers). Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States.
Los Angeles was settled in 1781 by a small group of Spanish families. They were promised free land if they stayed for ten years. The Spanish governor, Felipe de Nee, named the place El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porciúncula, meaning "the village of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula." By 1836, the community was a center of cattle ranching, and more than 2,200 people lied there. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican War, the government of Mexico turned over all of California to the United States. In 1850, Los Angeles was incorporated as a city and became the seat of
Los Angeles County.
The arrival of the railroads in the 1870s and 1880s brought not only people but prosperity to the area. The citrus industry got its start when three Brazilian seedless orange trees were shipped to a grower in Los Angeles. In 1892, Edward Doheny discovered oil, and the demand for oil led to a boom in shipping. By 1910, Los Angeles and the southern California climate were beginning to attract moviemakers and tourists. Today, Los Angeles is one of the great industrial cities in the nation.
Los Angeles is made up of many different communities, each with its own personality. Downtown Los Angeles is the center of government. Many museums and performance halls also are located there. Olivera Street is the heart of the Hispanic community. Asian people congregate in Little Tokyo and Chinatown. There are many large open-air markets in the area, including the largest flower market in the United States. The new Our Lady of the Angels Roman Catholic Cathedral opened in September 2002.
West of downtown is
Hollywood, the hub of the movie industry. Before the 1900s, the area was mostly farmland. In 1911, the first motion-picture studio was established there. Among the famous landmarks are Grauman's
Chinese Theatre, with its handprints and footprints of well-known
actors; the
Walk of Fame,
with more than 2,000 bronze stars representing Hollywood stars; and
the Hollywood sign on the slopes of the Hollywood Hills. In 2002, the Kodak Theater, located on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood district, became the new home for the annual Academy Awards ceremony.
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Other important communities include Beverly Hills and Bel Air, home to movie stars; the beach areas of Malibu,
Venice Beach, and Marina del Rey; the Chicano (Mexican-American) barrios (neighborhoods), in East
Los Angeles; and the predominantly Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles. In 1992, riots, following the acquittals of four white policemen charged with the illegal beating of African-American motorist Rodney King in 1991, left more than 50 people dead, widespread looting, and an estimated $1 billion in damage in south central Los Angeles. Although much of the
devastated area had been rebuilt and its economy had improved by 2002, ten years later,
violence and racial tension were continuing threats.
An extensive network of freeways
serves to link these communities. Los Angeles has more cars than any other city more than 9 million. It is a center for
inventing new, innovate automotive products, such as the sunroof and the cardboard sun shield.
In November 2002,
voters defeated initiatives that would have permitted the San Fernando alley and Hollywood to secede from Los Angeles.
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