Los Angeles (L.A.), officially the City of Los Angeles, is the largest city in California, in the United States. There are many black people living in the city and over 18 million people in the L.A. region. The city has an area of 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi). Los Angeles is the city with the second biggest population in the United States after New York, overtaking Chicago in the 1970s.
It is a car-centric city requiring much parking, and it is one of the most spread-out cities in the world. Greater Los Angeles is home to many movie stars and many of the biggest rock bands in the history of the United States. Los Angeles is surrounded by East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Maywood, Walnut Park, Commerce, Bell, Glendale, South Pasadena, Monterey Park, South Gate, Carson, Cudahy, West Hollywood, Alhambra, Bell Gardena and Westmont.[12]
Los Angeles has Spanish and Mexican influences due to being a former colony of Mexico and Spain. Los Angeles is a diverse city with many ethnic groups such as Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, Salvadoran, Greek and Armenian. Mexican and Spanish architecture can be seen in Los Angeles.
Many celebrities live in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is known to be the entertainment capital of the world. Many movies, television shows and fashion shows are made in Hollywood and are often set in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles has the second largest Hispanic and Latino population in the United States, only behind New York City. Many are of Mexican and Central American descent. [13]
Los Angeles is one of the most expensive cities to live in.
History
The area comprising present-day Los Angeles County was first settled by small groups of Native Americans for centuries before the first European contact in 1769 when Gaspar de Portola and a group of missionaries camped on what is now the banks of the Los Angeles River. The name Los Angeles comes from the Spanish language, and it means "The Angels". The name is an abbreviation from the original name of the place. The original name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula" (in English, "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the River Porciúncula"), giving it both one of the longest and shortest (referring to its shortening of "LA") place names in the world.[14] Los Angeles was founded in 1781 while the area was within the borders of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The area had been explored earlier by two Franciscanpriests named Junipero Serra and Juan Crespi.
Following the Mexican War of Independence, the region passed into the hands of Mexico, which subsequently ceded control of California to the U.S. in 1848. On April 4, 1850, California became a state of the USA. Los Angeles began half a century of rapid growth after railroads arrived in the city in the 1870s. Los Angeles was home to the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984. It will host the Olympic Games in 2028. The city broke out in riots three times: in 1943, in 1965, and in 1992, all due to racism.[15][16] In 1994, an earthquake killed 72 people and damaged many buildings.
Demographics
Los Angeles has the second largest Mexican, Armenian, Salvadoran, Filipino and Guatemalan population by city in the world, the third largest Canadian population in the world, and has the largest Japanese, Iranian/Persian, Cambodian and Roma (Gypsy) population in the country.[17]
Spanish is the most spoken foreign language in Los Angeles. Korean, Filipino, Armenian, Chinese, and Persian are also spoken in the city.[19]
2020 census
In the 2020 census, there were 3,898,747 people, 1,410,260 households, and 839,676 families living in Los Angeles. The population density was 8,304.2 people per square mile (3,206.3/km²). There were 1,496,453 housing units. The breakdown by race was 34.9% White, 11.9% Asian, 8.6% Black, 1.7% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 29.5% from one other race, and 13.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos made up 46.9% of the people.
The median (middle) age was 36.5 years. The age breakdown was 19.3% under age 18, 67.2% from 18 to 65, and 13.6% over 65. The gender breakdown was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.
Of the households, 28.3% had children under age 18, 37.0% had a married couple, 8.4% had an unmarried couple, 31.5% had a woman with no partner, 23.1% had a man with no partner, and 29.2% had one person living alone. The average household size was 2.68 people.[20][21]
Tourism
Most tourists in Los Angeles come from Mexico, Canada, China, Australia, Japan, UK, South Korea, Germany, France, Scandinavia, the Middle East and India.[22]
Geography
Los Angeles is a very large city, and the edges of the city are very far from the center, going from the beaches to the mountains. The Santa Monica Mountains run through the city, separating it into the San Fernando Valley to the north and the Los Angeles Basin to the south. The Los Angeles River also runs through the city some 51 miles (82 km). Los Angeles moves about one-quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters) to the east every year.[23] It is caused by the city's tectonic plates and rough ground geography and since Los Angeles is at a close distance with the San Andreas Fault. This brings Los Angeles and San Francisco 2.5 inches (64 mm) closer together each year.
The climate in Los Angeles is a Mediterranean climate. The weather is usually warm and dry during the summer, and it is mild and rainier in the winter. The weather is different depending on how far away from the ocean you are, so places near the beach usually do not get as hot in the summer. It is very rare for temperatures to go below freezing near the coast but can occur further inland. The city receives about 15 inches (380 mm) of rain each year, although the amount can change a lot from year to year. Snow is very rare except on the mountain tops where some occasional light snow might fall.
Los Angeles is known for its large movie and televisionindustry. Much of this is located in Hollywood. Some militaryaircraft are also made there, as well as spacecraft. The music industry is also concentrated in the area. The city is also a banking center. The San Pedro area has a busy port.
Neighborhoods
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles has dozens of neighborhoods and named areas, including:
Downtown Los Angeles, the financial center of the city. Home to Los Angeles' and California's two tallest buildings, the Wilshire Grand Center and the U.S. Bank Tower
Elysian Park, home of Dodger Stadium and previously Chavez Ravine.
San Pedro, where the Port of Los Angeles is located in the city.
Politics
As of December 2022, the mayor of Los Angeles is Karen Bass.
Cityscape
Panorama of Los Angeles as viewed from Griffith Observatory. Left to right: Los Feliz, Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood
Music
Los Angeles has a rich history and culture of popular music. Many of the most notable recording artists in the history of the United States either started or flourished in Los Angeles or Greater Los Angeles. The surf music scene is largely associated with Los Angeles and suburbs like Malibu. Motown Records moved from Detroit, Michigan to Los Angeles in the 1970s. The West Coast Hip-hop scene and genres such as G-funk are largely centered in Greater Los Angeles.
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