NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles (IPA: /lɑˈsændʒələs/;or Los Ángeles/los ˈanxeles/ in Spanish) is the largest city in the state of California and the second-largest in the United States.^[1] Often abbreviated as L.A., it is rated an alpha world city, having an estimated population of 3.8 million^[2] and spanning over 469.1 square miles (1,214.9 square kilometers) in Southern California. Additionally, the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nearly 12.9 million^[3] people who hail from all over the globe and speak 224 different languages. Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populous and most diverse county^[4] in the United States. Its inhabitants are known as "Angelenos" (IPA: /ændʒəˈlinoʊz/). Look up Los Angeles, Los Angelization in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... L.A. may refer to: L.A., a common abbreviation for Los Angeles, California L.A., a common abbreviation for Language Arts L.A., a song by Elliott Smith from his 2000 album Figure 8 Category: ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Central business district. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Los_Angeles,_California. ... The flag of Los Angeles. ... Image File history File links Seal_of_Los_Angeles,_California. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... EXAMPLE:Laughbox,Blondie,BamBam,Pinkie,etc. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas US Government Portal The political units and divisions of the United States include: The 50 states... This article is about the U.S. state. ... United States of America, showing states, divided into counties. ... Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Mayor-Council government is one of two variations of government most commonly used in modern representative municipal governments in the United States. ... Los Angeles City Hall The mayor of Los Angeles is the Chief Executive Officer of the City. ... Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. ... Rockard John Rocky Delgadillo (born July 15, 1960) is the current City Attorney of Los Angeles, California. ... The Los Angeles City Council meets three times a week in city hall. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (â‰ˆ1,609 m) in length. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 kmÂ² and 1000 kmÂ². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth â€“ approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... Ten most populous cities in the United States Los Angeles San Jose San Diego Phoenix Chicago New York City Houston San Antonio Dallas Philadelphia The following is a list of the most populous incorporated places in the United States. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... PST is UTC-8, highlighted in red. ... âˆ’12 | âˆ’11 | âˆ’10 | âˆ’9:30 | âˆ’9 | âˆ’8 | âˆ’7 | âˆ’6 | âˆ’5 | âˆ’4 | âˆ’3:30 | âˆ’3 | âˆ’2:30 | âˆ’2 | âˆ’1 | âˆ’0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... Although DST is common in Europe and North America, most of the worlds people do not use it. ... âˆ’12 | âˆ’11 | âˆ’10 | âˆ’9:30 | âˆ’9 | âˆ’8 | âˆ’7 | âˆ’6 | âˆ’5 | âˆ’4 | âˆ’3:30 | âˆ’3 | âˆ’2:30 | âˆ’2 | âˆ’1 | âˆ’0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... Mr. ... A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating telephone number ranges to countries, regions, areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks such as mobile phone networks. ... North American area code 213 is a state of California telephone area code which was one of the first three area codes created in California in October 1947. ... Area code 310 is the California telephone area code which was split from Area code 213 on November 2, 1991. ... Area code 323 is an area code for telephone dialing which covers, roughly, the area of central Los Angeles (excluding Downtown Los Angeles and immediately adjoining neighborhoods such as Koreatown, Echo Park, and Chinatown). ... Area code 424 is the new area code for the west side of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. ... North American area code 661 covers the majority of Californias Kern County, as well as part of Los Angeles County. ... The 818 telephone area code consists largely of the San Fernando Valley, in the greater Los Angeles area. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... â€œWorld cityâ€ redirects here. ... Walt Disney Concert Hall, Frank Gehry, architect The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, (not to be confused with the Los Angeles Metro Area which includes only Los Angeles and Orange Counties) is the agglomeration of urbanized area around the county of Los Angeles, California, United States. ... A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. ... Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. ...

Los Angeles was founded in the year 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porciúncula). It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thus becoming part of the United States; Mexico retained the territory of Baja California. It was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850 — five months before California achieved statehood. Felipe de Neve was the first Spanish governor of Las Californias, an area which included present day California, Baja California and Baja California Sur. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio LÃ³pez de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia JosÃ© MariÃ¡ Flores Strength 78,790 soldiers 25,000â€“40,000 soldiers Casualties KIA: 1733 Total dead: 13,271 Wounded: 4,152 AWOL: 9,200+ 25,000... Baja California Peninsula (highlighted) The Baja California Peninsula or Lower California is a peninsula in the west of Mexico. ... A Municipal Corporation is a legal defintion for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, and towns. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas US Government Portal A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of...

Los Angeles is one of the world's centers of culture, technology, media, business, and international trade. It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and it is one of the most substantial economic engines of the United States. Los Angeles also leads the world in producing popular entertainment — such as motion picture, television, video games and recorded music — which forms the base of its international fame and global status. â€œWorld cityâ€ redirects here. ... For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... International trade is the exchange of goods and services across international boundaries or territories. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Computer and video games redirects here. ... The music industry is the industry that creates, performs, promotes, and preserves music. ...

History

Main article: History of Los Angeles, California

The old city plaza, 1869

Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva (or Gabrieleños) and Chumash Native American tribes thousands of years ago. The first Europeans arrived in 1542 under João Cabrilho, a Portuguese explorer who claimed the area as the City of God for the Spanish Empire; he continued with his voyage and did not establish a settlement.^[5] The next contact would not come until 227 years later, when Gaspar de Portola, together with Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2, 1769. Crespi noted that the site had the potential to be developed into a large settlement.^[6] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 313 pixelsFull resolution (1022 Ã— 400 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Dating from the era of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, The Plaza and Old Plaza Church (Mission Nuestra SeÃ±ora Reina de los Angeles) in 1869. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 313 pixelsFull resolution (1022 Ã— 400 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Dating from the era of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, The Plaza and Old Plaza Church (Mission Nuestra SeÃ±ora Reina de los Angeles) in 1869. ... Gabrieleno Native American women Tongva may also refer to the Tongva language. ... Rafael, a Chumash in the 1800s Pre-contact distribution of the Chumash The Chumash are a Native American people who historically inhabit mainly the southern coastal regions of California, in the vicinity of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, extending from Morro Bay... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... JoÃ£o Rodrigues Cabrilho Juan RodrÃguez Cabrillo (Portuguese: JoÃ£o Rodrigues Cabrilho) (ca. ... An anachronous map of the overseas Spanish Empire (1492-1898) in red, and the Spanish Habsburg realms in Europe (1516-1714) in orange. ... Gaspar de PortolÃ i Rovira (1716 â€“ 1784), a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California (1767â€“1770), explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. ... The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Juan CrespÃ (1721â€“1782), was a Spanish missionary and explorer in the Southwest, a Franciscan. ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra built the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel near Whittier Narrows, in what is now called San Gabriel Valley.^[7] In 1777, the new governor of California, Felipe de Neve, recommended to the viceroy of New Spain that the site noted by Juan Crespi be developed into a pueblo. The town was founded on September 4, 1781, by a group of 44 settlers and was named "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles Del Río de Porciúncula" ("The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the River Porciúncula").^[8] These settlers were of Filipino, Native American, African, and Spanish ancestry, with two-thirds being mestizo or mulatto. A majority of the settlers had some African ancestry.^[9] The settlement remained a small ranch town for decades, but by 1820 the population had increased to about 650 residents.^[10] Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the historic district Olvera Street, the oldest part of Los Angeles.^[11] Blessed JunÃpero Serra (November 24, 1713 â€“ August 28, 1784) was a Majorcan (Spain) Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California. ... Mission San Gabriel ArcÃ¡ngel was founded on The Feast of the Birth of Mary (September 8) in 1771. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... San Gabriel Valley within Southern California The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. ... For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ... A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. ... A map of the former territories of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Our Lady redirects here. ... The Los Angeles River, highlighted in red (on the left). ... Our Lady redirects here. ... The Los Angeles River, highlighted in red (on the left). ... Mestizo is a Spanish term that was formerly used in the Spanish Empire to designate people of mixed European (Spaniard) and Amerindian ancestry living in the region of Latin America. ... Mulatto (Spanish mulato, small mule, person of mixed race, mulatto, from mulo, mule, from Old Spanish, from Latin mÅ«lus. ... Olvera Street Market in December, 2005 Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is otherwise known as the birthplace of the City of Angels or El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument and is a department within the city. ...

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: Americans took control from the Californios after a series of battles, culminating on on January 13, 1847, with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga. Later, with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the Mexican government formally ceded Alta California and other territories to the United States. An anachronous map of the overseas Spanish Empire (1492-1898) in red, and the Spanish Habsburg realms in Europe (1516-1714) in orange. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio LÃ³pez de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia JosÃ© MariÃ¡ Flores Strength 78,790 soldiers 25,000â€“40,000 soldiers Casualties KIA: 1733 Total dead: 13,271 Wounded: 4,152 AWOL: 9,200+ 25,000... A Californio was a Spanish-speaking inhabitant of Alta California who lived there when it was a part of Mexico, before it was taken by the United States after the Mexican-American War. ... is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Treaty of Cahuenga ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War in California. ... The Mexican Cession (red) and the Gadsden Purchase (orange). ... Alta California (Upper California) was formed in 1804 when the province of California, then a part of the Spanish colony of New Spain, was divided in two along the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south. ...

Downtown Los Angeles from the Santa Ana Freeway

Railroads arrived when the Southern Pacific completed its line to Los Angeles in 1876.^[12] Oil was discovered in 1892, and by 1923 Los Angeles was producing one-quarter of the world's petroleum.^[13] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 582 pixelsFull resolution (1000 Ã— 727 pixel, file size: 354 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)The Downtown Los Angeles Skyline, from the Santa Ana Freeway. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 582 pixelsFull resolution (1000 Ã— 727 pixel, file size: 354 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)The Downtown Los Angeles Skyline, from the Santa Ana Freeway. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. ... Southern California freeways The Santa Ana Freeway is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles, California and its southeastern suburbs. ... railroads redirects here. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ... Petro redirects here. ...

By 1900, the population had grown to more than 100,000 people,^[14] putting pressure on the city's water supply.^[15] 1913's completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of William Mulholland, assured the continued growth of the city. In 1915, Los Angeles began the annexation of dozens of neighboring communities without water supplies of their own. There are two Los Angeles Aqueducts--the original Los Angeles Aqueduct was designed by William Mulholland (an Irish immigrant who became a self-taught engineer and head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) and completed in 1913 to deliver water from the Owens River to the city... William Mulholland (1855â€“1935) was a prominent and influential water-services engineer in Southern California. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the 1920s, the motion picture and aviation industries flocked to Los Angeles. In 1932, with population surpassing one million,^[16] the city hosted the Summer Olympics. This period also saw the arrival of exiles from the increasing pre-war tensions of Europe, including Thomas Mann, Fritz Lang, Bertolt Brecht, Arnold Schoenberg, and Lion Feuchtwanger. American cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. ... Aviation encompasses all the activities relating to airborne devices created by human ingenuity, generally known as aircraft. ... The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Thomas Mann, see Thomas Mann (disambiguation). ... Friedrich Christian Anton Fritz Lang (December 5, 1890 â€“ August 2, 1976) was an Austrian-German-American film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the best known Ã©migrÃ©s from Germanys school of Expressionism. ... {{dy justified his choice of form, and from about 1929 on he began to interpret its penchant for contradictions, much as had Eisenstein, in terms of the dialectic. ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg (pronounced [ËˆaËrnÉ”lt ËˆÊƒÃ¸ËnbÉ›rk]) (13 September 1874 â€“ 13 July 1951) was an Austrian and later American composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. ... Lion Feuchtwanger (pseudonym: J.L. Wetcheek) (7 July 1884 - 21 December 1958) was a German-Jewish novelist who was imprisoned in a French internment camp in Les Milles and later escaped to Los Angeles with the help of his wife, Marta. ...

World War II and the expansion of defense industries brought new growth and prosperity to the city. Thousands of African Americans migrated from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi to work in these expanding fields. The state also succumbed to war fears, transporting most Japanese American residents from Los Angeles and other cities to distant internment camps for the duration of the war. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... This article is about the usage and history of the terms concentration camp, internment camp and internment. ...

The post-war years saw an even greater boom, as urban sprawl expanded the city into the San Fernando Valley.^[17] In 1969, Los Angeles became one of the birthplaces of the Internet, as the first ARPANET transmission was sent from UCLA to SRI in Menlo Park.^[18] Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ... San Fernando Valley from its southwestern edge. ... ARPANET logical map, March 1977. ... The University of California, Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... SRI Internationals main campus on Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, California SRI International is one of the worlds largest contract research institutions. ... Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California in the United States of America, in the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

As in other major cities, long-unresolved racial problems erupted in the 1960s and 1970s. Los Angeles grappled with the Watts Riots in 1965, the high school walkout by Chicano students in 1968, and the 1970 Chicano Moratorium, all representative of racial strife within the city. Los Angeles was one of the cities to pass gay rights bills during the 1970s (in 1979 after years of pressure from prominent performing arts members), and the first city where AIDS was discovered and focused upon during the 1980s. The term Watts Riots refers to a large-scale riot which lasted six days in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in August 1965. ... For other uses, see Chicano (disambiguation). ... The Chicano Moratorium, formally known as the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, was a movement of Chicano anti-war activists that built a broad-based but fragile coalition of Mexican-American groups to organize opposition to the Vietnam War. ... For the LGBT rights article for a particular country, see LGBT rights by country. ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ...

Also in the 1980s, Los Angeles became the center of the heavy metal music scene, especially glam metal bands. In 1984, the city hosted the Summer Olympic Games for the second time. It become the most financially successful Olympics in history, and only the second Olympics to turn a profit — the other being the 1932 Summer Olympics, also held in Los Angeles. Heavy metal redirects here. ... Glam metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s - early 1980s in the United States. ... Poster for the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. ... Music sample: Olympic Fanfare and Theme composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...

During the remainder of the 1980s, Los Angeles was plagued by increasing gang violence and police corruption. Racial tensions erupted again in 1992 with the Rodney King controversy and the large-scale riots that followed the acquittal of his police attackers. In 1994, the 6.7 Northridge earthquake shook the city, causing $12.5 billion in damage and 72 deaths. ^[19] Mara Salvatrucha suspect bearing gang tattoos is handcuffed. ... Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct sometimes involving political corruption, and generally designed to gain a financial or political benefit for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. ... Rodney Glen King (born April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California) is an African-American taxicab driver who, in 1991 was stopped by Los Angeles Police Department officers (Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sergeant Stacey Koon) after being chased for speeding. ... For other uses, see Los Angeles riots (disambiguation). ... The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California. ...

Voters defeated efforts by the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood to secede from the city in 2002.^[20] In the early 2000s, the Los Angeles City Council adopted the idea of smart growth, in part to combat both growing traffic problems and the lack of open land for development. Restrictions on parking for new development, residential conversions, and the hotel bed tax have been greatly eased to encourage development. This has led to thousands of residential unit conversions in downtown Los Angeles, and major new construction such as the Hollywood and Highland complex, L.A. Live Entertainment District, the Grand Avenue Project, the NBC Universal West Coast headquarters complex, and many new high-rise buildings throughout the city, in what is being termed as "Manhattanization." San Fernando Valley from its southwestern edge. ... Hollywood redirects here. ... The Los Angeles City Council meets three times a week in city hall. ... Smart growth is a concept and term used by those who seek to identify a set of policies governing transportation and land use planning policy for urban areas that benefits communities and preserves the natural environment. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. ... The corner of Hollywood and Highland Hollywood and Highland Center from the west An elephant sculpture high atop the Hollywood and Highland courtyard. ... L.A. Live model facing the Staples Center L.A. Live, (also popularly called Times Square West, and The Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District) is currently under construction in Downtown Los Angeles, California. ... The Grand Avenue Project along with the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District is a project currently under development designed to revive downtown Los Angeles. ... NBC Universal is a media and entertainment conglomerate formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electrics NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, part of Vivendi Universal. ... High-rise is a 1975 novel by J. G. Ballard. ... The island of Manhattan, where the term manhattanization is derived. ...

Gentrification and urban redevelopment have occurred in many parts of the city, most notably Hollywood, Koreatown, Silverlake, Echo Park and Downtown.^[21] Gentrification has recently spilled into the eastern and southern portions of Los Angeles, with announcements of several billion-dollar residential high-rise and commercial center projects. In San Francisco, during the mid-1960s, the bohemian center of the city shifted from the old Beat enclave of North Beach to Haight-Ashbury (pictured) as a response to gentrification. ... Hollywood redirects here. ... For other Koreatowns, see Koreatown. ... Silver Lake is a Los Angeles neighborhood east of Hollywood. ... The lake in Echo Park. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. ...

Geography

See also: Los Angeles Basin, Los Angeles County, California, Maps of Los Angeles, California, and List of California area codes

The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles. ... Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. ... These thematic maps (a map without a legend and/or a scale is no longer a map, but only a nice pict) of Los Angeles County California illustrate the different neighborhoods and the contrasting demographics of the diverse county. ... This is a list of area codes in California and when they were created: 209 - Stockton, Modesto, Merced; the northern San Joaquin Valley and the central Sierra Nevada range. ...

Topography

Los Angeles is irregularly shaped and covers a total area of 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km²), comprising 469.1 square miles (1,214.9 km²) of land and 29.2 square miles (75.7 km²) of water. This makes it the 14th largest city in land area in the United States.^[22] The city extends for 44 miles (71 km) longitudinally and for 29 miles (47 km) latitudinally. The perimeter of the city is 342 miles (550 km). It is the only major city in the United States bisected by a mountain range.

View of the Palos Verdes Peninsula with Los Angeles in the distance

The highest point in Los Angeles is Mount Lukens, also called Sister Elsie Peak. Located at the far reaches of the northeastern San Fernando Valley, it reaches a height of 5,080 ft (1,548 m). The major river is the Los Angeles River, which begins in the Canoga Park district of the city and is largely seasonal. The river is lined in concrete for almost its entire length as it flows through the city into nearby Vernon on its way to the Pacific Ocean. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2304 Ã— 1728 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2304 Ã— 1728 pixel, file size: 1. ... Palos Verdes is often used to refer to a group of coastal cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California. ... San Fernando Valley from its southwestern edge. ... The Los Angeles River, highlighted in red (on the left). ... Canoga Park is a district in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, about 25 miles northwest of downtown LA. For hundreds of years the paft of the far was San Fernando Valley was home to the American Indians of both Fernandeno and Chumash... Location of Vernon, California Vernon is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

Geology

Los Angeles is subject to earthquakes due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The geologic instability produces numerous fault lines both above and below ground, which altogether cause approximately 10,000 earthquakes every year.^[23] One of the major fault lines is the San Andreas Fault. Located at the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, it is predicted to be the source of Southern California's next big earthquake.^[24] Major earthquakes to have hit the Los Angeles area include the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the 1971 San Fernando earthquake near Sylmar, and the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Nevertheless, all but a few quakes are of low intensity and are not felt.^[25] Parts of the city are also vulnerable to Pacific Ocean tsunamis; harbor areas were damaged by waves from the Valdivia earthquake in 1960.^[26] This article is about the natural seismic phenomenon. ... â€œThe Ring of Fireâ€ redirects here. ... View of the San Andreas Fault on the Carrizo Plain in central California, 35Â°07N, 119Â°39W The San Andreas Fault is a geological fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1300 kilometres) through western and southern California in the United States. ... The Pacific plate, shown in pale yellow The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. ... The North American plate, shown in brown The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ... The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California. ... The Whittier Narrows earthquake struck the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding communities of Southern California at 7:42 a. ... The 1971 San Fernando earthquake struck at 6:00:55 a. ... Sylmar is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. ... The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 took place March 10, 1933 at 5:55 pm Pacific Time, registering 6. ... For other uses, see Tsunami (disambiguation). ...

Climate

The city is situated in a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer Subtropical zone (Köppen climate classification Csb on the coast, Csa inland), USDA Zones 8-11, experiencing mild, somewhat wet winters and warm to hot summers. The prevalent warm southerly airflow and the blocking effect of mountains to the north give the city a much warmer climate than would be expected. The average annual temperature is 18.86°C (around 66 °F)^[27], much higher than comparable coastal locations at the same distance from the equator elsewhere such as Sydney or Cape Town. Breezes from the Pacific Ocean tend to keep the beach communities of the Los Angeles area cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland; summer temperatures can sometimes be as much as 18 °F (10°C) warmer in the inland communities compared to that of the coastal communities. A few coastal "micro-climates" have never recorded a temperature below freezing. Coastal areas also see a phenomenon known as the "marine layer," a dense cloud cover caused by the proximity of the ocean that helps keep the temperatures cooler throughout the year. When the marine layer becomes more common and pervades farther inland during the months of May and June, it is called May Gray or June Gloom.^[28] Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin. ... Updated KÃ¶ppen-Geiger climate map[1] The KÃ¶ppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... Nickname: Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Coordinates: , Country Province Municipality City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality Founded 1652 Government [1] - Type City council - Mayor Helen Zille - City manager Achmat Ebrahim Area - Total 2,499 kmÂ² (964. ... A marine layer is a cool, moist, foggy layer of air that can be several hundred feet to as much as two thousand feet thick associated with offshore weather patterns. ... June Gloom (also May Gray) is a local term for a Southern California weather pattern that results in overcast skies with low to moderate temperatures during the early summer (sometimes referred to as May Gray when it occurs in late spring). ...

Echo Park as seen with Palm Trees

Temperatures in the summer can exceed 90°F (32°C), but average summer daytime highs in downtown are 82°F (27°C), with overnight lows of 63°F (17°C). Winter daytime high temperatures reach around 65°F (18°C), on average, with overnight lows of 48°F (10°C) and during this season rain is common. The warmest month is August, followed by July and then September. This somewhat large case of seasonal lag is caused by the influence of the ocean and its latitude of 34° north. The lake in Echo Park. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae or Palmae (also known by the name Palmaceae, which is taxonomically invalid. ... Seasonal lag is the phenomenon whereby the date of maximum average air temperature at a geographical location on a planet is delayed until some time after the date of maximum insolation. ...

The median temperature in January is 57°F (13°C) and 73°F (22°C) in August. The highest temperature recorded within city borders was 119.0°F (48.33°C) in Woodland Hills on July 22, 2006;^[29] the lowest temperature recorded was 18.0°F (−7.8°C) in 1989, in Canoga Park. The highest temperature recorded for Downtown Los Angeles was 112.0°F (44.4°C) on June 26, 1990, and the lowest temperature recorded was 28.0°F (−2.0°C) on January 4, 1949.^[30] Woodland Hills, California in the foreground, including Warner Center. ... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Canoga Park is a district in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, about 25 miles northwest of downtown LA. For hundreds of years the paft of the far was San Fernando Valley was home to the American Indians of both Fernandeno and Chumash... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Rain occurs mainly in the winter and spring months (February being the wettest month), with great annual variations in storm severity. Los Angeles averages 15 inches (385 mm) of precipitation per year. Tornado warnings are also issued, which are extraordinarily rare downtown, though waterspouts are seen during severe storms at beaches. Snow is extraordinarily rare in the city basin, but the mountainous slopes within city limits typically receive snow every year. The greatest snowfall recorded in downtown Los Angeles was 2.0 inches (5 cm) on January 15, 1932.^[31] This article is about precipitation. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, â€³ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... For other uses, see Snow (disambiguation). ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Weather averages for Los Angeles, California (downtown)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record 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)
Average high °F (°C)	65 (18)	66 (18)	68 (20)	70 (21)	73 (22)	76 (24)	84 (29)	82 (27)	81 (27)	77 (25)	73 (22)	68 (20)	73 (22)
Average low °F (°C)	48 (8)	49 (9)	50 (10)	53 (11)	56 (13)	58 (14)	63 (16)	63 (17)	61 (16)	58 (14)	53 (11)	50 (10)	55 (12)
Record 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)	30 (-1)	28 (-2)
Precipitation inches (cm)	2.7 (6)	3.1 (7)	2.2 (5)	1.3 (3.3)	0.3 (0.8)	0.1 (0.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.2 (0.5)	0.4 (1)	1.1 (2)	2.5 (6)	14 (35)
Source: weatherbase.com^[32] Jun 2007

Flora

The Los Angeles area is rich in native plant species due in part to a diversity in habitats, including beaches, wetlands, and mountains. The most prevalent botanical environment is coastal sage scrub, which covers the hillsides in combustible chaparral. Native plants include: California poppy, matilija poppy, toyon, Coast Live Oak, and giant wild rye grass. Many of these native species, such as the Los Angeles sunflower, have become so rare as to be considered endangered. Though they are not native to the area, the official tree of Los Angeles is the tropical Coral Tree and the official flower of Los Angeles is the Bird of Paradise, Strelitzia reginae.^[33] Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California and northern Baja California. ... The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of central and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. ... Binomial name Eschscholzia californica Cham. ... Species Romneya coulteri Romneya trichocalyx The Matilija Poppy or Tree Poppy (Romneya Harvey) is a poppy of southern California and northern Mexico, belonging to the Poppy family (Papaveraceae). ... Binomial name Heteromeles arbutifolia (Lindl. ... Binomial name Quercus agrifolia The Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, also called the California live oak, is an evergeen oak, highly variable and often shrubby, found in the coastal regions of southwestern North America from Mendocino County, California south to northern Baja California in Mexico. ... Binomial name Torr. ... Binomial name Strelitzia reginae Banks Strelitzia reginae, also known as the Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise, is a beautiful ornamental flower indigenous to South Africa that is cultivated worldwide. ...

Environmental issues


A view of Los Angeles covered in smog from Mulholland Drive.	Smog on Pasadena Freeway, downtown Los Angeles.

Owing to geography, heavy reliance on automobiles, and the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, Los Angeles suffers from air pollution in the form of smog. The Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley are susceptible to atmospheric inversion, which holds in the exhausts from road vehicles, airplanes, locomotives, shipping, manufacturing, and other sources.^[34] Unlike other large cities that rely on rain to clear smog, Los Angeles gets only 15 inches (381 mm) of rain each year. Pollution accumulates over multiple consecutive days. Issues of air quality in Los Angeles and other major cities led to the passage of early national environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act. More recently, the state of California has led the nation in working to limit pollution by mandating low emissions vehicles.^[35] For other uses, see Smog (disambiguation). ... Map of Mulholland Drive (orange) and Mulholland Highway (brown) in Los Angeles County. ... For other uses, see Smog (disambiguation). ... Car redirects here. ... Air pollution is the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent. ... For other uses, see Smog (disambiguation). ... The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles. ... Smoke rising in Lochcarron is stopped by an overlying layer of warmer air. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Damaged package The Panama canal. ...

As a result, pollution levels have dropped 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 improvement, 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.^[36]^[37] In addition, the groundwater is increasingly threatened by MTBE from gas stations and perchlorate from rocket fuel. With pollution still a significant problem, the city continues to take aggressive steps to improve air and water conditions.^[38]^[39] The American Lung Association is a non-profit organization which fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health. It was founded in 1904 to fight tuberculosis as the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis. ... Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations. ... Methyl tert-butyl ether, also known as methyl tertiary butyl ether and MTBE, is a chemical compound with molecular formula C5H12O. MTBE is a volatile, flammable and colorless liquid that is immiscible, yet reasonably soluble in water. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Perchlorates are the salts derived from perchloric acid (HClO4). ... Rocket propellants undergo exothermic chemical reactions which produce hot gas which is used by a rocket for propulsive purposes. ...

Cityscape

Panorama of Los Angeles from mountains to ocean as viewed from Mulholland Drive - visible are downtown, Hollywood, Wilshire Blvd, Port of Long Beach, LAX

Hollywood, a well-known district of Los Angeles, often mistaken as an independent city

Main article: List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles

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 Los Angeles, Northeast - including Highland Park and Eagle Rock areas, the Eastside, South Los Angeles (still often colloquially referred to as South Central by locals), the Harbor Area, Hollywood, Wilshire, the Westside, and the San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys. Map of Mulholland Drive (orange) and Mulholland Highway (brown) in Los Angeles County. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1000, 767 KB) Summary Hollywood Boulevard from the top of the Kodak Theatre looking in the direction of downtown in the background. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1000, 767 KB) Summary Hollywood Boulevard from the top of the Kodak Theatre looking in the direction of downtown in the background. ... Hollywood redirects here. ... Downtown Los Angeles skyline This is a list of districts and neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles // Map depicting boundaries of Los Angeles city Map of Los Angeles in 1970 Los Angeles neighborhoods display a degree of diversity well befitting the second-largest city in the United States. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. ... Highland Park is a district in on the East Side of Los Angeles. ... The Eagle Rock Eagle Rock is a neighborhood in northeastern Los Angeles, California. ... Intersection of Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard. ... South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hollywood redirects here. ... The Wilshire area or region of the City of Los Angeles, California refers to those areas that are centered around Wilshire Boulevard roughly between Hoover St. ... San Fernando Valley from its southwestern edge. ... The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. ...

Some well-known communities of Los Angeles include West Adams, Watts, Venice Beach, the Downtown Financial District, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Hollywood,

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