Los Angeles
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"L.A." and "LA" redirect here. For other uses, see L.A. (disambiguation).
This article is about the U.S. city. For the county, see Los Angeles County, California. For other uses, see Los Angeles (disambiguation).
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Los Angeles
City
City of Los Angeles
From top: Downtown Los Angeles, Venice Beach, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Sign
From top: Downtown Los Angeles, Venice Beach, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Sign
Flag of Los Angeles
Flag Official seal of Los Angeles
Seal
Nickname(s): "L.A.", "City of Angels",[1] "Angeltown",[2] "Lalaland", "Tinseltown"[3]
Location in Los Angeles County in the state of California
Location in Los Angeles County in the state of California
Los Angeles is located in USA
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 34°03′N 118°15′WCoordinates: 34°03′N 118°15′W
Country United States of America
State California
County Los Angeles
Settled September 4, 1781
Incorporated April 4, 1850
Government
• Type Mayor-Council • Body Los Angeles City Council • Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) • City Attorney Mike Feuer • City Controller Ron Galperin
Area[4]
• City 503 sq mi (1,302 km2) • Land 469 sq mi (1,214 km2) • Water 34 sq mi (88 km2) 6.7%
Elevation 233 (city hall) ft (71 m)
Population (2014) • City 3,904,657 • Rank 2nd U.S., 48th world • Density 8,225/sq mi (3,176/km2) • Urban 15,067,000[6] • Metro 16,400,000[5] • CSA 17,786,419
Demonym Angeleno
Time zone PST (UTC-8) • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC−7)
ZIP code 90001–90068, 90070–90084, 90086–90089, 90091, 90093–90097, 90099, 90101–90103, 90174, 90185, 90189, 90291–90293, 91040–91043, 91303–91308, 91342–91349, 91352–91353, 91356–91357, 91364–91367, 91401–91499, 91601–91609
Area code(s) 213, 310/424, 323, 661, 747/818
FIPS code 06-44000
GNIS feature ID 1662328
Website lacity.org
Los Angeles (Listeni/lɔːs ˈændʒələs/, /lɔːs ˈæŋɡələs/ or Listeni/lɒs ˈændʒəliːz/, Spanish: Los Ángeles [los ˈaŋxeles] meaning The Angels), officially the City of Los Angeles, often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California and the second-most populous in the United States, after New York City, with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621.[7] It has a land area of 469 square miles (1,215 km2), and is located in Southern California.

The city is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area and Greater Los Angeles Area region, which contain 13 million[8] and over 18 million people in Combined statistical area respectively as of 2010, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world[9] and the second-largest in the United States.[10] Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most ethnically diverse counties[11] in the United States, while the entire Los Angeles area itself has been recognized as the most diverse of the nation's largest cities.[12] The city's inhabitants are referred to as Angelenos.[13]

Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve.[14] It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence.[15] In 1848, at the end of the Mexican–American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States.[16] Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.[17]

Nicknamed the City of Angels, Los Angeles is a global city, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine and research and has been ranked sixth in the Global Cities Index and 9th Global Economic Power Index. The city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas.[18] Los Angeles includes Hollywood and leads the world in the creation of television productions, video games, and recorded music; it is also one of the leaders in motion picture production.[19] Additionally, Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geography
2.1 Cityscape
2.1.1 Landmarks
2.2 Topography
2.3 Geology
2.4 Climate
2.5 Environmental issues
3 Demographics
3.1 Race and ethnicity
3.2 Religion
4 Economy
5 Culture
5.1 Museums and galleries
6 Sports
7 Government
7.1 Crime
8 Education
8.1 Colleges and universities
8.2 Schools and libraries
9 Media
10 Transportation
10.1 Freeways
10.2 Transit systems
10.3 Airports
10.4 Seaports
11 Notable people
12 Twin towns – Sister cities
13 See also
14 References
15 Further reading
16 External links
History
Historical affiliations Spanish Empire 1781–1821 First Mexican Empire 1821–1823
Mexico United Mexican States 1823–1848 California Republic 1846 United States 1848–present
Main article: History of Los Angeles
See also: Los Angeles in the 1920s

Los Angeles City Hall, shown here in 1931, was built in 1928 and was the tallest structure in the city until 1964, when height restrictions were removed.
The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva (or Gabrieleños) and Chumash Native American tribes thousands of years ago. A Gabrielino settlement in the area was called iyáangẚ (written Yang-na by the Spanish), meaning "poison oak place".[20][21]

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese-born explorer, claimed the area of southern California for the Spanish Empire in 1542.[22] Gaspar de Portolà and Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2, 1769.[23]

In 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra directed the building of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the first mission in the area.[24] On September 4, 1781, a group of forty-four settlers known as "Los Pobladores" founded the pueblo called "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula"; in English it is "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Porciúncula River". The Queen of Angels is an honorific of the Virgin Mary.[25] Two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto with a mixture of African, indigenous and European ancestry.[26] The settlement remained a small ranch town for decades, but by 1820, the population had increased to about 650 residents.[27] Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the historic district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street, the oldest part of Los Angeles.[28]

New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, and the pueblo continued as a part of Mexico. During Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta California's regional capital. Mexican rule ended during the Mexican–American War: Americans took control from the Californios after a series of battles, culminating with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847.[29]