Los Angeles | History, Map, Population, Climate, & Facts | Britannica

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• Introduction
• Character of the city
• Landscape
  • City site
  • Climate
  • Natural environment
  • City layout
• People
• Economy
  • Agriculture
  • Manufacturing
  • Finance and other services
  • Transportation
  • Communications media
  • The entertainment industry
• Administration and society
  • Government
  • Planning and housing
  • Municipal services
  • Health and welfare
  • Education
• Cultural life
  • Theatre
  • Music and dance
  • Literature
  • Architecture
  • Museums
  • Sports and recreation
• History
  • Spanish colonial outpost
  • The early American era
  • Inventing a city
  • From the aqueduct to the 1920s
  • The 1920s and ’30s
  • World War II and the postwar years
  • The contemporary city

References & Edit History Related Topics Images & Videos For Students Los Angeles summary Quizzes Guess the City by Its River Quiz Related Questions

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Los Angeles California, United States Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot Print print Print Please select which sections you would like to print:

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External Websites

• Official Site of the City of Los Angeles, Caliifornia, United States
• Los Angeles Conservancy - 1980-1990: Los Angeles Confirmed
• CRW Flags - Flag of Los Angeles, California, United States
• United States District Court - Central District of California - The 1980s
• Official Tourism Site of the city of Los Angeles

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Los Angeles - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Los Angeles - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: City of Angels, El Pueblo de la Reina de los Angeles(Show More) Written by Leonard M. Pitt Emeritus Professor of History, California State University, Northridge. Author of The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846-1890. Co-author of Los... Leonard M. Pitt Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Dec. 24, 2025 •History Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question Top Questions

• Where is Los Angeles located?
• Why is Los Angeles a famous city?
• What are some major industries in Los Angeles?
• How does Los Angeles influence entertainment and culture?
• What are some challenges Los Angeles faces, like traffic or pollution?

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Los Angeles , city, seat of Los Angeles county, southern California, U.S. It is the second most populous city and metropolitan area (after New York City) in the United States. The city sprawls across a broad coastal plain situated between mountains and the Pacific Ocean; the much larger Los Angeles county, which encompasses the city, contains some 90 other incorporated cities, including Beverly Hills, Pasadena, and Long Beach. The county also encompasses two of the Channel Islands, Santa Catalina and San Clemente; Mount San Antonio, familiarly known as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, 10,046 feet (3,062 metres) high; more than 900 square miles (2,330 square km) of desert; and 75 miles (120 km) of seacoast.

Since the city and the county are interwoven geographically, culturally, and economically, any consideration of Los Angeles must, to some degree, involve both entities. Population density around the metropolitan area varies greatly—as low as one person per square mile in mountainous areas and as high as 50,000 per square mile near downtown Los Angeles. Area city, 466 square miles (1,207 square km); county, 4,070 square miles (10,540 square km). Pop. (2010) 3,792,621; Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale Metro Division, 9,818,605; Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana Metro Area, 12,828,837; (2020) 3,898,747; Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale Metro Division, 10,014,009; Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim Metro Area, 13,200,998.

Character of the city

Los Angeles, the heart of southern California, became a world-class city very recently. At the start of the 20th century it was considered merely “a large village.” This ascendancy is all the more remarkable considering that the city originally lacked some of the essential building blocks associated with cityhood, such as a natural harbour. Yet it overcame natural deficiencies and established itself as an important centre of commerce, agriculture, tourism, and industry. For more than a century it has been indelibly associated with a benign climate, extensive leisure, and outdoor recreation, as well as the special aura of celebrity associated with Hollywood. The lifestyle of Los Angeles residents (who are called Angelenos) relies on the automobile, idealizes the single-family dwelling, and favours informality. With notable exceptions, the skyline is primarily horizontal rather than vertical. Los Angeles is a place of extraordinary ethnic and racial diversity, owing largely to immigration, and, like other world cities, it reflects a growing gap between rich and poor.

Los Angeles has endured the barbs of many detractors. Critics refer to it either as a laid-back “la-la land” or, conversely, as a place reeling from earthquakes, fire, smog, gang warfare, and riots. The city’s defenders admire its mild climate and geographic variety. They claim that its major social problems are similar to those of all big cities and are perhaps even less severe there than elsewhere. In fact, some observers regard it as the most modern and quintessential American city.