Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a massive urban center in California.

It is the most populous city in the state. It is also the largest city in the Western United States. The city holds about 3.88 million residents within its limits.

This makes it the second-most populous city in the United States. The city serves as a major commercial and cultural hub. It is the core of a massive metropolitan area. That area contains 12.9 million people as of 2024.

Geography defines how the city spreads out. Most of the city sits in the Los Angeles Basin. This area is next to the Pacific Ocean in the west. The city also stretches through the Santa Monica Mountains. It reaches north into the San Fernando Valley. To the east, it borders the San Gabriel Valley.

The city is the seat of Los Angeles County. This is the most populous county in the nation. It has an estimated 9.86 million residents. The broader Greater Los Angeles region is even larger. It includes the Riverside–San Bernardino area. This sprawling metropolis has over 18.5 million people.

The history of the region began with the Tongva people.

They lived in the Los Angeles Basin and San Fernando Valley. Their main center of power was a settlement called Yaanga. The name meant "place of the poison oak." It was also called "the valley of smoke." In 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the land for Spain. Later, Spanish settlers built missions in the area.

On September 4, 1781, settlers founded a town called a pueblo. A group of 44 people known as "Los Pobladores" started it. They settled on the site of the old village of Yaanga.

Political control of the area changed many times. The pueblo became part of the First Mexican Empire in 1821. During this time, Pío Pico served as the governor of California.

Later, the Mexican-American War changed everything. The United States took control after the Treaty of Cahuenga in 1847. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 made it official. Los Angeles became part of the United States then. The city was incorporated as a municipality in 1850.

Growth was driven by specific resources and projects. In the 1890s, people discovered oil in the area. This brought rapid growth to the city. By 1923, California was the top oil producer in the country. In 1913, the Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed.

This project brought water from Eastern California. It allowed the city to keep expanding. In 1908, the city created the first municipal zoning laws in the U.S. These laws decided where people could live and where factories could go.

The economy of Los Angeles is very diverse. It is a global hub for film and television.

Hollywood became a world capital for movies in the early 1900s. By 1921, 80 percent of the world's film industry was here. The city also has a very busy container port.

During World War II, manufacturing grew quickly. The city was a center for shipbuilding and aircraft production. Companies built many ships and planes during the war. This massive production helped the country win the war.

Today, Los Angeles is a major global economic power. In 2024, its metropolitan area had a massive GDP. This value was over $1.295 trillion. This makes it the third-largest economy in the world. It sits behind only New York and Tokyo. The city is also a top destination for travelers. Over 2.7 million people visited in 2023.

It is famous for hosting the Summer Olympics. The city hosted the games in 1932 and 1984.

It will host the Olympics again in 2028.