Los Angeles Community Information
The second largest city in the United States, at just over 4 million residents, Los Angeles can be a difficult place to describe. Home to Hollywood and high-priced real estate, it is easy to stereotype Los Angeles. Everyone is fake, gang violence threatens all walks of life, and car culture rules all. All of these are true to some degree, but none truly represent LA. Los Angeles is exactly what you make it, nothing more, nothing less. Want to live the hipster scene in Silver Lake? You can do that. Looking to buy a beach house in Malibu, play with the stars on Sunset Blvd., connect with your culture in one of the many ethnic enclaves, or hole up in your apartment with a stack of Netflix DVD’s, you can do all of these as well.
Los Angeles is unique because there is no set lifestyle or accepted pattern of behavior. It is large enough and spread wide enough to accept all with open arms.
Los Angeles History And Facts
Los Angeles was first founded on September 4, 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. In 1821, Los Angeles became a part of Mexico, before being purchased by the United States as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War in 1848.
In 1913, the completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct by William Mulholland allowed for the continued growth of the city at a point when the water supply had started to become strained.
In the 1920’s, Los Angeles became the center of the film industry, which remains a driving force in the city’s economy to this day. The city is also a world leader in the fashion, music, media, international trade and technology industries.
Los Angeles is currently governed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the city’s first Latino mayor since 1872. The City of Angels, as it is often referred to as, has hosted the summer Olympics twice, once in 1932 and again in 1984.
Los Angeles is also home to two of the most storied franchises in professional sports, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as the Los Angeles Clippers, Kings, Sparks, Galaxy, and Chivas USA.