Los Angeles
The second-most populous city in the U.S., founded in 1781 with the world's largest showcase of Frank Gehry architecture.
Los Angeles is the most populous city in California and the second-most populous in the United States, with an estimated 3.87 million residents as of 2025. It serves as the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California and is the largest city in the Western U.S. Covering about 469 square miles, it lies primarily in the Los Angeles Basin adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, extending into the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley. The city anchors a metropolitan area of 12.9 million people (2024) and is part of Greater Los Angeles, a combined statistical area with over 18 million residents. Founded on September 4, 1781, by 44 settlers known as "Los Pobladores" on the village of Yaanga, it was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850. Rapid growth followed the discovery of oil in the 1890s and the completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. It remains one of the oldest and largest hubs for film and television production, hosts one of the busiest container ports in the Americas, and had a gross metropolitan product of over $1.295 trillion in 2024.
- Role
- Global Capital of Entertainment
- Status
- Active Metropolis
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Indigenous Tongva people inhabited the area, centered at Yaanga, before Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed it for Spain in 1542. A Spanish governor named Felipe de Neve oversaw its founding on September 4, 1781. The settlement became part of the First Mexican Empire in 1821 and was ceded to the United States in 1848 via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican-American War. In 1908, Los Angeles created the first municipal zoning ordinance in the U.S., establishing residential zones where industrial uses were prohibited. Hollywood merged into the city in 1910, and by 1921, over 80 percent of the world's film industry was concentrated there. During World War II, the area became a major manufacturing center for shipbuilding and aircraft.
In Their Own Story
On September 4, 1781, 44 settlers founded the town they called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles on the site of the Tongva village Yaanga. By 1900, the population had grown to more than 102,000, straining water supplies until the Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed in 1913. In 1932 and 1984, the city hosted the Summer Olympics, with a third event scheduled for 2028. Today, it stands as the third-most visited city in the U.S., welcoming over 3.6 million visitors in 2023.
Reader's Guide
The city borders the San Gabriel Valley to its east and extends north into the San Fernando Valley. It is the county seat of Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9.86 million residents as of 2022. The urban core features the world's largest showcase of architecture designed by Frank Gehry. Visitors can explore Olvera Street, the oldest part of the city commemorating the original pueblo.
Did You Know?
- Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.
- The city created the first municipal zoning ordinance in the United States on September 14, 1908.
- By 1921, more than 80 percent of the world's film industry was concentrated in Los Angeles.
- Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics for a third time in 2028, having previously hosted in 1932 and 1984.
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