Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles holds many distinctions. LA is the entertainment capital of the world, a cultural mecca boasting more than 300 museums, and a paradise of good weather. From tourist attractions like the Walk of Fame’s collection of stars (numbering 2,342, and growing by one or two a month) to career opportunities like those presented in the expanding biotech industry, Los Angeles is the place to be. It is the only city in North America to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice. Downtown LA is the largest government center outside of Washington, D.C. Los Angeles has the only remaining wooden lighthouse in the state (located in San Pedro’s Fermin Park) and the largest historical theater district on the National Register of Historic Places (located Downtown on Broadway).
Los Angeles is on the leading edge of several growth industries. The LA five-county area, with more than 134,000 jobs in the fashion industry, has surpassed New York’s fashion district workforce. The metro area also has more than 230,000 people at work in health sciences/biomedical activities and 361,000 people in aerospace/technology. Here are some more facts and figures about Los Angeles: the city, the county and the region.
More facts about Los Angeles:
Size
Geography
Climate
History
Population
People
Tourism Estimates
Airports
Beaches
Business
The Economy
Motion Picture Industry
Imports/Exports
Higher Education
- City of Los Angeles: 467 square miles
- County of Los Angeles: 4,081 square miles
- Los Angeles Five-County Area (Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties): 34,149 square miles
There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County ranging from Vernon (population 100) to Los Angeles (population 4 million).
Geography
Los Angeles spans a widely diverse geographic area. Primarily a desert basin, the area is surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountain range and divided by the Santa Monica Mountains. Los Angeles County has 75 miles of coastline and altitudes ranging from 9 feet below sea level at Wilmington to 10,080 feet above sea level atop Mt. San Antonio. Area Rivers include the Los Angeles, Rio Hondo and San Gabriel rivers.
Climate
Southern California’s climate has often been described as “perfect” and with good reason. Most days are sunny and warm, with gentle ocean breezes in the summer. The humidity is low with little rain. In fact, there are no unpleasant seasons in Los Angeles.
- Annual precipitation: 14.89 inches
- Average sunny/partly sunny days: 329 days
- Average high temperature: 74º F
- Average low temperature: 56º F
History
Sept. 4, 1781, is the city’s official birthdate, when 44 vecinos pobladores—village settlers from the Mexican provinces of Sonora and Sinaloa — made their home in what is now Downtown Los Angeles. Two of the 44 settlers were Spaniards, while the others were Indians, Blacks and Mestizos (of mixed ancestry). Here to greet the pobladores was a tribe of American Indians called Tongva. The Spanish named the new settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles, or The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels. After the territory changed hands from Spain to Mexico, the town was officially declared a city in 1835. In August 1846, American soldiers entered Los Angeles, and the stars and stripes have flown over the city since January 1847.
- City of Los Angeles: 4.0 million
- County of Los Angeles: 10.3 million
- Los Angeles Five-County Area: 18.3 million (Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties)
Source: CA Dept. of Finance
If the Los Angeles five-county area were a state, it would surpass all states in total population size with the exception of California, New York and Texas. The County of Los Angeles alone would be the eighth most populated state, behind Ohio, with 11.5 million, and ahead of Michigan, with 10.1 million people. Los Angeles ranks as the second largest city in the nation.
People
The diverse, multiethnic population of Los Angeles today distinguishes the city as the cultural hub of the Pacific Rim. In fact, Los Angeles is one of only two U.S. cities without a majority population. People from 140 countries, speaking approximately 86 different languages, currently call Los Angeles home.
- Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 47.3 percent
- White, non-Hispanic: 29.2 percent
- Asian/Pacific Islander: 13.1 percent
- African-American: 8.9 percent
- American Indian/Others: 0.3 percent
Tourism Estimates in 2007
Visitors to Los Angeles County: 25.8 million
Domestic overnight visitors: 21.04 million
International visitors: 4.84 million
Visitor-related spending: $14.2 billion
Number of Passengers for Each Airport in 2007
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): 61,896,075
- Ontario International Airport: 7,207,150
- Bob Hope Airport (Burbank): 5,921,336
- Long Beach Airport: 2,906,556
As the gateway to the West Coast and the #1 international gateway to Asia/Pacific, LAX offers direct flights from 88 domestic cities and 68 international cities. LAX is the fifth busiest passenger airport in the world. Opened in 1984, the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX (TBIT) is undergoing a major renovation program designed to make traveling through this international gateway safer, faster and more comfortable. The three-year project, with an estimated cost of $723.5 million, is expected to be completed by March 2010.
LA/Ontario International is a medium-hub, full-service airport with commercial jet service to major U.S. cities and many international destinations. ONT is located in the Inland Empire, approximately 35 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. The airport is the centerpiece of one of the fastest-growing transportation regions in the United States.
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Beaches
The Los Angeles County coastline, stretching from Malibu to Long Beach, is 75 miles long.
Business
The leading industries, based on employment, in LA County are:
- Direct international trade
- Tourism
- Motion picturer/TV production
- Technology, including aerospace
- Financial services
The Economy
Los Angeles has developed into one of the premier centers of economic and cultural activity in the world. If we compare the economy of the world’s top 20 countries; the LA five-county area ranks at No. 16 and Los Angeles County ranks at No. 17 in the world. The state of California ranks at No. 7 in the world economy ranking.
Motion Picture Industry in Los Angeles
California is the leading supplier of entertainment to the world, and Los Angeles County produces the vast majority of the state’s entertainment output. The motion picture industry in California generates approximately $34 billion annually.
Imports/Exports
Los Angeles is the No. 1 import/export port in the United States. The total value of two-way trade handled at the Los Angeles Customs District in 2007 is anticipated to be $373.4 billion, an increase of approximately 13.3% (Source: LAEDC). The top trading commodities were electrical apparatus, electronic machinery, measuring devices, motor vehicles, magnetic radio recording & playback equipment, apparels, and fashion items.
Higher Education
Los Angeles is home to 200 colleges and universities, including such prestigious institutions as the University of Southern California (USC), UCLA, Pepperdine University, Occidental College, Loyola Marymount University and the Art Center College of Design.
