Los Angeles

The area that became Los Angeles was originally inhabited by the Tongva people, who called their settlement Yaanga, meaning “place of the poison oak” or “the valley of smoke.” Maritime explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for the Spanish Empire in 1542. The city was founded on September 4, 1781, as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, ‘The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels,’ by a group of 44 settlers known as “Los Pobladores.”

Following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, the pueblo existed within the new Mexican Republic. Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles the regional capital of Alta California during this period. The American Conquest of California during the Mexican–American War resulted in the siege of Los Angeles in 1846, where 150 Mexican militias fought against occupying U.S. marines. The Mexican Cession, formalized by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, ceded Los Angeles and the rest of Alta California to the United States.

Railroads arrived in 1876 and 1885 with the completion of the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe lines, respectively. The discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid growth, and by 1923, California was the country's largest oil producer, accounting for about one-quarter of the world's petroleum output. The completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, under the supervision of William Mulholland, ensured continued growth by providing a reliable water supply. In 1910, Hollywood merged into Los Angeles, already home to 10 movie companies. By 1921, more than 80 percent of the world's film industry was concentrated in the city.

Following World War II, Los Angeles grew rapidly, sprawling northwest into the San Fernando Valley. The expansion of the Interstate Highway System facilitated suburban growth. In 1965, racial tensions led to the Watts riots, resulting in 34 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. In 1969, the first ARPANET transmission was sent from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the Stanford Research Institute, marking the birth of the Internet. The city hosted the Summer Olympic Games for a second time in 1984, which became more financially successful than any previous games. Racial tensions erupted again on April 29, 1992, following the acquittal of LAPD officers in the Rodney King case, culminating in large-scale riots. The 1994 Northridge earthquake caused $12.5 billion in damage and 72 deaths.

In 2022, Karen Bass became the city’s first female mayor. In January 2025, wildfires caused widespread destruction in Pacific Palisades. Protests and riots followed raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in June 2025, after the Trump administration dispatched federal agents and the Army National Guard without local consent.

Los Angeles covers 502.7 square miles, with the highest point in the city proper being Mount Lukens at 5,074 ft. The Los Angeles River flows through the city, largely channeled in concrete for flood control. The city’s climate is semi-arid with dry summers and mild winters, receiving an average of 15 inches of rain annually. Santa Ana winds sometimes bring warmer, drier conditions and increase wildfire risk.

The economy of Los Angeles is driven by international trade, entertainment, aerospace, technology, and tourism. In 2018, the Los Angeles metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of over $1.0 trillion, making it the third-largest economic metropolitan area in the world. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together comprise the fifth busiest container port in the world. Despite a film production exodus from Los Angeles, it remains a major hub for the industry.

Los Angeles is often billed as the creative capital of the world. The city is home to 841 museums and art galleries. The performing arts play a major role in the city’s cultural identity, with the Los Angeles Music Center being one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Los Angeles’s food culture is a fusion of global cuisine, influenced by its diverse population.

Los Angeles is home to eleven top-level professional sports teams, including the Dodgers, Rams, Lakers, Kings, Galaxy, and Sparks. The city has hosted eight NFL Super Bowls and will host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Los Angeles has hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1932, 1984, and will host again in 2028, making it one of only three cities to host the games three times.