Los Angeles

Los Angeles

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The city of Los Angeles holds many distinctions. L.A. is the entertainment capital of the world, a cultural mecca boasting more than 300 museums and a paradise of good weather. From tourist attractions such as the Walk of Fame?s collection of stars to career opportunities such as those presented in the expanding biotech industry, Los Angeles is the place to be. Population City of Los Angeles 3.7 million County of Los Angeles 9.5 million Los Angeles Five-County Area 16.4 million (Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties) Los Angeles ranks as the second largest city in the nation behind New York City. Size City of Los Angeles 467 square miles County of Los Angeles 4,061 square miles Los Angeles Five-County Area 34,149 square miles Climate Southern California’s climate has often been described as “perfect” and with good reason. Mostly it is 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: 14.79 inches Average days of rain: 34.2 days Average sunny/partly sunny days: 291.7 days Average mean temperature: 66.3? F Monthly Mean Temperatures, Highs/Lows (Fahrenheit) Jan. 66/48 April 71/54 July 82/63 Oct. 78/59 Feb. 67/50 May 73/56 Aug. 83/64 Nov. 73/53 March 69/51 June 77/60 Sept. 82/63 Dec. 68/49 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 Indians called Yangna. The Spanish named the new settlement “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles” or the town of 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 of 1846, American soldiers entered Los Angeles and the Stars and Stripes have flown over the city since January 1847. People The diverse multi-ethnic population of Los Angeles today distinguishes the city as the cultural hub of the Pacific Rim. People from about 140 countries, speaking approximately 86 different languages, currently call Los Angeles home. White, non-Hispanic 48 percent Hispanic 27 percent African-American 12 percent Asian/Pacific Islander 11 percent American Indian/Others 2 percent Business The leading business sectors in the five-county area for 2001:

1. Business and Professional Management Services
2. Tourism
3. Wholesale Trade
4. Direct International Trade
5. Technology
6. Motion Picture/TV Production

The Economy California is the fifth largest economy in the world if it were a separate country. The L.A. five-county area would be No.10, just behind Brazil and ahead of Mexico. L.A. County would be No.16, falling between the Netherlands and Taiwan and ahead of such countries as Argentina, Switzerland and Belgium Higher Education Los Angeles County is home to 158 colleges and universities. The city of Los Angeles has several, including such prestigious institutions as Occidental, The University of Southern California (USC) and UCLA. SOURCE: Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, July 2002