Los angeles

Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the United States, preceded only by New York. It is famed for its balmy climate, lush scenery, film and television industries, and many motorways—as well as occasional earthquakes, bushfires, and smog.

Los Angeles' population expanded rapidly during the mid-1980s, as immigration from Latin America, especially Mexico, and Asia increased. According to the 1990 census, 38 per cent of the city's residents were born outside the United States. Continued immigration has made Los Angeles one of the world's most ethnically diversified cites. It currently has a greater city population of 9,054,000.

Los Angeles is one of the leading manufacturing, commercial, transport, financial, and international trade centres in the United States. Manufactured goods include electronic equipment, clothing, processed foods, metal goods, chemicals, building supplies, and printed materials. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is a leading hub of the US aerospace industry, as well as a centre for film, radio and television, and for the recording industry. The city contains the headquarters of many large corporations, research and development facilities, and financial institutions, with tourism an increasingly important part of the city's economy. The port of Los Angeles-Long Beach, which is situated on San Pedro Bay, handles more cargo than any other US port on the Pacific Coast.

Los Angeles is an urban-suburban agglomeration built on a hilly coastal plain, with the Pacific Ocean on its western and southern boundaries. Mountain ranges are to the east and north; also in the north is the San Fernando Valley, a part of the city with about a third of the population but separated from Hollywood and the city centre by the Santa Monica Mountains and by Griffith Park, the city's major outdoor recreation area. A sprawling community of 1,204 sq km (465 sq mi), Los Angeles is tied together by a dozen wide bands of concrete and steel—the famous system of motorways—built for high speeds, but often completely clogged with traffic. Smog from car exhausts and other sources is a constant pollution problem. An urban rail system began operating in 1993; when completed by the year 2001, the system will link 36.5 km (22.7 mi) of underground lines with about 645 km (400 mi) of commuter rail lines.

Los Angeles is a sprawling conglomerate of communities with little in common, held together by a labyrinthine network of high-speed motorways. It is a diverse city of contradictions with many homeless people and some of the highest paid people in the world. Architecturally, the city can best be described as chaos verging on anarchy. The San Fernando Valley is a series of extended housing estates characterized only by their sameness. Yet a short distance away, west Los Angeles centred on Westwood Village contains a mixture of Spanish Revival architecture, luxury boutiques, and designer novelty shops.

The explosive growth of Los Angeles in the 20th century from just over 100,000 people in 1900 to almost 3.5 million in 1990 was mostly unplanned. Residential developments spread across the area, as did shopping malls and low-rise commercial buildings. Until 1957 a local law prohibited buildings taller than 46 m (150 ft), although City Hall, which was built in 1928, rises 138 m (454 ft). The law was repealed as earthquake-proof construction became accepted as safe, and the city's once-quiet centre began to grow upwards. Today, Los Angeles has a dramatic skyline.

Los Angeles is the site of California State University at Los Angeles (1947) and at Northridge (1958); Loyola Marymount University (1911); Mount Saint Mary's College (1925); Occidental College (1887); the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), founded in 1919; the University of Southern California (1880); Woodbury University (1884); and Yeshiva University of Los Angeles (1977).

The parks of Los Angeles contain many of the city's recreational and cultural facilities. The El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park includes the Plaza Church (1822) and the lively Mexican shops of Olvera Street. Hancock Park is the site of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the George C. Page La Brea Discoveries Museum. Griffith Park contains the Los Angeles Zoo and the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum. Exposition Park is the site of a museum of science and industry; a natural history museum; and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home of the Los Angeles Raiders American football team. Elysian Park, in central Los Angeles, is the location of Dodger Stadium (Chavez Ravine), home of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Other points of interest in Los Angeles include the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center; the History Center of the California Historical Society; the Southwest Museum, featuring a collection of Native American artefacts; the Museum of Contemporary Art; and the Hollywood Bowl, a natural amphitheatre. The Civic Center, a massive complex of government buildings, includes the Los Angeles City Hall and the Music Center for the Performing Arts Complex. Popular among tourists are the Farmers Market, an open-air bazaar of shops and restaurants; Chinatown; Little Tokyo; and the film studios in Hollywood and nearby Burbank and Culver City. Angeles National Forest is near the city.