Los Angeles, the City of Angels, is the largest city in California and second largest in the U.S. with a population of 3.8 million. The LA metropolitan area is home to 12.9 million people. Founded in 1781, it became a municipality in 1850. Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate and enjoys plenty of sunshine and little rainfall, averaging 263 sunny days a year.
LA is a world leader in entertainment, media, fashion, culture, music, international trade, science, medicine, technology, tourism, and education. The Los Angeles area is the second largest economic center in the Western Hemisphere, after New York City. Hollywood, known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World," provides employment in the motion picture, television, and recorded music industries. Many celebrities, musicians and movie actors call Los Angeles home.
The LA area is home to some of the nation's most prestigious schools, including UCLA, USC, Los Angeles Film School, and Loyola Marymount.
Los Angeles has a history of successful sports teams including the NCAA Bruins of UCLA and USC Trojans, NBA Lakers and major league baseball Dodgers.
The following areas make up the city: Downtown Los Angeles, Northeast, which includes Eagle Rock and Highland Park; the Eastside, South Los Angeles or South Central LA; the Harbor Area, Hollywood, Wilshire, the Westside and the San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys.
Well known LA communities include West Adams, Watts, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, Venice Beach, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Koreatown, Westwood. The most luxurious and expensive homes and mansions are located in the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Hollywood Hills, Hancock Park, Pacific Palisades, Century City, and Brentwood.
Landmarks include Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Sunset Strip, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theatre, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Capitol Records Tower, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Watts Towers, Staples Center, Dodger Stadium and La Placita Olvera/Olvera Street.
