Los Angeles

Los Angeles (pop. 3,489,700), city in southern California, second-largest in the United States, a sprawling city of some 464 sq mi (1,201 sq km), the center of a metropolitan area with a population of over 8 million. Los Angeles is the third-largest industrial center in the United States, producing among other things aircraft, electrical equipment, canned fish, and refined oils. It is also a major center of the motion-picture and television industries, and a distribution and commercial center for the nearby mining regions, oilfields, and rich farm areas. Its port, San Pedro, handles more tonnage than any other U.S. Pacific port, and accommodates a large fishing fleet. The city has several museums and 4 universities. The geographical setting and the large concentration of automobiles and industry have created a serious problem of smog and air pollution, the worst in the United States. Founded by the Spanish in 1781, Los Angeles was taken from Mexico in 1846. It was linked with the transcontinental railroad system in the 1870s and 1880s. Oil was discovered in the region in the 1890s, leading to rapid population growth.

See also: California.