Why Los Angeles is called the city of fallen angels Los Angeles is an amazing city of angels

Los Angeles is located in Southern California on the coast The Pacific... The city has developed international trade, entertainment and tourism industries. Hollywood, the most famous area of ​​Los Angeles, is home to many famous film studios such as Paramount, Dream Works, Metro Golden Mayer, 20th Century Fox, Calambia Pictures, Warner Bros. etc.

State: California

Foundation date: 1781

Population: 3 884 000 people

Nickname: City of Angels, L.A.

According to the 2013 census, Los Angeles has a population of 3,884,000, making it the second largest city in the United States, after New York.

Before the settlement by Europeans, the Indian peoples of Tongwa and Chumash lived on the site of modern Los Angeles. The first European to set foot on this land was the Spanish navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. In 1542, his ship docked at the site of what is now San Diego.

227 years later, on August 2, 1769, a second expedition arrived in these places, led by Gaspar de Portolá. The colonists who disembarked from the ships founded a settlement on this place.

Where did the name Los Angeles come from?

The Spanish settlers named this land in honor of the Virgin Mary - Queen of Angels - “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre El Río Porciúncula ", which in Spanish means:" Settlement of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Angels, on the Porsyuncula River. " In short, this place was called Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Pictures

The official date of the founding of Los Angeles is September 4, 1781, and the city status was assigned on April 4, 1850. Coat of arms of the city:

In 1830, Los Angeles became the main city of Mexican California. Its dominance continued until 1848, when a gold mine was found in Northern California. The ensuing gold rush made San Francisco a leading city in California.

Until 1876, Los Angeles was characterized as a modest city with a medium economy. Its inhabitants were mainly engaged in the cultivation of livestock, grapes and oranges. However, after the construction of the railway passing through Los Angeles, the development of the city began to skyrocket.

IN late XIX At the beginning of the 20th century, the inhabitants of the city witnessed significant growth and development of infrastructure. This led to massive emigration of residents of neighboring states and Mexico. So, in 1880 the population of the city was 11,183 people, and by 1920 it had increased to 576,000 inhabitants. The largest number of settlers were Midwesterners, who moved here for the sake of a temperate climate and a relaxed lifestyle.

Thanks to a huge investment, Los Angeles has completely overhauled its public transportation system. At the same time, due to the relatively dry climate, residents of the city experienced huge problems with water supply. To ensure the normal supply of water to the population, the municipality decided to use water resources in the Owens Valley, located two hundred miles from Los Angeles. To ensure the uninterrupted delivery of water to Los Angeles, a giant aqueduct was built in 1913.

Continued population growth and heavy investment have returned Los Angeles to its status as a key California city. The discovery of large oil fields in 1890 contributed to the construction of refineries and a significant expansion of drilling operations. The film industry developed at an accelerated pace, new factories were built.

Southern California has become the center of the automotive and aviation industry... In 1914 the Ford plant was built, followed by other automobile and aircraft companies such as Hughes, Douglas, Lockheed and Northrop.

The Great Depression, which began in the 1930s, was much less affected than other major cities in the United States.

Government spending associated with World War II and the ensuing Cold War provided even greater opportunities for the development of Los Angeles. The growing demand for the manufacture of military aircraft has fueled a huge growth in the aviation industry in the region.

Since 1950, huge federal investments have been made in the production of missiles and the development of information technology.

To reduce pollution environment from exhaust fumes, a long-term program was developed in 1970 to improve the Los Angeles public transportation system, including the construction of the subway.

In 1992, Los Angeles witnessed a series of racially motivated riots, caused by a beating African American Rodney King four white policemen. By a court decision, the police were acquitted, which caused a massive outcry among the black population of the city. For the next three days, riots and looting took place in the city, as a result of which 53 people died. The damage from these riots is estimated at $ 1 billion.

Today Los Angeles ranks second in the United States in terms of both population and economy.

The history of Los Angeles began when Felipe de Neve, the Spanish governor, sent eleven men and as many women, as well as 22 children, to wild, desolate, uninhabited, but fertile lands, stretching under the bright sun that fills these lands with life. And a new settlement appeared on the shores of the warm ocean, the name of which was dedicated to the charming queen - El Pueblo de Neustra Senora la Reina los Angeles de Portzencula. No one knows if the queen was beautiful, or if this is all an exaggeration, but the settlement proudly bore this woman's name.

By the way, the future California was populated very unevenly and not gradually, but, despite this, it was very active. Here not only missionaries found accommodation, but also merchants, travelers, sometimes even adventurers. Also, this place was popular for pirates who decided to end their robbery past. All of them multiplied the population and thus provided an opportunity for its growth. Thanks to the settlement of the lands by these people, cities such as Santa Barbara, San Diego, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco and others were born.

Of course, not only the Spaniards encroached on such fertile and rich, and most importantly free lands, the British, Russians, and later even the Americans also dreamed of settling here. All of them were attracted by the excellent conditions that were created in these areas: wonderful harbors, wonderful high mountains as well as an almost ideal climate. These waters were often visited by Russian ships that hunted sea otters and seals.

It is interesting that shortly before the arrival of the Spaniards, the English navigator James Cook visited these shores, he scouted and made an approximate map of the coast from San Francisco to Alaska. The navigator had plans to return here next year to explore these territories in more detail, but this never happened.

In 1832, the overland route of the Oregon Trail was mastered, and in practice it was more difficult than the sea route. He took the beginning on the Missouri River in the town of Independence and a winding road, 2 km long, led out to Oregon. It was very difficult to navigate along this path. For a lot of money, homemade maps were drawn, a lot of people died on this road from all sorts of reasons: diseases, steppe fires, droughts, accidents.

Los Angeles joining the United States

At first, the borders of Mexico, England and the United States were open, but only until the rebel-general Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana came in 833. With his arrival, a coup d'etat was carried out, after which he announced that from now on he was the dictator of Mexico. Of course, there was opposition to such a regime - the Texans rebelled. There was a struggle between opponents and adherents of independence, but the legendary hero Samuel Houston on March 21, 1836 defeated the Mexicans in the battle of San Jacinto - Texas became an independent republic. This continued until 1845, after which it became an American state.

Since Mexico did not want to recognize Texas as a newly formed state, skirmishes and raids began on its territory. Of course, all this ended with the fact that on April 24, 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, which, as expected, Mexico lost. On February 2, 1848, a peace treaty was signed, according to which the borders between Texas and Mexico passed along the Rio Grande, and Mexico ceded vast territories of California and New Mexico to the United States for eighteen million, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

In 1848, the Spanish settlement of Los Angeles, having existed for almost 70 years, was annexed to the United States, and on April 4, 1850 it received the status of a city.

The current state of the city

On the this moment this is The largest city California has about 14 million inhabitants. Urban buildings occupy a huge part - about 1200 sq. km. The film industry is very well developed here, it is Los Angeles that is famous for its Hollywood. Disney itself in 1955 opened the world's first Disneyland here. It was opened in one of the areas of Los Angeles - Anaheim.

Los Angeles has occupied the venerable second place in the number of murders for many years in a row, behind the famous New York. In 1989, 877 people were killed here, in 1990 - 983 people. The "gangster capital" of Chicago almost overtook Los Angeles, but is still behind it - 742 murders in 1989, 850 in 1990.

But local authorities are worried not only about this problem, there are many others, one of which is the lack of drinking water. In May 2000, there was even a rumor that the government was going to replenish its amount at the expense of ... wastewater. The population took this statement with hostility, very indignant and generating unrest among the masses, but the government reassures that after 5 years of high-quality and reusable water treatment, it will meet all standards and still can be taken inside.

It took only 219 years for the population of Los Angeles to completely lose their drinking water. The population very much hopes for a reasonable solution to the existing problem, since problems with drinking water- not a joke.

If I were asked to choose where to live the rest of my life outside of Russia, I would not hesitate for a second and chose Los Angeles. It has everything: the scale and capabilities of a multi-million dollar metropolis and fresh nature, which is within easy reach. Sparkling high-tech geometry and "good old America" ​​in the art deco style. Aesthetic museums and crazy nightclubs. Collected in eight freeways and tens of kilometers of beaches. And there is also a lot of fashion, music, movies and very, very cheerful people. Anyway, LA is an insanely fun city!

Los Angeles is an extremely loose concept. The fact is that the American administrative-territorial division is fundamentally different from the Russian, in other words, the city of Los Angeles, according to our concepts, is considered only its center, which is called so - Downtown LA. About 4 million people live there. All its famous districts - Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc. - are formally considered other cities. Yet they (as many as 88 pieces) are united in the 10 millionth Los Angeles County (Los Angeles County). Given that many of these towns can be reached in 20-30 minutes from LA city center, there is absolutely no "out-of-town" feeling. So Los Angeles is a whole kaleidoscope of settlements- urban and rural, urban and patriarchal, located on the ocean coast and in the valleys.

Mexico or America?

This question is by no means rhetorical. What, in fact, is clear to an inquisitive person already from the Spanish name of the city. A plaque in the main historic Plaza Los Angeles reads: "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles was founded here in 1781 as the first civilian Spanish settlement in southern California." The first part of this sentence, written in Spanish, is nothing more than the historical name of the city. Not surprisingly, over time, only angels remained from him - it's easier and more convenient.

After Mexican California became part of the United States, Los Angeles turned into an amazing socio-cultural American-Mexican fusion. Even if you've never been to Latin America When you visit Los Angeles, you will get a fairly broad understanding of the culture of "Latino" - from museums to eateries. Most of the local sellers, janitors, builders are from Mexico, often illegal. Mexican prowess is everywhere. It rushes with the incendiary music of mariachi and rancher from hurrying jeeps and convertibles. It envelops you with the scent of fresh tacos burritos-nachos-fajitas, spiced with salsa, chili and jalapenos. She dazzles you with her multitude of layered skirts and colorful dresses, similar to the props from the famous TV series, in the Mexican market on Olvera Street. She comes to you at night looking like a real "macho" at the bar of a nightclub, offering to share tequila with him (along the way, you will be given at least a dozen tips on which varieties to drink and which ones - for nothing). And now you do not notice it yourself, as you say "Hola" to a colorful mustachioed seller in the shop opposite, in response to his singing "Buenos Días, Señora" with a smile of all thirty-two teeth. And how, upon arrival in Moscow, run to the supermarket for real Mexican salsa, because all the food suddenly seems incredibly bland.

Downtown

In general, the center of Los Angeles, unlike the vast majority of cities in the world, is not a very walking place. It is mostly a downtown area where street life dies out after 8pm. Although personally I, for example, liked to walk here during the day or at sunset, when the sun in the Civic Center area plays dozens of shades on the mirror giants-skyscrapers. But it is best to be in this part of the city on the last Thursday of the month: this is the time of the so-called art walk, when all museums and galleries arrange "days open doors"until late in the evening. Jazz bands play, wine and champagne are poured, the audience hangs out, and art is closer to the people. The two main museums of the city deserve the most attention: MOCA (Museum of Modern Art) and LACMA (Museum of Latin American Art). you begin to understand that empires existed not only in Europe: a huge, surprisingly original layer of colonial culture opens up to you, about which, most likely, you did not have the slightest idea before.

Beaches

Beaches in Los Angeles, be warned right away, are not serene lounges with sun loungers and calm waters. That is, these are the beaches that least of all resemble the beach stereotypes prevailing among the majority of Russians. In this part of the Pacific Ocean, water is always boiling: it is not for nothing that southern California is one of the most best places for surfing in the world. The water here does not have the temperature of fresh milk. In general, the local beaches are for independent people, inclined to adventure and not afraid of the stormy manifestations of nature.

The nearest beach from downtown Los Angeles (half an hour by car without traffic jams) is Venice Beach. It is a real tourist town with countless souvenir shops and eateries. The audience here is different: both visiting and local - LA residents often escape here from the heat for several hours on weekends.

The beach town of Santa Monica has gained great popularity among visitors (you can get here by bus from the center in 50 minutes) - in addition to an excellent beach with a luxurious restaurant pier and a Ferris wheel, there is a promenade, where during the day, among the bushes, sheared in the form of dinosaurs, excellent shopping, and in the evenings there are actors, clowns, psychics, jugglers, acrobats, fire-eaters and other entertainers of all stripes.

Laguna Beach is one of the most bourgeois beaches in Los Angeles. Here you will find pure white sand, relatively calm waters and a picturesque coastline with bizarre rocks and boulders. By the way, the town itself is more reminiscent of Italy or Greece, with typical southern European tiled houses. The terrain is hilly, and if you climb to the very "top" and look down - it seems that you are on the Mediterranean Sea. It is better to keep silent about how much real estate costs here.

Long Beach is one of the most democratic resorts in LA. I confess: the city beach is not the best here, although the water is relatively calm and warm. The downside is that after working days, representatives of the Mexican working class come here, who do not always observe cleanliness and order. However, there is something very attractive and cute in this town - a handful of pretty skyscrapers in the center, the bulk peninsula Shoreline Village with noisy tourist shops on weekends, eateries and live concerts, the Oceanarium, a couple of Mexican ranches Los Alamitos and Los Cerritos (from which, in fact , 300 years ago, and the history of the city began). But the main must see is MOLAA, a stunning museum of contemporary Latin American art (again, you will make a lot of amazing cultural discoveries for yourself) and the world famous liner Queen Mary, which plowed the water surface between Europe and America in the first half of the 20th century and transported to there are many Hollywood stars, famous politicians and monarchs on board. Be sure to board it: the Titanic is resting! And there is also a Soviet submarine of the times cold war, where you can go on an excursion to the sound of the USSR anthem.

Malibu is the most famous beach (thanks to the local lifeguard series!). By the way, the rescuers here really, like in the movies, regularly drive around on beach "all-terrain vehicles". Malibu has two main beaches; one is ordinary, where, however, you can often find a resting star, and the other is only for surfers; it is forbidden to swim there. Getting off the bus by mistake (it goes from Santa Monica) at the first stop, I got to the first, surfer, but did not regret it at all: the sight of sports men and women gliding along the waves is fascinating. It seems that a flock of colorful dragonflies flew into the sea ... And there is also a wonderful ceramics museum nearby - originally Malibu was a village where master ceramists lived. The elegant house and courtyard are still decorated with multi-colored tiles, and hares and squirrels are jumping in the flowering bushes.

Parties

The city that gave birth to Hollywood and is headed by an actor-governor cannot live without incendiary parties. To penetrate the most interesting, of course, a standard tourist week is not enough. However, even if you're only in LA for the weekend, all is not lost. There are more than enough nightclubs here, although I would advise you to start with Standart and Elevate: there are plenty of trivial options in the basement or on the first floor in Moscow, but clubs on the high floors of skyscrapers - with patios, open terraces, breathtaking, "space" views of neighboring skyscrapers, jacuzzis and real palm trees - that's something! Another plus: in Los Angeles clubs, you can completely forget about age. They dance here at 25, 45, and older. Another club that deserves attention is called Bordello. There is a completely different aesthetics - a gloomy hypertrophied baroque, with candelabra, crystal chandeliers and red lanterns. However, there is no glamor familiar in Russia at all: a neo-Gothic touch gives the interior a special charm; in addition, Dixielands, Rockabilly and Charlestons play excellently live here.

If you are lucky enough to get to know a local get-together - and you can do it in the same clubs - you may well be invited to a private party at some millionaire bohemian mansion in Hollywood or an artistic loft in Downtown. Millionaires are not uncommon here, especially among homeowners, and almost every member of the middle class has "bohemian" acquaintances. In general, often when you are introduced to friends, friends of friends or just acquaintances, it sounds like this: "This is Bill, he painted for" Shrek-2 ";" This is Jessica, she makes a make-up on Warner "s", " This is Terika, she has sheathed about a dozen Hollywood films "... Once I was brought to a party to a famous artist who founded an empire of shops selling picture frames. The Aaron Brothers label in ten out of fifty American states knows as well as McDonald's - imagine how my jaw dropped when I was introduced to the 90-year-old legend. Old Len just threw a party in his own house for friends aged 20 to 80. Californians are hospitable people, and it is common to bring a friend with them.

But the coolest thing about Los Angeles is the rooftop parties. Yes, in this city the rooftops live their own very rich life. The roof here serves as a courtyard, only at the top and exclusively for its own people, with pools, benches, palm trees, electrical outlets and even toilets. You can remove the entire roof for a party, but this is not at all necessary: ​​sometimes two parties can take place on the same roof at once, and it’s even more interesting. You inhale the aromatic smoke of grilled meat, uncork a bottle of excellent Californian wine, play your favorite CD. In front of you, on a hill in the distance, you can see the Hollywood sign, and above you, in the sky, something is sure to fly - something Balloon with an advertising inscription, then a pleasure airship, then a mini-plane or a police helicopter. In the meantime, you plunge into the jacuzzi, pour yourself a mojito ... And here it is, dolce vita!

Maria Zhelikhovskaya

Los Angeles - L.A. or the City of Angels - the city of "eternal holiday", largest center for the production of "American Dream", located in the western United States between the magnificent California Pacific coast and snow-capped mountains. One of the most favorable Mediterranean climates, sunny days all year round and ocean breezes attract millions of holidaymakers here.

The first mentions of the settlement of the lands where Los Angeles is now located date back to 6 thousand BC: then the Indian tribes Gabrieleno and Chumash lived here. In 1542, the first foot of a white man set foot on the coast. It was the navigator JR Cabrillo from Portugal. Two centuries later, in 1769, the expedition of the Spaniard G. de Portola north of San Diego discovered the river, which was named "The River of Our Lady of the Queen of Angels" (El Rio de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles). The territory near the river was ranked as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1781, on September 4, on the banks of the river, a settlement with 44 inhabitants with the same name arose. It was founded by Franciscan missionaries. For several decades, this settlement was considered dominant in the province of Alta California. In 1821, Spanish rule in Central America came to naught. After that, the settlement joined the independent Mexico.

The name of the settlement "Los Angeles" originated around the 1830s. The river gave it its name. In 1846, US troops captured Los Angeles, and two years later, along with Upper California, they passed to the United States, according to the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty. On April 4, 1850, Los Angeles officially became a city. As the county seat of Los Angeles, it became part of the state of California. In the middle of the 19th century, the Californian gold rush occurred, as a result of which the city's population increased to 1,610 people. With its graduation, Los Angeles began to decline. And only the second half of the 1870s revived the city: Los Angeles became one of the centers of citrus production in California. An important role in this rise was played by the accession of the city to the West American Railways: in 1876 - to the Pacific railroad, in 1885 - to the Santa Fe line.

In the 1890s, oil fields were discovered in southern California. This discovery contributed to the further development of Los Angeles. By the beginning of the next century, the population of the city increased dramatically. For comparison: if in 1860 there were 2,300 people living in Los Angeles, then in 1900 there were already 102,500 people.

At the turn of the century, an artificial harbor was built in San Pedro, which is a few tens of kilometers from Los Angeles, which is one of the largest in the world. And 1913 was the year of the commissioning of a water pipeline from the Owens River to the San Fernando Valley, 370 km long. The first decades of the last century were characterized by a rather large expansion of the city's territory: neighboring settlements and areas such as San Pedro, Wilmington, San Fernando joined Los Angeles.

It should be noted that at the same time Los Angeles became the center of the American film industry. In addition, the factories of the Lockheed brothers and D. Douglas made Los Angeles an important center of the aircraft industry during the First World War.

The city began to develop especially rapidly in the twenties of the last century. The population of Los Angeles at that time was more than 1 million people. A Second World War became an impetus in the development of production for the needs of the war - aircraft and shipbuilding. But, at the same time, the active development of the city in the second half of the last century brought a number of problems.

First of all, this is demographic pressure and an increased need for resources, for example, in water. In addition, economic inequality among the population, racial unrest, especially significant in 1965 and 1992, transport and ecological problems, as well as the growth of drug trafficking and an increase in crime: it is worth remembering the war of gangsters in the 1980s for the right to control the drug trade.

Today Los Angeles is a large industrial, financial, commercial and Cultural Center Western United States. It is the second largest metropolitan area in the country.

It's L.A. baby! I was there, and you?

Los Angeles (eng. Los angeles, also known as L.A. and City of angels - City of Angels) is a city in the United States in southern California, located on the Pacific Ocean. The city is the administrative center of the district of the same name, as well as the center of Greater Los Angeles - an agglomeration with a population of over 17 million people. Los Angeles residents are called "Angelenos". (excerpt from Wikipedia)

Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the United States after New York. The number of inhabitants is more than 4 million.

To be honest, all I remember about this city is the terribly stuffy and humid air. A bit even heavy when you just leave the airport building. In contrast, so to speak. From the airport we went straight to the hotel.

Yes, roads! The roads there are ... not really ours. And even from the whole of America, they differ. Than? Drawing))) Painted with signs and other things in some bizarre manner, but I like it.

In general, what are we talking about! It's warm there. It's warm there - and that decides everything. I suggest you just see for yourself. This is better than listening to my outpouring. Enjoy!)))

The main attractions and iconic places in Los Angeles:

• City Hall
• Chinatown
• K-town (Korean borough of Los Angeles, Koreatown)
• Little Tokyo
• Olvera Street
• Venice
• Walt Disney Concert Hall
• Kodak Theater
• Griffith Observatory
• Getty Center
• Memorial Coliseum Stadium
• Staples Center
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art or LACMA
• Grauman's Chinese Theater
• Hollywood Sign
• Hollywood Boulevard
• Capitol Records Tower
• Hollywood Bowl

Los Angeles County has nearly 850 museums and art galleries, most of which are located in downtown, in particular on Gallery Row.