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Los Angeles County, California

Coordinates: 34°3′N 118°15′W / 34.050°N 118.250°W / 34.050; -118.250
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"LA County" redirects here. For the equivalent of counties in Louisiana, see List of parishes in Louisiana.

Los Angeles County
County
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Venice
Venice
Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills
Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills
Satellite photo of Santa Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Hollywood Sign
Hollywood Sign
Flag of Los Angeles County
Flag
Official seal of Los Angeles County
Seal
Official logo of Los Angeles County
Logo
Nickname(s): 
"LA County", "Metro-LA", "Greater LA"
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 34°3′N 118°15′W / 34.050°N 118.250°W / 34.050; -118.250
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
RegionSouthern California
Metro areaGreater Los Angeles
FormedFebruary 18, 1850[2]
Named forOur Lady, Queen of the Angels
County seatLos Angeles
Largest cityLos Angeles
Incorporated cities88
Government
 • TypeCouncil–CEO[1]
 • BodyBoard of Supervisors
 • ChairKathryn Barger (R)
 • Chair Pro TemHilda Solis (D)
 • Board of Supervisors
Supervisors
 • Chief Executive OfficerFesia Davenport
Area
 • Total
4,751 sq mi (12,310 km2)
 • Land4,058 sq mi (10,510 km2)
 • Water693 sq mi (1,790 km2)
Highest elevation
[3]
10,068 ft (3,069 m)
Lowest elevation
[4]
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (July 1, 2023)
 • Total
9,663,345 Decrease[1]
 • Density2,430/sq mi (940/km2)
GDP
[5]
 • Total$961.908 billion (2023)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
ZIP Codes
90xxx–918xx, 92397, 92821, 92823, 93243, 935xx[6]
Area codes213/323, 310/424, 442/760, 562, 626, 657/714, 661, 747/818, 840/909
FIPS code06-037
GNIS feature ID277283
Congressional districts23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th
Websitelacounty.gov

Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individual U.S. states. Comprising 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas within a total area of 4,083 square miles (10,570 km2), it is home to more than a quarter of Californians and is one of the most ethnically diverse U.S. counties.[7] The county's seat, Los Angeles, is the second most populous city in the United States, with 3,820,914 residents estimated in 2023. The county has been world-renowned as the domicile of the U.S. motion picture industry since the latter's inception in the early 20th century.

History

[edit]
Main articles: History of Los Angeles County, California and Ranchos of Los Angeles County
See also: Tovaangar; History of Los Angeles; Timeline of Los Angeles; History of Pasadena, California; History of the San Fernando Valley; Timeline of Long Beach, California; History of Santa Monica, California; and History of Santa Catalina Island
Brochure for Los Angeles, c. 1930.

Los Angeles County is one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850.[8] The county originally included parts of what are now Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Tulare, Ventura, and Orange counties. In 1851 and 1852, Los Angeles County stretched from the coast to the state line of Nevada.[9] As the population increased, sections were split off to organize San Bernardino County in 1853, Kern County in 1866, and Orange County in 1889.

Before the 1870s, Los Angeles County was divided into townships (many of which were amalgamations of one or more old ranchos):[10]

Location

[edit]

As shown by the map below, Los Angeles County is bordered on the north by Kern County, on the east by San Bernardino County, on the southeast by Orange County, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and on the west by Ventura County.

Geography

[edit]
Los Angeles and adjacent counties
The historical boundaries of Los Angeles County since its establishment in 1850 as defined by the California State Legislature. The solid blue line represents the original boundaries of the county, the dashed blue lines represent the changes made to the boundaries, and the red line represents the final major boundary changes of the county made by the Legislature in 1889. This map does not include minor changes to the boundary after 1922, such as the transfer of a small amount land east of Interstate 5 to Kern County, among others. Portions or the entirety of modern-day Inyo, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties were formerly in Los Angeles County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 4,751 square miles (12,310 km2), of which 4,058 square miles (10,510 km2) (85%) is land and 693 square miles (1,790 km2) (15%) is water.[14] Los Angeles County borders 70 miles (110 km) of coast on the Pacific Ocean and encompasses mountain ranges, valleys, forests, islands, lakes, rivers, and desert. The Los Angeles River, Rio Hondo, Ballona Creek, the San Gabriel River and the Santa Clara River flow in Los Angeles County, while the primary mountain ranges are the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. The western extent of the Mojave Desert begins in the Antelope Valley, in the northeastern part of the county.

Most of the population of Los Angeles County resides in the south and southwest, with major population centers in the Los Angeles Basin, San Fernando Valley, and San Gabriel Valley. Other population centers are found in the Santa Clarita Valley, Pomona Valley, Crescenta Valley and Antelope Valley.

The county is divided west-to-east by the San Gabriel Mountains, which are part of the Transverse Ranges of southern California, and are contained mostly within the Angeles National Forest. Most of the county's highest peaks are in the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount San Antonio 10,068 feet (3,069 m) at the Los Angeles–San Bernardino county lines, Mount Baden-Powell 9,399 feet (2,865 m), Mount Burnham 8,997 feet (2,742 m) and Mount Wilson 5,710 feet (1,740 m). Several lower mountains are in the northern, western, and southwestern parts of the county, including the San Emigdio Mountains, the southernmost part of Tehachapi Mountains and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.

Los Angeles County includes San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island, which are part of the Channel Islands archipelago off the Pacific Coast.

Lakes and reservoirs

[edit]

Major divisions of the county

[edit]

National protected areas

[edit]

Climate

[edit]

The Northern part of the county has a Desert climate, while the rest of the county generally is a mix of Semi-arid and a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. There is rainfall mostly in the wintertime, but the mountains in the north-central part of the county have snow during winter.[15]

Demographics

[edit]
Main article: Demographics of Los Angeles County
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18503,530—
186011,333221.0%
187015,30935.1%
188033,381118.0%
1890101,454203.9%
1900170,29867.9%
1910504,131196.0%
1920936,45585.8%
19302,208,492135.8%
19402,785,64326.1%
19504,151,68749.0%
19606,038,77145.5%
19707,041,98016.6%
19807,477,4216.2%
19908,863,16418.5%
20009,519,3387.4%
20109,818,6053.1%
202010,014,0092.0%
2023 (est.)9,663,345[16]−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
1790–1960[18] 1900–1990[19]
1990–2000[20] 2010[21] 2020[22]

2020 Census

[edit]
Los Angeles County, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1990[23] Pop 2000[24] Pop 2010[21] Pop 2020[22] % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 3,618,850 2,959,614 2,728,321 2,563,609 40.83% 31.09% 27.79% 25.60%
Black or African American alone (NH) 934,776 901,472 815,086 760,689 10.55% 9.47% 8.30% 7.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 29,159 25,609 18,886 18,453 0.33% 0.27% 0.19% 0.18%
Asian alone (NH) 907,810 1,124,569 1,325,671 1,474,237 10.24% 11.81% 13.50% 14.72%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) N/A 23,265 22,464 20,522 N/A 0.24% 0.23% 0.20%
Other race alone (NH) 21,327 19,935 25,367 58,683 0.24% 0.21% 0.26% 0.59%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) N/A 222,661 194,921 313,053 N/A 2.34% 1.99% 3.13%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3,351,242 4,242,213 4,687,889 4,804,763 37.81% 44.56% 47.74% 47.98%
Total 8,863,164 9,519,338 9,818,605 10,014,009 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
For the racial / ethnic profile of individual communities in Los Angeles County, see Demographics of Los Angeles County § Racial / Ethnic profile of places in Los Angeles County, California.

Racial and ethnic composition since 1960

[edit]
Racial composition 2020[25] 2010[25][26] 2000[26] 1990[26] 1980[26] 1970 1960
Hispanic or Latino 48.0% 47.7% 44.5% 37.8% 27.6% 14.9%[27] 11%[28]
White[29] 25.6% 27.8% 31.1% 40.8% 52.8% 70.9%[27] 90.3% with Hispanics,[30]
79.3% without Hispanics
Asian 14.7% 13.5% 11.9% 11%[28] 5.6%[31] 2.9%[32] 1.9%[33]
Black or African American 7.6% 8.3% 9.7% 11.1% 12.6% 10.8%[34] 7.6%[35]
Native American 0.2% 0.2% 0.8% 0.5% 0.64%[36] 0.35%[37] 0.13%[38]
Pacific Islander 0.2% 0.2% - - - - -
Mixed race 3.0% 2.0% - - - - -
Racial composition as of 2023 07 01[39]
Total population 9,663,345
Hispanic or Latino 4,696,386 48.6%
White[29] 2,444,826 25.3%
Asian 1,546,135 16%
Black or African American 869,701 9%
Native American 144,950 1.5%
Pacific Islander 38,653 0.4%
Mixed race 328,554 3.4%

2010 Census

[edit]
Ethnic origins in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County had a population of 9,818,605 in the 2010 United States census.[40] This includes a natural increase since the last census of 583,364 people (i.e., 1,152,564 births minus 569,200 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 361,895 people. Immigration resulted in a net increase of 293,433 people, and migration from within the United States resulted in a net decrease of 655,328 people.[41]

The racial makeup of Los Angeles County was 4,936,599 (50%) White, 1,346,865 (13.7%) Asian, 856,874 (9%) African American, 72,828 (0.7%) Native American, 26,094 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,140,632 (21.8%) from other races, and 438,713 (4.5%) from two or more races.

Non-Hispanic whites numbered 2,728,321, or 28% of the population.[42] Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 4,687,889 (48%); 36% of Los Angeles County's population was of Mexican ancestry, 3.7% Salvadoran, and 2.2% Guatemalan heritage.[43]

The county has a large population of Asian Americans, being home to the largest numbers of Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Korean, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, and Thai outside their respective countries.[44] The largest Asian groups in Los Angeles County are 4.0% Chinese, 3.3% Filipino, 2.2% Korean, 1.0% Japanese, 0.9% Vietnamese, 0.8% Indian, and 0.3% Cambodian.

In 2007, the largest European-American ancestry groups were German (6%), Irish (5%), English (4%) and Italian (3%). 45.9% of the population reported speaking only English at home; 37.9% spoke Spanish, 2.22% Tagalog, 2.0% Chinese, 1.9% Korean, 1.87% Armenian, 0.5% Arabic, and 0.2% Hindi.[45]

The county has the largest Native American population of any U.S. county, originating mostly from Latin American countries.

As estimated by the Public Policy Institute of California in 2008, Los Angeles County was home to more than one-third of California's undocumented immigrants, who made up more than ten percent of the population.[46]

Los Angeles County is home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia.[47]

Los Angeles County contains the largest Iranian population outside of Iran of any other county or county equivalent globally.[48]

Income

[edit]
Percent of households with incomes above $150k across LA County census tracts.

In 2019, the median household income in the county was $72,797.[49]

The median personal earnings for all workers 16 and older in Los Angeles County are $30,654, slightly below the US median; earnings, however vary widely by neighborhood, race and ethnicity, and gender.[50] The median household income was $42,189 and the median family income was $46,452. Males had a median income of $36,299 versus $30,981 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,683. There are 14.4% of families living below the poverty line and 17.9% of the population, including 24.2% of under 18 and 10.5% of those over 64. Los Angeles County has the highest number of millionaires of any county in the nation, totaling 261,081 households as of 2007.[51]

The homeownership rate is 47.9%, and the median value for houses is $409,300. 42.2% of housing units are in multi-unit structures. Los Angeles County has the largest number of homeless people, with "48,000 people living on the streets, including 6,000 veterans," in 2010.[52] As of 2017 the number of homeless people in the county increased to nearly 58,000.[53]

Religion

[edit]

In 2015, there were over two thousand Christian churches, the majority of which are Catholic.[54][55] Roman Catholic adherents number close to 40% of the population. There were 202 Jewish synagogues, 145 Buddhist temples, 38 Muslim mosques, 44 Baháʼí Faith worship centers, 37 Hindu temples, 28 Tenrikyo churches and fellowships, 16 Shinto worship centers, and 14 Sikh gurdwaras in the county.[56] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has approximately 5 million members and is the largest diocese in the United States. In 2014, the county had 3,275 religious organizations, the most out of all US counties.[57]

Law, government, and politics

[edit]
Charter of the County of Los Angeles, with amendments through March 2002

Government

[edit]
Main article: Government of Los Angeles County

The Government of Los Angeles County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law and the Charter of the County of Los Angeles.[58] Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of local governments such as the Government of Los Angeles County.

The county's voters elect a governing five-member Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The small size of the board means each supervisor represents over 2 million people. The board operates in a legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial capacity. As a legislative authority, it can pass ordinances for the unincorporated areas (ordinances that affect the whole county, like posting of restaurant ratings, must be ratified by the individual city). As an executive body, it can tell the county departments what to do, and how to do it. As a quasi-judicial body, the Board is the final venue of appeal in the local planning process, and holds public hearings on various agenda items.

As of 2020, the Board of Supervisors oversees a $35.5 billion annual budget and over 112,000 employees.[59] The county government is managed on a day-to-day basis by a chief executive officer and is organized into many departments, each of which is enormous in comparison to equivalent county-level (and even many state-level) departments anywhere else in the United States. Some of the larger or better-known departments include:

The Grand Avenue entrance of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.
  • Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs – offers consumers in the county a variety of services including: consumer and real estate counseling, mediation, and small claims counseling investigates consumer complaints, real estate fraud and identity theft issues. The department also provides small business certifications and helps entrepreneurs navigate the process of opening a business.
  • Los Angeles County Superior Court - The primary trial court for Los Angeles County, handling civil, criminal, family, and probate cases.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, despite its name, is not a County department. Technically it is a state-mandated county transportation commission that also operates a large bus and rail system in the county.

Politics

[edit]
United States presidential election results for Los Angeles County, California[62][63]
Year Republican / Whig Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 1,189,862 31.91% 2,417,109 64.82% 122,118 3.27%
2020 1,145,530 26.74% 3,028,885 70.70% 109,530 2.56%
2016 769,743 22.41% 2,464,364 71.76% 200,201 5.83%
2012 885,333 27.83% 2,216,903 69.69% 78,831 2.48%
2008 956,425 28.82% 2,295,853 69.19% 65,970 1.99%
2004 1,076,225 35.60% 1,907,736 63.10% 39,319 1.30%
2000 871,930 32.35% 1,710,505 63.47% 112,719 4.18%
1996 746,544 30.96% 1,430,629 59.34% 233,841 9.70%
1992 799,607 29.04% 1,446,529 52.54% 507,267 18.42%
1988 1,239,716 46.88% 1,372,352 51.89% 32,603 1.23%
1984 1,424,113 54.50% 1,158,912 44.35% 29,889 1.14%
1980 1,224,533 50.18% 979,830 40.15% 235,822 9.66%
1976 1,174,926 47.78% 1,221,893 49.69% 62,258 2.53%
1972 1,549,717 54.75% 1,189,977 42.04% 90,676 3.20%
1968 1,266,480 47.65% 1,223,251 46.02% 168,251 6.33%
1964 1,161,067 42.52% 1,568,300 57.43% 1,551 0.06%
1960 1,302,661 49.45% 1,323,818 50.25% 8,020 0.30%
1956 1,260,206 55.38% 1,007,887 44.29% 7,331 0.32%
1952 1,278,407 56.21% 971,408 42.71% 24,725 1.09%
1948 804,232 46.51% 812,690 47.00% 112,160 6.49%
1944 666,441 42.68% 886,252 56.75% 8,871 0.57%
1940 574,266 40.58% 822,718 58.13% 18,285 1.29%
1936 357,401 31.62% 757,351 67.00% 15,663 1.39%
1932 373,738 38.55% 554,476 57.19% 41,380 4.27%
1928 513,526 70.22% 209,945 28.71% 7,830 1.07%
1924 299,675 65.51% 33,554 7.33% 124,228 27.16%
1920 178,117 69.10% 55,661 21.59% 23,992 9.31%
1916 135,554 50.59% 114,070 42.58% 18,297 6.83%
1912 2,181 1.32% 55,110 33.34% 108,005 65.34%
1908 41,483 56.77% 22,076 30.21% 9,518 13.02%
1904 32,507 66.50% 10,030 20.52% 6,346 12.98%
1900 19,200 55.10% 13,158 37.76% 2,490 7.15%
1896 16,891 49.62% 16,043 47.13% 1,108 3.25%
1892 10,226 44.89% 8,119 35.64% 4,434 19.47%
1888 13,805 54.64% 10,110 40.02% 1,349 5.34%
1884 5,595 51.67% 4,683 43.24% 551 5.09%
1880 2,914 47.90% 2,853 46.90% 316 5.19%
1876 3,042 45.69% 3,616 54.31% 0 0.00%
1872 1,312 51.11% 1,228 47.84% 27 1.05%
1868 748 37.70% 1,236 62.30% 0 0.00%
1864 555 42.73% 744 57.27% 0 0.00%
1860 356 20.27% 703 40.03% 697 39.69%
1856 521 37.84% 721 52.36% 135 9.80%
1852 497 46.41% 574 53.59% 0 0.00%
Main article: Politics of Los Angeles County

Overview

[edit]

Voter registration

[edit]
Population and registered voters
Total population (2020) 10,014,009
  Registered voters[64][note 1] 5,668,603 56.6%
    Democratic[64] 2,976,209 52.5%
    Republican[64] 1,025,622 18.1%
    Democratic–Republican spread[64] +1,950,587 +34.4%
    American Independent[64] 181,301 3.2%
    Green[64] 26,298 0.5%
    Libertarian[64] 49,018 0.9%
    Peace and Freedom[64] 42,253 0.8%
    Unknown[64] 37,101 0.7%
    Other[64] 53,708 1.0%
    No party preference[64] 1,277,111 22.5%

In the United States House of Representatives, Los Angeles County is split between 17 congressional districts.[65] In the California State Senate, Los Angeles County is split between 13 legislative districts.[66] In the California State Assembly, Los Angeles County is split between 24 legislative districts.[67]

On November 4, 2008, Los Angeles County was almost evenly split over Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. The county voted for the amendment 50.04% with a margin of 2,385 votes.[68]

[edit]
Further information: Los Angeles County Superior Court

The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the county's court of general jurisdiction, while the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California may hear cases where federal jurisdiction is present. Both are headquartered in a large cluster of government buildings in the city's Civic Center.

Historically, the courthouses were county-owned buildings that were maintained at county expense, which created significant friction since the trial court judges, as officials of the state government, had to lobby the county Board of Supervisors for facility renovations and upgrades. In turn, the state judiciary successfully persuaded the state Legislature to authorize the transfer of all courthouses to the state government in 2008 and 2009 (so that judges would have direct control over their own courthouses). Courthouse security is still provided by the county government under a contract with the state.

Unlike the largest city in the United States, New York City, all of the city of Los Angeles and most of its important suburbs are located within a single county. As a result, both the county superior court and the federal district court are respectively the busiest courts of their type in the nation.[69][70]

Many celebrities have been seen in Los Angeles courts. In 2003, the television show Extra (based in nearby Glendale) found itself running so many reports on the legal problems of local celebrities that it spun them off into a separate show, Celebrity Justice.

State cases are appealed to the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District, which is also headquartered in the Civic Center, and then to the California Supreme Court, which is headquartered in San Francisco but also hears argument in Los Angeles (again, in the Civic Center). Federal cases are appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which hears them at its branch building in Pasadena. The court of last resort for federal cases is the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Crime

[edit]

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates

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Other statistics

[edit]

Crime in 2013

  • Homicides: 386[74]
  • Thefts: 54,971 [75]
  • Burglaries: 17,606
  • Car Thefts: 15,866[75]
  • Robberies: 10,202
  • Violent Crimes: 20,318[75]
  • Rapes: 843
  • Assaults: 8,976[75]
  • Murders: 297

Ecology

[edit]
Many introduced species, such as this Indian peafowl, adapt readily to urban living and Los Angeles County's mild climate.

According to the authors of Wild L.A., a book about urban biodiversity, "Los Angeles is the birdiest county in the country with over 500 recorded species." LA's amenable climate supports a large number of introduced, tropical and migratory species.[76] Because of the county's wide range of biomes it is possible to see desert bighorn sheep and green sea turtles in the same day, without crossing the county line.[76] The range of habitats in the county is "greater than in many states, with mountains, wetlands, desert, ocean, meadows and chaparral, each with its own endemic species."[77] There are at least 100 species of trees, and 1000 species of non-native plants, in the urban areas of the county.[78] Charismatic biodiversity indicator species native to the area include three species of amphibian (Baja California chorus frog, black-bellied slender salamander, western toad), 14 species of bird (acorn woodpecker, California quail, canyon wren, cinnamon teal, great blue heron, great horned owl, greater roadrunner, hooded merganser, Northern harrier, red-tailed hawk, red-winged blackbird, spotted towhee, western bluebird, western meadowlark), nine kinds of invertebrates (Behr's metalmark, bramble green hairstreak, bumblebees, El Segundo blue butterfly, harvester ants, Lorquin's admiral, North American Jerusalem crickets, Sara orangetip, velvet ants), five mammals (bobcat, dusky footed woodrat, gray fox, mountain lion, mule deer), and six reptiles (California kingsnake, coachwhip snake, gopher snake, side-blotched lizard, western pond turtle, western rattlesnake).[79] Any observations of these species within the county are considered ecologically significant indicators of ecosystem health and may be documented using the iNaturalist app.[80][81]

Economy

[edit]
See also: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
Employment by industry in Los Angeles County (2015)

Los Angeles County is commonly associated with the entertainment and digital media industry; all five major film studios—Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios—are located within the county. Numerous other major industries also define the economy of Los Angeles County, including international trade supported by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, music recording and production, aerospace and defense, fashion, and professional services such as law, medicine, engineering and design services, financial services.[82] High-tech sector employment within Los Angeles County is 368,500 workers,[83] and manufacturing employment within Los Angeles County is 365,000 workers.[84][85] Despite a business exodus from Downtown Los Angeles since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city's urban core is evolving as a cultural center with the world's largest showcase of architecture designed by Frank Gehry.[86]

The following major companies have headquarters in Los Angeles County:

Education

[edit]

The Los Angeles County Office of Education provides a supporting role for school districts in the area. The county office also operates two magnet schools, the International Polytechnic High School and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. There are a number of private schools in the county, most notably those operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The county's public education sector is run by numerous school districts with the Los Angeles Unified School District being the largest one running public schools primarily within the city of Los Angeles and its immediately neighboring cities.

Colleges

[edit]

Universities

[edit]

K–12 schools

[edit]
Main article: List of school districts in Los Angeles County, California
See also: List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Sites of interest

[edit]
LA County Fair at dusk, 2008
Photo of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during its 2005 Ancient Egypt exhibit.

The county's most visited park is Griffith Park, owned by the city of Los Angeles. The county is also known for the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, the annual Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Zoo, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the La Brea Tar Pits, the Arboretum of Los Angeles, and two horse racetracks and two car racetracks (Pomona Raceway and Irwindale Speedway), also the RMS Queen Mary located in Long Beach, and the Long Beach Grand Prix, and miles of beaches—from Zuma to Cabrillo.

Venice Beach is a popular attraction whose Muscle Beach used to attract throngs of tourists admiring "hardbodies". Today, it is more arts-centered. Santa Monica's pier is a well known tourist spot, famous for its Ferris wheel and bumper car rides, which were featured in the introductory segment of the television sitcom Three's Company. Further north in Pacific Palisades one finds the beaches used in the television series Baywatch.[89] The fabled Malibu, home of many film and television stars, lies west of it.

In the mountain, canyon, and desert areas one may find Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, where many old Westerns were filmed. Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains is open for the public to view astronomical stars from its telescope, now computer-assisted. Many county residents find relaxation in water skiing and swimming at Castaic Lake Recreation Area – the county's largest park by area – as well as enjoying natural surroundings and starry nights at Saddleback Butte State Park in the eastern Antelope Valley – California State Parks' largest in area within the county. The California Poppy Reserve is located in the western Antelope Valley and shows off the State's flower in great quantity on its rolling hills every spring.

Museums

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Entertainment

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Music venues

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Walt Disney Concert Hall

Amusement parks

[edit]

Other attractions

[edit]

Other areas

[edit]
Angeles National Forest

Transportation

[edit]
Main article: Transportation in Los Angeles

Major highways

[edit]

Air

[edit]
Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located in the Westchester district, is the primary commercial airport for commercial airlines in the county and the Greater Los Angeles Area. LAX is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), an agency of the City of Los Angeles.

Other important commercial airports in Los Angeles County include:

The following general aviation airports also are located in Los Angeles County:

The U.S. Air Force operates three airports in Los Angeles County:

Rail

[edit]

Los Angeles is a major freight-railroad transportation center, largely due to the large volumes of freight moving in and out of the county's sea port facilities. The ports are connected to the downtown rail yards and to the main lines of Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe headed east via a grade-separated, freight rail corridor known as the Alameda Corridor.

Passenger rail service is provided in the county by Amtrak, Los Angeles Metro Rail and Metrolink.

Amtrak has the following intercity Amtrak service at Union Station in the city of Los Angeles:

Union Station is also the primary hub for Metrolink commuter rail, which serves much of the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Light rail, subway (heavy rail), and long-distance bus service are all provided by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Other smaller regional transit agencies that provide public transit to specific regions of Los Angeles County include LADOT, Long Beach Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit, Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus serving the western LA region, Santa Clarita Transit, Torrance Transit, Glendale Beeline, Foothill Transit serving the San Gabriel Valley region, and the Antelope Valley Transit Authority serving the Lancaster and Palmdale area in the Antelope Valley region.

Sea

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The county's two main seaports are the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Together they handle over a quarter of all container traffic entering the United States, making the complex the largest and most important port in the country, and the third-largest port in the world by shipping volume.

The Port of Los Angeles is the largest cruise ship center on the West Coast, handling more than 1 million passengers annually.

The Port of Long Beach is home to the Sea Launch program, which uses a floating launch platform to insert payloads into orbits that would be difficult to attain from existing land-based launch sites.

Catalina Express ferries link the Catalina Island city of Avalon to the mainland at San Pedro and Long Beach, as well as Dana Point in Orange County.

Water

[edit]
Watersheds of Los Angeles County

Water is provided by at least 200 independent water districts or agencies.[91] Statewide droughts in California have placed a strain on the county's water security.[92] Statewide droughts in California have further strained Los Angeles County's water security.[93]

Communities

[edit]
For the racial / ethnic profile of individual communities in Los Angeles County, see Demographics of Los Angeles County § Racial / Ethnic profile of places in Los Angeles County, California.

Cities

[edit]
Main article: List of cities in Los Angeles County, California

There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County. According to the 2018 Estimate, the most populous are:[94]

Largest cities, 2018 Estimate
City Population
Los Angeles
3,990,456
Long Beach
467,354
Santa Clarita
210,089
Glendale
201,361
Lancaster
159,053
Palmdale
156,667
Pomona
152,361
Torrance
145,182
Pasadena
141,371
El Monte
115,586
Downey
112,269
West Covina
106,311
Norwalk
105,120
Burbank
103,695

Unincorporated areas

[edit]

Census designated places

[edit]

Other unincorporated communities

[edit]

Proposed communities

[edit]
See: Los Angeles Almanac MAP: Unincorporated Areas and Communities of Los Angeles County
See also: List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  2. ^ Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
3.^ Mayor-Council In 2032

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