Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Los Angeles?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about Los Angeles facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About Los Angeles
1 – Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States with a population of 3,979,579 (New York is the most populated with a population of 8,336,817).
2 – The first hospital in Los Angeles was built in 1867.
3 – In 1903, a group of oil producers from Ohio founded Union Oil Company to explore for crude oil.
4 – In 1906, an earthquake and fire destroyed much of downtown LA.
5 – The University of California has been ranked in the top US universities for over 50 years. Here’s the current top 10: 1) Harvard University, 2) Stanford University, 3) Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, 4) University Of California Berkeley (UCB), 5) University Of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 6) Yale University, 7) Columbia University 8) Princeton University, 9) New York University and 10) University of Pennsylvania.
More Facts About Los Angeles
6 – The city’s name derives from a Spanish phrase meaning “the angels”.
7 – It has an average elevation of 4,000 feet.
8 – Los Angeles was founded on September 4th, 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve.
9 – The Hollywood sign was originally put up to advertise a housing development called “Hollywoodland.”
10 – Los Angeles has a homeless population of about 56,257.
More Facts About Los Angeles
11 – There are 1264 miles of coastline in LA.
12 – The most expensive neighbourhoods in Los Angeles are: Paradise Cove Bluffs (average $80M), Beverly Park ($32.5M), Encinal Bluffs ($29.5M), Holmby Hills ($27M), Serra Retreat ($23M), Bel Air Estates ($18.5M), Beverly Hills Gateway ($17.5M), Malibu Colony ($15M) and Brentwood Park ($14M).
13 – There’s sun around 300 days a year in Los Angeles. In December the temperatures range from 9-20 degrees Celsius while in July the temperatures range from 18-29 degrees Celsius.
14 – Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers from Mexico in 1781. In 1848, it finally became part of the United States after Mexican-American War ended. A treaty was signed and Los Angeles was officially incorporated as a part of California on April 4th, 1850.
15 – In 1781, Spain established El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles so Americans could convert to Catholicism.
More Facts About Los Angeles
16 – There are over 100 museums in LA including LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) which houses works from Monet, Picasso, Warhol, Pollock and Lichtenstein.
17 – In 1887, oil was discovered and this led to an energy boom for the state of California.
18 – Los Angeles was founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula on September 4, 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve.
19 – In 1847, it became part of the US after being ceded from Mexico at the end of the Mexican–American War. It was incorporated as a municipality on April 4th 1850 and named for itself.
20 – The top three industries in LA are entertainment, international trade, and manufacturing.
More Facts About Los Angeles
21 – The first commercial radio broadcast happened on January 12th, 1920 and was transmitted from station KDKA in Pittsburgh.
22 – In 1887, the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.
23 – Venice Beach has been featured in several movies including “Pulp Fiction,” American History X, The Doors, and “Gidget” as well as TV shows like “Baywatch” and “The OJ Simpson Story”. It also hosts live music concerts on its boardwalk every summer.
24 – LA hosts over 100 festivals every year including the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (April) and the LACMA Art + Film Gala (November)
25 – In 1873, an earthquake shook LA and killed about 3,000 people.
Bonus Facts
In 1906, another earthquake hit LA with a magnitude 7 quake that destroyed 80% of all homes in the city.
The first street car system was built in 1874 by horsecar operator Gus Carpenter.
In 1887, William Mulholland brought water from nearby mountains to create what would become known as the “Los Angeles Aqueduct”.
The film industry ended up in LA to get away from Thomas Edison who lived in New Jersey. He owned most of the films patents so they went west to avoid Edison’s intellectual property claims.
