The county is home to 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas. At 4,752 square miles (12,310 km2), it is larger than combined areas of the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. The southern portion is the most heavily urbanized area and is home to the vast majority of the population which lives along the Southern California coastline and the inland basins and valleys. The northern half is a large expanse of less-populated desert including the Santa Clarita Valley and the Antelope Valley, which encompasses the northeastern part of the county and is adjacent to Kern County. In between these portions of the county sit the San Gabriel Mountains and the vast wilderness known as the Angeles National Forest.
The county is home to over a quarter of all California residents. One of the most diverse counties in the country, it holds most of the principal cities encompassing the Greater Los Angeles Area and is the core of the five counties that make up the area.
History
Read More: History of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles County was one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850. The county's large area included parts of what is now Kern County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Orange County. These parts of the county's territory were given to San Bernardino County in 1853, to Kern County in 1866 and to Orange County in 1889. In 1893, part of San Bernardino County became Riverside County.
Geography
With 4,061 square miles (10,517 km²), Los Angeles County borders 70 miles (110 km) of coast on the Pacific Ocean and encompasses numerous other natural landscapes including towering mountain ranges, deep valleys, forests, islands, lakes, rivers, and desert. The county contains the following rivers: Los Angeles River, Rio Hondo, the San Gabriel River and the Santa Clara River. The primary mountain ranges are the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. It also includes the westernmost part of the Mojave Desert, and San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Most of the population of Los Angeles County is located in the south and southwest. The major population centers are the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. Moderate populations are in the Santa Clarita, Crescenta and The Antelope Valley. The area north of the Santa Clarita Valley (Northwest Los Angeles County, adjacent to Ventura and Kern counties) is mostly mountainous, rugged, well-timbered and filled with coniferous forests that receives plentiful snow in the winter, right to the point of blizzard conditions. This area is less populated. Mountains in this area include San Emigdio Mountains, the southernmost part of Tehachapi Mountains, and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.
Most of the highest peaks in the county are located in the San Gabriel Mountains, which are part of the Transverse Ranges. They include Mount San Antonio (10,068 ft) at the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county lines, Mount Baden-Powell (9,399 ft), Mount Burnham (8,997 ft), and the well-known Mount Wilson (5,710 ft) where the Mount Wilson Observatory is located. Several smaller, lower peaks are located in the northern, western, and southwestern Los Angeles County.
The county has a total area of 4,752 square miles (12,308 km²), of which 4,061 square miles (10,518 km²) is land and 691 square miles (1,791 km²) (14.55%) is water.
Major divisions of the county
Los Angeles, CA from the air
East: Eastside, San Gabriel Valley, Pomona Valley
West: Westside, Beach Cities
South: South Bay, Palos Verdes Peninsula, South Los Angeles, Gateway Cities
North: San Fernando Valley, portions of the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley
Central: Downtown Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire
Cities
Cities in Los Angeles County, California
There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County. The most populous are as follows:
1. Los Angeles 4,065,585
2. Long Beach 492,682
3. Glendale 207,303
4. Santa Clarita 177,150
5. Pomona 163,408
6. Palmdale 151,346
7. Pasadena 150,185
8. Torrance 149,111
9. Lancaster 145,074
10. El Monte 126,308
11. Inglewood 118,868
12. Downey 113,469
13. West Covina 112,648
14. Norwalk 109,567
15. Burbank 108,082
Unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County
Despite the large number of incorporated cities, most of the area of the county is unincorporated, and falls directly under the county government's jurisdiction. With no city government, residents of these areas must petition the appropriate member of the Board of Supervisors when they have a grievance about the quality of local services.
Census-designated places
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Communities not Census-designated places
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See: Los Angeles Almanac MAP: Unincorporated Areas and Communities of Los Angeles County
Districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles
Adjacent counties
Los Angeles
Ventura
Kern
San
Bernardino
Orange
Pacific
Ocean
Counties and bodies of water adjacent to Los Angeles County, California
National protected areas
Angeles National Forest (part)
Los Padres National Forest (part)
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (part)
Transportation infrastructure
Main article: Transportation of Los Angeles
Roads
The county has an extensive freeway network of legendary size and complexity, which is maintained by Caltrans and patrolled by the California Highway Patrol. It also has a vast urban and suburban street network, most of which is maintained by city governments. The county and most cities generally do a decent job of maintaining and cleaning streets. For more information about the primary exception, see the Transportation in Los Angeles article.
Both the freeways and streets are notorious for severe traffic congestion, and the area's freeway-to-freeway interchanges regularly rank among the top 10 most congested points in the country.
In addition to Metro Bus service, numerous cities within the county also operate their own bus companies and shuttle lines.
Major highways
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Interstate 5
Interstate 105
Interstate 405
Interstate 605
Interstate 10
Interstate 110
Interstate 210
Interstate 710
U.S. Route 101
State Route 1
State Route 2
State Route 14
State Route 18
State Route 19
State Route 39
State Route 47
State Route 57
State Route 60
State Route 66
State Route 71
State Route 90
State Route 91
State Route 110
State Route 134
State Route 138
State Route 170
State Route 210Air
The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles. Other important airports include the Long Beach Municipal Airport in Long Beach and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Palmdale Regional Airport is planned for expanded commercial service. There are also general aviation airports in Los Angeles, including airports in Van Nuys and Pacoima. Other general aviation airports exist in Santa Monica, Compton, Torrance, El Monte, Lancaster, La Verne, and Hawthorne.
Train
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 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.
The Pacific Surfliner to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and San Diego.
The Coast Starlight to Seattle
The Southwest Chief to Chicago
The Sunset Limited to New Orleans and Orlando
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).
Sea
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 over 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.
Ferries link the Catalina Island city of Avalon to the mainland.
Economy
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles County is commonly associated with the entertainment industry; all six major studios—Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios—are located within the county. Beyond motion picture and television program production, other major industries of Los Angeles County are international trade supported by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, music recording and production, aerospace, and professional services such as law and medicine.
For major companies headquartered in the City of Los Angeles, and adjacent cities, see the Economy section of the Los Angeles, California article.
The following major companies have headquarters in Los Angeles County cities not adjacent to the city of Los Angeles:
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Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 3,530 | ||
| 1860 | 11,333 | 221.0% | |
| 1870 | 15,309 | 35.1% | |
| 1880 | 33,381 | 118.0% | |
| 1890 | 101,454 | 203.9% | |
| 1900 | 170,298 | 67.9% | |
| 1910 | 504,131 | 196.0% | |
| 1920 | 936,455 | 85.8% | |
| 1930 | 2,208,492 | 135.8% | |
| 1940 | 2,785,643 | 26.1% | |
| 1950 | 4,151,687 | 49.0% | |
| 1960 | 6,038,771 | 45.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,041,980 | 16.6% | |
| 1980 | 7,477,421 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 8,863,164 | 18.5% | |
| 2000 | 9,519,338 | 7.4% | |
| Est. 2009 | 9,848,011 | 3.5% | |
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,519,338 people, 3,133,774 households, and 2,137,233 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,344 people per square mile (905/km²). There were 3,270,909 housing units at an average density of 806 per square mile (311/km²). The racial makeup of the county is 48.71% White 11.0% African American, 0.81% Native American, 10.0% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 23.53% from other races, and 4.94% from two or more races. 44.56% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The largest European-American ancestry groups are German (6%), Irish (5%), English (4%) and Italian (3%). 45.87% of the population reported speaking English at home; 37.89% spoke Spanish as their first language, 2.22% Tagalog, 1.98% Chinese, 1.87% Korean, and 1.57% Armenian.
Because the county is so populous, what is not so evident is that it has the largest Native American population of any county in the nation: according to the 2000 census, it has more than 153,550 people of indigenous descent. "The invisible population that is virtually ignored by the census is that of indigenous people from Mexico, Central and South America."
There were 3,133,774 households out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.61.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,189, and the median income for a family 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.
According to TNS Financial Services, Los Angeles County has the highest number of millionaires out of all other counties in the country, totaling 261,081 households as of 2007, with about 1 out of every 38 households worth more than $1 million (not including primary residence). In addition to millionaires, Los Angeles County also has the largest number of homeless people, with "48,000 people living on the streets, including 6,000 veterans."
Housing
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.
2008 Demographics
As of: January 1, 2008
- Total Population: 10,363,850, or about 27% of California's population. The county population increased 8.1% between 2000 and 2008.
Non Hispanic Persons: 52.7%
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Law, government and politics
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 2008, the Board of Supervisors oversees a $22.5 billion annual budget and approximately 100,000 employees. The county government is managed on a day-to-day basis by a Chief Executive Officer, currently William T Fujioka, and is organized into many departments, each of which is enormous in comparison to equivalent county-level (and even 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 Coroner – performs autopsies and determines the cause of death for those who die without medical supervision.
Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles serves as the County's housing authority as well as the housing and community and economic development agency with wide-ranging programs that benefit residents and business owners in unincorporated County areas and in various incorporated cities.
Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services – administers foster care
Los Angeles County Fire Department – provides fire protection, suppression, and prevention as well as emergency medical services
Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division – (portrayed in the famous television series Baywatch).
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services – operates several county hospitals and a network of primary care clinics, and also runs the public health system, which has a requirement that all restaurants in the unincorporated County and the majority of independent cities prominently post their food safety inspection grade in their front window
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation – administers public parks and the largest public golf course system in the U.S.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services – administers many federal and state welfare programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works – operates countywide flood control system, constructs and maintains roads in unincorporated areas
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning – maintains the Zoning Code that regulates land use in the unincorporated areas, researches and facilitates land-use decisions and serves to connect the community to the established building regulations.
Los Angeles County District Attorney – prosecutes criminal suspects
Los Angeles County Museum of Art – public art museum
Los Angeles County Probation Department
Los Angeles County Public Defender – defends indigent criminal suspects
Los Angeles County Public Library – operates a large network of branch libraries
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department – provides law enforcement services to unincorporated areas and cities that do not have their own police departments, and operates the county jails. The LASD is the largest county Sheriff's Department in the United States.
Los Angeles County Disaster Communications Service ( DCS ) is a volunteer organization administered by the Sheriff's Department Emergency Operations Bureau for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Their main function, authorized under County Ordinance, is to provide volunteer disaster relief communication for the citizens of Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs – offers consumers in the county a variety of services including: consumer and real estate counseling, mediation, and small claims counseling. The department also investigates: consumer complains, real estate fraud and identity theft issues.
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 bus and rail.
The Los Angeles Superior Court, which covers the entire county, is not a County department but a division of the State's trial court system. 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.
Politics
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
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| 2008 | 28.8% 956,425 | 69.2% 2,295,853 | 2.0% 65,970 |
| 2004 | 35.6% 1,076,225 | 63.2% 1,907,736 | 1.3% 39,319 |
| 2000 | 32.4% 871,930 | 63.5% 1,710,505 | 4.2% 112,719 |
| 1996 | 31.0% 746,544 | 59.3% 1,430,629 | 9.7% 233,841 |
| 1992 | 29.0% 799,607 | 52.5% 1,446,529 | 18.4% 507,267 |
| 1988 | 46.9% 1,239,716 | 51.9% 1,372,352 | 1.2% 32,603 |
| 1984 | 54.5% 1,424,113 | 44.4% 1,158,912 | 1.1% 29,889 |
| 1980 | 50.2% 1,224,533 | 40.2% 979,830 | 9.7% 235,822 |
| 1976 | 47.8 1,174,926 | 49.7% 1,221,893 | 2.5% 62,258 |
| 1972 | 54.8% 1,549,717 | 42.0% 1,189,977 | 3.2% 90,676 |
| 1968 | 47.6% 1,266,480 | 46.0% 1,223,251 | 6.3% 168,251 |
| 1964 | 42.5% 1,161,067 | 57.4% 1,568,300 | 0.1% 1,551 |
| 1960 | 49.4% 1,302,661 | 50.2% 1,323,818 | 0.3% 8,020 |
| 1956 | 55.4% 1,260,206 | 44.3% 1,007,887 | 0.3% 7,331 |
| 1952 | 56.2% 1,278,407 | 42.7% 971,408 | 1.1% 24,725 |
| 1948 | 46.5% 804,232 | 47.0% 812,690 | 6.5% 112,160 |
| 1944 | 42.7% 666,441 | 56.8% 886,252 | 0.6% 8,871 |
| 1940 | 40.6% 574,266 | 58.1% 822,718 | 1.3% 18,285 |
| 1936 | 31.6% 357,401 | 67.0% 757,351 | 1.4% 15,663 |
| 1932 | 38.6% 373,738 | 57.2% 554,476 | 4.3% 41,380 |
| 1928 | 70.2% 513,526 | 28.7% 209,945 | 1.1% 7,830 |
| 1924 | 65.5% 299,675 | 7.3% 33,554 | 27.2% 124,228 |
| 1920 | 69.1% 178,117 | 21.6% 55,661 | 9.3% 23,992 |
Los Angeles County has voted for the Democratic candidate in most of the presidential elections in the past four decades. In 2008 approximately 69% of the electorate voted for Democrat Barack Obama.
In the United States House of Representatives, California districts 27-39 are situated entirely within the county and are all represented by Democrats. In order of district number they are Brad Sherman, Howard Berman, Adam Schiff, Henry Waxman, Xavier Becerra, Judy Chu, Diane Watson, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Maxine Waters, Jane Harman, Laura Richardson, Grace Napolitano, and Linda Sánchez. Parts of the county also lie in the 22nd, 25th, 26th, 42nd, and 46th districts, which are all represented by Republicans: Kevin McCarthy, Buck McKeon, David Dreier, Gary Miller, and Dana Rohrabacher respectively.
In the State Senate, all of districts 20-22 and 24-28, and 30 are entirely within the county and are all represented by Democrats. In order of district number they are Alex Padilla, Jack Scott, Gilbert Cedillo, Gloria Romero, Roderick Wright, Curren D. Price, Alan Lowenthal, Jenny Oropeza, and Ron Calderon. Most of the 17th, 23rd, and 29th districts are in the county. The 17th and 29th districts are represented by Republicans George Runner and Bob Huff, respectively while the 23rd district is represented by Democrat Sheila Kuehl. Parts of the 19th and 32nd districts are also in the county. The 19th district is represented by Republican Tony Strickland while the 32nd is represented by Democrat Gloria Negrete McLeod.
In the State Assembly, all of districts 39, 40, 42-55, 57, and 58 are entirely within the county and are all represented by Democrats. In order of district number they are Felipe Fuentes, Lloyd Levine, Mike Feuer, Paul Krekorian, Anthony Portantino, Kevin DeLeon, John A. Perez, Karen Bass, Mike Davis, Mike Eng, Ricardo Lara, Steven Bradford, Isadore Hall, III, Ted Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Warren T. Furutani, Ed Hernandez, and Charles Calderon. Most of districts 38, 41, and 56 are in the county. The 38th is held by Republican Cameron Smyth; the 41st and 56th are held by Democrats Julia Brownley and Tony Mendoza. Parts of districts 36, 37, 59, 60, and 61 are also in the county. The 36th, 37th, 59th, and 60th districts are represented by Republicans: Sharon Runner, Audra Strickland, Anthony Adams, and Curt Hagman. The 61st is represented by Democrat Nell Soto.
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 50.1% with a margin of 20,806 votes.
Legal system
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Superior Court has jurisdiction over all cases arising under state law, while the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California hears all federal cases. Both are headquartered in a large cluster of government buildings in the city's Civic Center.
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.
Many celebrities like O.J. Simpson have been seen in Los Angeles courts. In 2003, the tabloid 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.
Seal
Seal of Los Angeles County, California
The county was targeted with the threat of legal action by the ACLU in 2004 regarding a small cross on its seal. The ACLU said that separation of church and state prohibited this display. On September 14, 2004, the seal was modified to address this and other complaints.
Crime statistics
Crime in 2008 (reported by the sheriff's office or police)
Assaults: 5452
Auto thefts: 7727
Burglaries: 5254
Murders: 568 (5.7 per 100,000)
Rapes: 582
Robberies: 2210
Thefts: 9682
]Education
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 Los Angeles Archdiocese.
Colleges and universities
Colleges
Antelope Valley College, Lancaster
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles (AICALA), Santa Monica
California Institute of the Arts, Santa Clarita
Cerritos College, Norwalk
Citrus College, Glendora
Claremont McKenna College, Claremont
College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita
DeVry University, Long Beach and West Hills (Los Angeles)
East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park
El Camino College, Torrance
Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena
Glendale Community College, Glendale
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont
Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles
ITT Technical Institute, Culver City, San Dimas, Sylmar (Los Angeles), Torrance, and West Covina
Life Pacific College, San Dimas
Long Beach City College, Long Beach
Los Angeles City College (LACC), Los Angeles
Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mission College, Sylmar (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music, Pasadena
Los Angeles Pierce College (Pierce), Woodland Hills
Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC), Los Angeles
Los Angeles Valley College, Valley Glen (Los Angeles)
The Master's College, Santa Clarita
Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut
Mt. Sierra College, Monrovia
Occidental College (Oxy), Eagle Rock (Los Angeles)
Otis College of Art and Design, Westchester (Los Angeles)
Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena
Pasadena City College, Pasadena
Pitzer College, Claremont
Pomona College, Claremont
Rio Hondo College, Whittier
Santa Monica College (SMC), Santa Monica
Scripps College, Claremont
West Los Angeles College, Culver City
Whittier College, Whittier
Wyoming Technical Institute (WyoTech), Long Beach
Universities
American Jewish University (AJULA), Los Angeles
Azusa Pacific University, Azusa
Biola University, La Mirada
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, (Cal Poly Pomona), Pomona
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), Carson
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), Los Angeles
California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Northridge (Los Angeles)
Claremont Graduate University, (CGU)
Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Westchester (Los Angeles)
National University, Los Angeles and Sherman Oaks
Pepperdine University, Malibu
Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whittier
Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Los Angeles
Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Westwood (Los Angeles)
University of La Verne, La Verne
University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles
University of the West (UWest), Rosemead
Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), Pomona
Woodbury University, Burbank
Religion
As of 2000, there are hundreds of Christian churches, 202 Jewish synagogues, 145 Buddhist temples, 48 Islamic mosques, 44 Bahai worship centers, 37 Hindu temples, 28 Tenrikyo churches and fellowships, 16 Shinto worship centers, 14 Sikh gurdwaras in the county. The Los Angeles Archdiocese has approximately 5 million members and is the largest in the United States.
Sites of interest
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 where its Muscle Beach used to find 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. The fabled Malibu, home of many a film or television star, 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
California Science Center, Los Angeles (formerly the Museum of Science and Industry)
Huntington Library, San Marino
Long Beach Museum of Art in the historic Elizabeth Milbank Anderson residence
Los Angeles Children's Museum
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mid-City, Los Angeles
Museum of Contemporary Art, Downtown Los Angeles (founded in 1950); The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Downtown Los Angeles (founded in 1980)
Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City
Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach
Museum of Neon Art
Museum of the American West (Gene Autry Museum), in Griffith Park
Museum of Tolerance
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Pasadena Museum of California Art, in Pasadena
J. Paul Getty Center, Brentwood (Ancient Roman, Greek, and European Renaissance Art)
J. Paul Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades, California, Getty's original house
George C. Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits
Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica (Contemporary art)
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena (19th and early 20th century art)
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles
Southwest Museum
Entertainment
Descanso Gardens
Dodger Stadium
Exposition Park
Farmers Market
Griffith Park
Griffith Observatory
Huntington Botanical Gardens
La Brea Tar Pits
Music Center
Olvera Street
STAPLES Center
Third Street Promenade
Venice Beach
Los Angeles Zoo
Music venues
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| Disney Concert Hall |
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Disney Concert Hall
The Glass House
Greek Theatre
Pantages Theatre
Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Palladium
House of Blues Sunset Strip
John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
The Roxy Theatre
El Rey Theatre
Staples Center
The Troubadour
The Wiltern
Whisky a Go Go
Gibson Amphitheatre
Amusement parks
Raging Waters
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
Universal Studios Hollywood
[edit]Other attractions
U.S. Bank Tower
Central Los Angeles Library
Wayfarers Chapel
Hsi Lai Temple
Queen Mary
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Other areas
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| Angeles National Forest,. |
Ridge Route
Angeles National Forest
Mount Wilson Observatory
Malibu Creek State Park
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park
Plant 42's Blackbird Airpark and Heritage Airpark
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Saddleback Butte State Park
Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park
Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park
Lakes and reservoirs
Crystal Lake
Echo Lake
Elizabeth Lake
Hughes Lake
Holiday Lake
Jackson Lake
Munz Lakes
Tweedy Lake
(source:wikipedia)
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