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History of Los Angeles, California

Updated: Aug 12, 2022

The great city was called Our Lady the Queen of the angels of Porcincula. The

History of Los Angeles, California began in 1781 when the city was founded. At first the city had only a few families, however by 1800 its population had risen to 315. The Catholic Church Plaza was built in the year 1822. Los Angeles settlement grew steadily. Then in 1847, Los Angeles got captured by US forces.


With the discovery of gold in California in 1848 Americans rushed to live in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. In 1850 Los Angeles was incorporated. In 1851 first newspaper of Los Angeles was launched. By 1870 the Los Angeles’ population had risen to 5,614. However, Los Angeles has suffered severe floods during 1861-1862 winter. This was followed a two years drought.


The history of Los Angeles California in the 20th Century

Large numbers of Japanese In the early 20th century was migrating to South California, As well as many Mexicans. During the First World War, many African Americans came to live in Los Angeles. In 1904 the city of Venice was built by Abbot Kinney. But, since the city is found in an arid climate, this posed a major issue in the history of Los Angeles, California. It cannot supply its people with enough water. To bring water to the city, an Aqueduct was built in Los Angeles in 1908-1913.


In 1913, Hollywood was hired by Cecil B. DeMille in the suburb for film making. The film industry in Los Angeles blossomed in the following years. By 1939 Los Angeles had over 1.5 million population. The building of Biltmore Hotel was done in 1923, there was also erection of famous Hollywood sign.


In 1927, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was built. The building of City Hall was in 1928, and in 1939 the Union Station was built. However, Los Angels were affected by depression which occurred in 1930s just like the rest of the world. During World War II, Los Angeles boomed again. But, all did not move smoothly in the 20th century in Los Angeles. During summer of 1943, there were Zoot Suit riots which led to attack of the Mexicans.


Then in the year 1965, Los Angeles was rocked by riots again. On 11 August an African American was stopped and questioned by the police. 34 people were killed in the ensuing riots. In 1994 an earthquake struck Los Angeles. This was measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. This earthquake left 57 people dead and thousands injured. It also led to loss of billions of dollars.


During the late 20th century, there was a decline in the manufacturing industry in Los Angeles. But, service industries were booming. The tourism industry is now flourishing in the city of Los Angeles with the opening of A Museum Tolerance in 1993.


Los Angeles in the 21st Century

The history of Los Angeles California, The city continued to thrive in the 21st century. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was the opened in 2002 and in 2003 Walt Disney Concert Hall was built. In 2015, The Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Los Angeles. In 2017, the Los Angeles population was 4 million.






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