Los Angeles started out as a small farming town in an area inhabited by friendly Native American Indians. Under the orders of King Carlos III of Spain, a "pueblo" was founded in 1781 to grow food for the soldiers guarding this far-off territory of Spain.

As the town grew and prospered, retired soldiers were given large portions of land on which to graze their cattle. In 1821 Mexico declared her independence from Spain and successive governors of Alta California gave additional land grants to other settlers including new arrivals from Europe and the east coast of America who liked the climate and the life here. They joined the California’s in becoming ranchers, merchants and winemakers.

Today, The City of Los Angeles, also known simply as L.A. or informally as the City of Angels, is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population. It was incorporated as a city in California on April 4, 1850 and is the county seat and the largest city in Los Angeles County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 3.69 million, though a July 1, 2004 estimate placed the city's population at 3.85 million, out of 10 million residents in the county. Los Angeles serves as the core and most important city of the sprawling Southern California urban area which counts nearly 18 million residents. The city is also large by geographic standards since it sprawls over more than 465 square miles (1,200 square kilometers), making it larger than either New York City or Chicago in area.

Los Angeles is one of the cultural, economic, scientific and entertainment centers of the country. The city is also one of the most cosmopolitan places in the world, as well as a vanguard of creativity, since it is home to individuals from virtually every nation on Earth. People have always been attracted to the city for its balmy weather, vibrant lifestyle, unique, high-velocity energy, Pacific Rim gateway status, and the opportunity to realize the "American Dream." In addition, Los Angeles hosted two Olympic Games (in 1932 and 1984) and is home to world-renowned scientific and cultural institutions.

You'll get more details about the history of Los Angeles on our Los Angeles City Tour!

From Wikipedia.org. To read more, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_angeles.

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