| Known as the City of Angels, Los Angeles, California | | | | place where rollerblading became popular. |
| is the largest city in the state and the second-largest | | | | L.A. hosts a number of sports venues including the |
| in the United States. The Los Angeles-Long | | | | Staples Center and a sports entertainment complex |
| Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area is home to 13 | | | | that hosts concerts and award shows such as the |
| million people. The Greater Los Angeles Area | | | | Grammy's. The Los Angeles Convention Center in |
| encompasses 5 counties and an estimated 18 million | | | | downtown L.A. hosts popular events such as the |
| people. | | | | annual LA Auto Show held in December. |
| Los Angeles, often abbreviated to L.A., is one of the | | | | The economy of Los Angeles is driven by |
| world's centers of culture, science, technology, | | | | international trade, entertainment (television, motion |
| international trade and higher education. L.A.'s global | | | | pictures, recorded music), aerospace, technology, |
| fame and international status stem from the city's | | | | petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism. L.A. is the |
| production of motion pictures, television and recorded | | | | largest manufacturing center in the United States. |
| music. | | | | The ports of L.A. and Long Beach together form the |
| Los Angeles has globally famous landmarks such as | | | | most significant port in North America and one of the |
| Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Disney Concert Hall, Kodak | | | | most important ports in the world. These ports are |
| Theater, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los | | | | vital to the trade within the Pacific Rim. Other |
| Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angelels County | | | | significant industries include media production, finance, |
| Museum of Art, Mann's Chinese Theater, the | | | | telecommunications, law, health and medicine and |
| Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles | | | | transportation. |
| City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Watts Towers, Staples | | | | The city is home to five major Fortune 500 |
| Center and La Placita Olvera. | | | | companies including Northrop Grumman, Occidental |
| L.A.'s night life includes hot spots such as Downtown | | | | Petroleum Corporation, KB Home. The University of |
| Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Hollywood and West | | | | Southern California (USC) is the city's largest private |
| Hollywood, which is the home of the world-famous | | | | sector employer. |
| Sunset Strip. Some popular clubs and bars include | | | | Several other large companies headquartered in Los |
| Fantasy Club, 2nd Street Jazz, Weiland Brewery | | | | Angeles include Twentieth Centurty Fox, Latham & |
| Restaurant, Jones Grain Mill, Club Soho, Club Bahia | | | | Watkins, Univision, Metro Interactive, LLC, Premier |
| Inc., La Hacienda Real, Mayan Night Club and La Zona | | | | America, CB Richard Ellis, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher |
| Rosa. | | | | LLP, Guess, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Paul, Hastings, |
| Shopping in Los Angeles is second to none. Some of | | | | Janofsky & Walker LLP, Tokyopop, The Jim Henson |
| the most well known shopping areas are the | | | | Company, Paramount Pictures, Robinsons-May, |
| Hollywood and Highland complex, the Beverly Center, | | | | Sunkist, Fox Sports Net, Health Net, Inc., 21st |
| Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, The Grove, | | | | Century Insurance, L.E.K. Consulting, and The Coffee |
| Westside Pavillion, The Promenade at Howard Hughes | | | | Bean & Tea Leaf. |
| Center and Venice Boardwalk. | | | | Many companies wish to escape the city's high taxes |
| The Hollywood and Highlands Center includes stores | | | | and are headquartered in the county. Some of these |
| such as ALDO, American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor | | | | companies include Shakey's Pizza, Academy of Motion |
| Loft, Apostrophe Cards & Stationary, Argenti Cigars | | | | Picture Arts and Sciences, City National Bank, Hilton |
| & Tobacco, Aveda, Baly's, bebe, Build-A-Bear | | | | Hotels, DiC Entertainment, The Walt Disney |
| Workshop, Claire's Boutique, Express, Fossil, Gap, | | | | Company, Warner Bros., Countrywide Financial |
| Grauman's Chinese 6 Theatres Box Office, Hot Topic, | | | | Corporation, THQ, Belkin, Sony Pictures |
| Kodak Theatre Box Office, Le Cloquette Couture, | | | | Entertainment, Computer Sciences Corporation, |
| Louis Vuitton, Lucky Brand Jeans, Neighborhoodies, | | | | DirecTV, Mattel, Unocal, Dream Works SKG, Sea |
| Nine West, Oakley, Origins, Polo Ralph Lauren, Rocky | | | | Launch, ICANN, Cunard Line, Princess Cruise, |
| Mountain Chocolate Factory, Sephora, Swarovski, | | | | Activision, and RAND. |
| Venetian Design, Victoria's Secret and Virgin | | | | L.A. is also home to the U.S. headquarters of all but |
| Megastore. | | | | two of the major Asian automobile manufacturers. |
| Melrose Avenue has glamorous shopping at | | | | Virtually all the world's automakers have design and |
| trendsetting stores such as Betsey Johnson, Cynthia | | | | or tech centers in the Los Angeles region. |
| Rowley, Jonathan Adler, Miu Miu, Soolip Paperie and | | | | Los Angeles is home to one of the largest freeway |
| Press, Soolip Bungalow and Fred Segal Melrose. Hardly | | | | systems in the world with 27 intertwining freeways. |
| a day goes by without seeing the faces of A-list | | | | Journeying a daily collective migration of about 100 |
| celebrities walking through the doors to buy the | | | | million miles, commuters make Los Angeles the most |
| latest fashion. | | | | car-populated metropolis in the world with 1 |
| Popular stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Robeks, | | | | registered automobile for every 1.8 people. |
| Firefly, Popkiller Second, Dish Factory, Suss Design | | | | The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation |
| Retail, Guess?, Art Cruz Retail, B Dalton Bookseller, | | | | Authority and other agencies operate an extensive |
| Valley Book & Bible Stores, Clutch, Wolford Boutique | | | | system of bus lines, subways and light rail lines. L.A.'s |
| and more. | | | | mass transit system does not have high rider ship, |
| Los Angeles is a social center to the country and has | | | | with 10.5% of commuters using public transit, |
| some of the country's finest dining including Asia de | | | | compared with 53% in New York and 30% in |
| Cuba, Ammo, Yamashiro, Valentino, Sam's by the | | | | Chicago. |
| Beach, Lucques, Violet, Fleming's Steakhouse, Just | | | | The metropolitan area of L.A. is served by more |
| Desserts, Eaturna, Fogo De Chao, Il Fornaio, Olivia, | | | | airports than any major city in the world. Los Angeles |
| Organic To Go, Porterhouse Bistro, Sor Tino | | | | International Airport (LAX) is the fifth busiest |
| Restaurant, La Botte Ristorante, Osteria Latini, Napa | | | | commercial airport in the world with over 61 million |
| Rose, Chat Noir, 555 East Restaurant, L'Opera, | | | | passengers and 2 million tons of cargo in 2006. |
| Café Del Rey, Traxx, South Street | | | | Los Angeles is a focal point of higher education |
| Cheesesteak and more. | | | | across the world. There are three public universities in |
| American favorites such as In-N-Out, Carl's Jr, | | | | the city: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), |
| Hardee's, Jack, KFC, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, | | | | California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and |
| Burger King and McDonald's are sprinkled throughout | | | | California State University, Los Angeles (SCULA). |
| the city. Subway, Hoagies & Wings, Big MO Sub | | | | Private schools in the city include the University of |
| Shop, Ruby's Diner, Astro Burger, El Pollo Locco, | | | | Southern California (USC), Antioch University's Los |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill, Hungry Pocket Falafel House, | | | | Angeles campus, Loyola Marymount University (LMU), |
| The Stand Fuddruckers, Lucky Boy Drive-In | | | | Mount St. Mary's College, Occidental College ("Oxy"), |
| Restaurant, Mako Bowl and Fosters Freeze are a | | | | Otis College of Art and Design (Otis), American |
| some other popular eateries. | | | | InterContinental University, Alliant International |
| Sports fans from across the globe can find | | | | University, California Institute of Technology |
| entertainment from one of them any professional | | | | (Caltech), Southwestern University School of Law, |
| sports teams that call L.A. home. The Los Angeles | | | | American Film Institute Conservatory, Charles R. |
| Dodgers of Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles | | | | Drew University, Southern California Institute of |
| Angels of Anaheim (MLB), the Los Angeles Kings of | | | | Architecture (SCI-Arc), Fashion Institute of Design & |
| the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Clippers | | | | Merchandising's Los Angeles campus (FIDM), |
| and Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball | | | | Woodbury University, Los Angeles Film School, and |
| Association, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, | | | | Loyola Law School. |
| the Los Angeles Galaxy and Club Deportivo Chivas | | | | The community college system consists of nine |
| USA of Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles | | | | campuses: Los Angeles City College (LACC), Los |
| Riptide of Major League Lacrosse and the Los | | | | Angeles Harbor College (LAVC), Los Angeles Pierce |
| Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League all | | | | College, Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), Los |
| reside within the city and spark team spirit from their | | | | Angeles Mission College, East Los Angeles College |
| fans. | | | | (ELAC), West Los Angeles College, Los Angeles |
| Los Angeles has also been credited for inventing | | | | Southwest College, and Los Angeles Trade Technical |
| beach volleyball and windsurfing. Venice, a.k.a. | | | | College. |
| Dogtown, is the birthplace of skateboarding and the | | | | |