Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
	County
County of Los Angeles
; Flag	Official seal of Los Angeles County, California; Seal
	Nickname(s): "L.A. County", "Seventy-Six Cities"
	; Location of the county in California
	; California's location in the contiguous United States
	Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country	United States of America
State	California
Region	Southern California
Metro area	Greater Los Angeles Area
Formed	February 18, 1850
Named for	City of Los Angeles
County seat	Los Angeles
Largest city	Los Angeles
Incorporated cities	88
Government
• Type	Council–manager
• Body	Board of Supervisors
• Board of Supervisors	Supervisors Hilda Solis; Mark Ridley-Thomas; Sheila Kuehl; Don Knabe; Michael D. Antonovich;
• Chief executive officer	Sachi A. Hamai (interim)
Area
• Total	4,751 sq mi (12,310 km2)
• Land	4,058 sq mi (10,510 km2)
• Water	693 sq mi (1,790 km2)
Highest elevation	10,068 ft (3,069 m)
Lowest elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)
• Total	9,818,605
• Estimate (2014)	10,116,705
• Density	2,100/sq mi (800/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	90001–90899, 91001–93599
Area codes	213, 310/424, 323, 562, 626, 661, 747/818, 909
FIPS code	06-037
GNIS feature ID	277283
Website	www.lacounty.gov

Chamber of Commerce brochure, c. 1920

Los Angeles County, also known as L.A. County, officially the County of Los Angeles,^[7] is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county has a population of 9,818,605,^[8] making it by far the most populous county in the United States; the county alone has more people than 43 individual U.S. states. The county seat is the city of Los Angeles. It also includes two offshore islands, San Clemente and Santa Catalina.

Los Angeles County has 88 incorporated cities and many unincorporated areas. At 4,083 square miles (10,570 km²), it is larger than the combined areas of the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. The county contains more than one quarter of all California residents and is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the state and the country.^[9]

History

Los Angeles County is one of the original counties of California, created at the time of statehood in 1850.^[10] The county originally included parts of what are now Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties. As the population increased, sections were split off to organize San Bernardino County in 1853, Kern County in 1866, and Orange County in 1889. In 1893, part of San Bernardino County became Riverside County.

Geography

Los Angeles

Counties adjacent to Los Angeles County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,751 square miles (12,310 km²), of which 4,058 square miles (10,510 km²) is land and 693 square miles (1,790 km²) (15%) is water.^[11] Los Angeles County borders 70 miles (110 km) of coast on the Pacific Ocean and encompasses towering mountain ranges, deep valleys, forests, islands, lakes, rivers, and desert. The Los Angeles River, Rio Hondo, the San Gabriel River and the Santa Clara River flow in Los Angeles County, while the primary mountain ranges are the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. The western extent of the Mojave Desert begins in the Antelope Valley, in the northeastern part of the county. Most of the population of Los Angeles County is located in the south and southwest, with major population centers in the Los Angeles Basin, San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley. Other population centers are found in the Santa Clarita Valley, Pomona Valley, Crescenta Valley and Antelope Valley.

The county is divided west-to-east by the rugged San Gabriel Mountains, filled with coniferous forests and subject to plentiful snowfall in the winter. The San Gabriel Mountains are part of the Transverse Ranges of southern California, and are contained mostly within the Angeles National Forest. Most of the highest peaks in the county are located in the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount San Antonio 10,068 feet (3,069 m)) at the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county lines, Mount Baden-Powell 9,399 feet (2,865 m), Mount Burnham 8,997 feet (2,742 m), and the well-known Mount Wilson 5,710 feet (1,740 m) where the Mount Wilson Observatory is located. Several smaller, lower mountains are located in the northern, western, and southwestern parts of the county, including the San Emigdio Mountains, the southernmost part of Tehachapi Mountains, and the Sierra Pelona Mountains.

Los Angeles County's jurisdiction includes San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island, part of the Channel Islands archipelago located off the coast.

Lakes and reservoirs

Major divisions of the county

East: Eastside, San Gabriel Valley, portions of the Pomona Valley
West: Westside, Beach Cities
South: South Bay, Palos Verdes Peninsula, South Los Angeles, Gateway Cities, Los Angeles Harbor Region
North: San Fernando Valley, Crescenta Valley, portions of the Conejo Valley, portions of the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley
Central: Downtown Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire

National protected areas

Angeles National Forest (part)
Los Padres National Forest (part)
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (part)

Demographics

Los Angeles County had a population of 9,818,605 in the 2010 United States Census. The racial makeup of Los Angeles County was 4,936,599 (50%) White, 1,346,865 (13.7%) Asian, 856,874 (9%) African American, 72,828 (0.7%) Native American, 26,094 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,140,632 (21.8%) from other races, and 438,713 (4.5%) from two or more races.

Non-Hispanic whites numbered 2,728,321, or 28% of the population.^[12] Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 4,687,889 (48%); 36% of Los Angeles County's population was of Mexican ancestry; 3.7% Salvadoran, and 2.2% Guatemalan heritage.^[13]

Los Angeles County has a large population of Asians, being home to the largest concentration of immigrants who are Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Korean, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, and Thai in the world.^[14] The largest Asian groups of the 1,346,865 (13.7%) Asians in Los Angeles County are 4.0% Chinese, 3.3% Filipino, 2.2% Korean, 1.0% Japanese, 0.9% Vietnamese, 0.8% Indian, and 0.3% Cambodian.

Historical population
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%
2010	9,818,605	3.1%
Est. 2014	10,116,705	3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[15] 1790–1960^[16] 1900–1990^[17] 1990–2000^[18] 2010–2014^[8]

Race and ancestry

Population, race, and income (2011)
Total population^[19]	9,787,747
White^[19]	5,126,367	52.4%
Black or African American^[19]	844,048	8.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native^[19]	49,329	0.5%
Asian^[19]	1,347,782	13.8%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander^[19]	26,310	0.3%
Some other race^[19]	2,064,759	21.1%
Two or more races^[19]	329,152	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)^[20]	4,644,328	47.5%
Per capita income^[21]	$27,954
Median household income^[22]	$56,266
Median family income^[23]	$62,595

The racial makeup of the county is 48.7% White^[24] 11.0% African American, 0.8% Native American, 10.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 23.5% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. 44.6% 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%). 45.9% of the population reported speaking only English at home; 37.9% spoke Spanish, 2.22% Tagalog, 2.0% Chinese, 1.9% Korean, and 1.87% Armenian.^[25]

The county 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, and most are from Latin America.

As estimated by the Public Policy Institute of California in 2008, Los Angeles County is home to more than one-third of California's illegal immigrants, who make up more than ten percent of the population.^[26]

2000

Map of Los Angeles County showing population density in 2000 by census tract

At the census^[27] 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).

There were 3,133,774 households out of which 37% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 25% of all households were made up of individuals and 7% 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% under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 19% from 45 to 64, and 10% 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.

Income

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. Los Angeles County has the highest number of millionaires of any county in the nation, totaling 261,081 households as of 2007.^[28]

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. Los Angeles County has the largest number of homeless people, with "48,000 people living on the streets, including 6,000 veterans."^[29]

Religion

In 2000, there were hundreds of Christian churches, 202 Jewish synagogues, 145 Buddhist temples, 48 Muslim mosques, 44 Bahai worship centers, 37 Hindu temples, 28 Tenrikyo churches and fellowships, 16 Shinto worship centers, and 14 Sikh gurdwaras in the county.^[30] The Los Angeles Archdiocese has approximately 5 million members and is the largest in the United States.

Law, government and politics

Government

The Government of Los Angeles County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law and the Charter of the County of Los Angeles.^[31] Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of local governments such as the Government of Los Angeles County.

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.^[32] The county government is managed on a day-to-day basis by a Chief Executive Officer, William T Fujioka, and is organized into many departments, each of which is enormous in comparison to equivalent county-level (and even many 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 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.
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 Department of Health Services – operates several county hospitals and a network of primary care clinics,
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health - administers public health programs including STD programs, smoking cessation, and restaurant inspection. In the majority of the county LACDPH puts letter grades relating to the food cleanliness and safety of a restaurant in the front window of restaurants.
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 District Attorney – prosecutes criminal suspects.
Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender – Defends indigent people accused of criminal offenses.
Los Angeles County Probation Department
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.

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.

Politics

Los Angeles County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2012	27.8% 885,333	69.7% 2,216,903	2.5% 77,378
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

Voter registration

Population and registered voters
Total population^[19]	9,787,747
Registered voters^[33]^{[note 1]}	4,865,403	49.7%
Democratic^[33]	2,486,479	51.1%
Republican^[33]	1,048,507	21.6%
Democratic–Republican spread^[33]	+1,437,972	+29.5%
Independent^[33]	109,055	2.2%
Green^[33]	24,534	0.5%
Libertarian^[33]	25,808	0.5%
Peace and Freedom^[33]	24,950	0.5%
Americans Elect^[33]	2,583	0.1%
Other^[33]	262,180	5.4%
No party preference^[33]	881,307	18.1%

Overview

Los Angeles County has voted for the Democratic candidate in most of the presidential elections in the past four decades, although it did vote twice for Dwight Eisenhower (1952, 1956), Richard Nixon (1968, 1972), and Ronald Reagan (1980, 1984) the latter two of whom were Californians. From 1920 to 1984 it was a bellwether county that always voted for the eventual national winner. It then has gone against the national popular vote winner in 1988 and 2004. In 2008 and 2012 approximately 69% of the electorate voted for Democrat Barack Obama.

In the United States House of Representatives, Los Angeles County is split between 18 congressional districts:^[34] In the California State Senate, Los Angeles County is split between 15 legislative districts:^[35] In the California State Assembly, Los Angeles County is split between 24 legislative districts:^[36]

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 2,385 votes.^[37]

Legal system

The Los Angeles 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.

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.

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.^[38]^[39]

Many celebrities like O. J. Simpson have been seen in Los Angeles courts. In 2003, the 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.

Crime

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Population and crime rates
Population^[19]	9,787,747
Violent crime^[40]	54,747	5.59
Homicide^[40]	699	0.07
Forcible rape^[40]	2,114	0.22
Robbery^[40]	24,528	2.51
Aggravated assault^[40]	27,406	2.80
Property crime^[40]	155,583	15.90
Burglary^[40]	50,558	5.17
Larceny-theft^[40]^{[note 2]}	144,589	14.77
Motor vehicle theft^[40]	46,710	4.77
Arson^[40]	2,815	0.29

Cities by population and crime rates

Cities by population and crime rates
City	Population^[41]	Violent crimes^[41]	Violent crime rate per 1,000 persons	Property crimes^[41]	Property crime rate per 1,000 persons
Agoura Hills	20,667	12	0.58	236	11.42
Alhambra	84,469	149	1.76	1,919	22.72
Arcadia	57,295	57	0.99	1,388	24.23
Artesia	16,793	60	3.57	262	15.60
Avalon	3,795	13	3.43	64	16.86
Azusa	47,111	220	4.67	1,204	25.56
Baldwin Park	76,644	261	3.41	1,585	20.68
Bell	36,062	225	6.24	662	18.36
Bellflower	77,886	304	3.90	1,802	23.14
Bell Gardens	42,769	125	2.92	728	17.02
Beverly Hills	34,677	89	2.57	1,081	31.17
Bradbury	1,067	0	0.00	10	9.37
Burbank	105,057	243	2.31	2,493	23.73
Calabasas	23,442	13	0.55	238	10.15
Carson	93,233	520	5.58	2,709	29.06
Cerritos	49,856	120	2.41	1,870	37.51
Claremont	35,469	40	1.13	901	25.40
Commerce	13,035	112	8.59	1,010	77.48
Compton	98,057	1,218	12.42	2,399	24.47
Covina	48,588	151	3.11	1,651	33.98
Cudahy	24,201	151	6.24	347	14.34
Culver City	39,528	179	4.53	1,760	44.53
Diamond Bar	56,470	55	0.97	952	16.86
Downey	113,628	381	3.35	3,537	31.13
Duarte	21,673	71	3.28	507	23.39
El Monte	115,356	395	3.42	2,230	19.33
El Segundo	16,931	38	2.24	595	35.14
Gardena	59,802	287	4.80	1,321	22.09
Glendale	194,902	233	1.20	3,043	15.61
Glendora	50,903	59	1.16	1,293	25.40
Hawaiian Gardens	14,493	69	4.76	193	13.32
Hawthorne	85,692	637	7.43	2,181	25.45
Hermosa Beach	19,830	54	2.72	678	34.19
Hidden Hills	1,887	0	0.00	4	2.12
Huntington Park	59,079	373	6.31	1,917	32.45
Industry	222	68	306.31	1,110	5,000.00
Inglewood	111,488	780	7.00	2,673	23.98
Irwindale	1,447	15	10.37	243	167.93
La Canada Flintridge	20,584	12	0.58	324	15.74
La Habra Heights	5,413	6	1.11	44	8.13
Lakewood	81,382	227	2.79	2,062	25.34
La Mirada	49,312	98	1.99	776	15.74
Lancaster	159,155	859	5.40	3,498	21.98
La Puente	40,479	121	2.99	521	12.87
La Verne	31,575	50	1.58	823	26.06
Lawndale	33,312	167	5.01	397	11.92
Lomita	20,591	95	4.61	391	18.99
Long Beach	469,893	2,705	5.76	14,131	30.07
Los Angeles	3,855,122	18,547	4.81	87,478	22.69
Lynwood	70,908	541	7.63	1,373	19.36
Malibu	12,854	15	1.17	329	25.60
Manhattan Beach	35,719	62	1.74	855	23.94
Maywood	27,850	175	6.28	286	10.27
Monrovia	37,199	81	2.18	948	25.48
Montebello	63,538	146	2.30	1,775	27.94
Monterey Park	61,270	75	1.22	1,022	16.68
Norwalk	107,295	433	4.04	2,609	24.32
Palmdale	155,294	812	5.23	3,393	21.85
Palos Verdes Estates	13,661	6	0.44	136	9.96
Paramount	54,997	244	4.44	1,536	27.93
Pasadena	139,382	433	3.11	3,379	24.24
Pico Rivera	63,988	261	4.08	1,780	27.82
Pomona	151,511	1,021	6.74	5,055	33.36
Rancho Palos Verdes	42,335	35	0.83	498	11.76
Redondo Beach	67,856	190	2.80	1,596	23.52
Rolling Hills	1,891	0	0.00	27	14.28
Rolling Hills Estates	8,202	9	1.10	129	15.73
Rosemead	54,656	143	2.62	913	16.70
San Dimas	33,923	51	1.50	668	19.69
San Fernando	24,039	77	3.20	380	15.81
San Gabriel	40,376	88	2.18	550	13.62
San Marino	13,364	13	0.97	183	13.69
Santa Clarita	179,248	342	1.91	2,742	15.30
Santa Fe Springs	16,492	99	6.00	1,272	77.13
Santa Monica	91,215	395	4.33	3,398	37.25
Sierra Madre	11,098	4	0.36	112	10.09
Signal Hill	11,198	43	3.84	536	47.87
South El Monte	20,452	88	4.30	399	19.51
South Gate	95,966	553	5.76	2,545	26.52
South Pasadena	26,045	27	1.04	443	17.01
Temple City	36,148	38	1.05	354	9.79
Torrance	147,851	190	1.29	2,690	18.19
Vernon	114	27	236.84	311	2,728.07
Walnut	29,658	37	1.25	382	12.88
West Covina	107,861	281	2.61	3,224	29.89
West Hollywood	34,971	338	9.67	1,642	46.95
Westlake Village	8,406	3	0.36	154	18.32
Whittier	86,740	247	2.85	2,502	28.84

Other statistics

Crime in 2008 (reported by the sheriff's office or police)^[42]

Assaults: 5452
Auto thefts: 7727
Burglaries: 5254
Murders: 568 (5.7 per 100,000)
Rapes: 582
Robberies: 2210
Thefts: 9682

Crime in 2013

Homicides: 386^[43]
Thefts: 54,971 ^[44]
Burglaries: 17,606
Car Thefts: 15,866^[44]
Robberies: 10,202
Violent Crimes: 20,318^[44]
Rapes: 843
Assaults: 8,976^[44]
Murders: 297

Economy

Los Angeles County is commonly associated with the entertainment industry; all six major film studios—Paramount Pictures, 21st 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.

The following major companies have headquarters in Los Angeles County:

Cerritos
La Mirada
- Makita

Monrovia
- Trader Joe's
Palmdale
- Delta Scientific
Santa Clarita
- Princess Cruise Lines
- Honda Racing

Torrance
- American Honda Motor Co.
- Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.
Westlake Village
- Dole Food Company^[45]
Unincorporated areas
- ICANN (Marina del Rey)

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

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
Claremont School of Theology, 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)
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Los Angeles)
Claremont Graduate University, (CGU)
Loyola Law School, (Downtown Los Angeles)
Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Westchester (Los Angeles)
National University, Los Angeles and Woodland Hills
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 Antelope Valley (UAV), Lancaster
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

Sites of interest

L.A. County Fair at dusk, 2008

File:LACMA1.JPG

Photo of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during its 2005 Ancient Egypt exhibit.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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

Battleship USS Iowa, Los Angeles Waterfront
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 Fire Museum, in Bellflower
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, 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

Music venues

Disney Concert Hall

Amusement parks

Other attractions

Other areas

Angeles National Forest

Transportation

Major highways

Air

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located in the Westchester district, is the primary commercial airport for commercial airlines in the county and the Greater Los Angeles Area. LAX is operated by Los Angeles World Airports, an agency of the City of Los Angeles. Other important commercial airports in Los Angeles County include:

Long Beach Municipal Airport operated by the City of Long Beach
Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, operated by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority
LA/Palmdale Regional Airport in Palmdale, also operated by Los Angeles World Airports. Palmdale Airport is planned for expanded commercial service to serve the Antelope Valley. The airport is a separate facility on the grounds of Air Force Plant 42.

The following general aviation airports also are located in Los Angeles County:

County operated airports (Department of Public Works, Aviation Division)

Compton/Woodley Airport in Compton
San Gabriel Valley Airport in El Monte
Brackett Field in La Verne
Whiteman Airport in Pacoima
General William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster

City operated airports

Van Nuys Airport in Van Nuys, also operated by LAWA. Van Nuys Airport sees significant executive jet air traffic.
Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, which also has major executive jet traffic.
Hawthorne Municipal Airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, in Hawthorne
Zamperini Field in Torrance

Besides the non-flying Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, the U.S. Air Force has two airports in Los Angeles County:

Portions of Edwards Air Force Base, located at the northern edge of the county, and
Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, sharing runways with LA/Palmdale Regional.

Rail

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 more than 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.

Communities

Cities

There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the most populous are:^[46]

1. Los Angeles 3,792,621
2. Long Beach 462,257
3. Santa Clarita 213,231
4. Glendale 200,167
5. Lancaster 156,633

6. Palmdale 152,750
7. Pomona 149,058
8. Torrance 145,438
9. Pasadena 137,122
10. El Monte 113,475

11. Downey 111,772
12. Inglewood 109,673
13. West Covina 106,098
14. Norwalk 105,549
15. Burbank 103,340

Unincorporated areas

Census designated places

Other communities

See: Los Angeles Almanac MAP: Unincorporated Areas and Communities of Los Angeles County

Notes

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References