L.A. Basics

Located in Southern California , bordered on the north by the San Gabriel Mountains , west and south by the Pacific Ocean (favorable situation allowing Angelins to ski and swim in the same day), Los Angeles offers a wide variety of landscapes. The shore consists of long stretches of white sand bays of Santa Monica and San Pedro , which make Los Angeles the largest city built on a site of coastline, Perth and Rio de Janeiro excepted 10 . The town occupies part of the Los Angeles Basin , a rugged coastal plain, and much of the San Fernando Valley, which it is separated by high hills, the Santa Monica Mountains . The main rivers of Los Angeles is the Los Angeles River , a small river which rises in the San Fernando Valley and crosses the city to the ocean.This city is the seat of the county with the same name . Los Angeles means “angels” in Spanish and its inhabitants are called Angelenos (sometimes Angelinos ) – the Angelins. His full name is Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula , that is to say, “The Village of Our Lady Queen of Angels of the Portiuncula River ” 2 .

The population of the municipality is 3,792,621 inhabitants according to the latest census of 2010 one , when she was only 11 500 in 1887 3 . The county collects 10,179,716 inhabitants 4 while the urban area of Los Angeles ( city-region ) has about 18.5 million inhabitants five , making it the second largest city of the United States after the NYSE. But the municipality’s own Los Angeles is relatively small against the agglomeration angeline, even if it is larger than New York and Chicago . Los Angeles is an Olympic city : it hosted the Games twice ( 1932 and 1984 ). Known worldwide for its scientific and cultural activity, it intends to maintain its status as global city-region ( world city-region ) 6 . LA is cosmopolitan and remains one of the entry points of the most prominent immigrant in the United States.
Summary

View of part of Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles and leaving Santa Monica

The city covers a 290.6 km 2 (of which 75.7 km 2 , or 5.86%, water bodies). The north-south distance is the greater of 71 km , east-west distance of 47 km and the total perimeter is 550 km . According to the Census Bureau United States , Los Angeles is in seventh place national cities over 100,000 population for the area 11 . The maximum elevation on the town is 1,548 m at Sister Elsie Peak 12 . The Los Angeles includes a remarkable number of native plant species: the California poppy , the Matilija poppy 13 , the Toyon , and hundreds more. With its beaches, dunes, hills, mountains and rivers, it is rich in diverse ecosystems. But some species are rare and endangered, as the Los Angeles sunflower .The city has 379 parks covering a total area of 63.5 km 2 14 . Griffith Park is the largest urban park in the world. The oldest city park was created in 1781 and is located in the El Pueblo Historic Monument of Los Angeles , near Union Station .

Climate

Graphic climate of Los Angeles.

The city enjoys a Mediterranean climate semi-arid characterized by mild, wet winters and hot dry summers. It enjoys 320 days of sunshine per year and is part of the Sun Belt (“Sun Belt”). Winds from the Pacific Ocean tend to cool the coast in summer and warm in the winter. At the inland maritime influences are less felt, so that the thermal amplitude increases. Temperatures can vary by several degrees and in the districts furthest from the coast. The highest recorded temperature was 48 ° C in Woodland Hills in July 2006 15 ; new record low stood at -7.8 ° C in 1989 in Canoga Park . Rain falls mainly in winter (the months of January and February are the wettest) and spring. Annual averages are 25.44 mm for precipitation (for an annual total of 305.3 mm ) and 19.5 ° C for temperatures 16 , 17 .

The Fire Station in August 2009

The city is located on the San Andreas Fault , and the risk of earthquake is very high. The major earthquake that newest of Northridge in 1994 with an epicenter in the San Fernando Valley . The damage it has caused have cost more than twenty-five billion dollars 18 . Other major earthquakes have affected the city: the Whittier Narrows in 1987 that occurred in the San Gabriel Valley or those of Sylmar in 1971 and Long Beach in 1933 . However, most of the numerous earthquakes that occur in the region are minor, the inhabitants often see one or two a year, without any damage being caused; many other earthquakes that are recorded by seismographs . Many experts, including the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), expect a major earthquake in the future 19 . The big one is the term used by Californians to designate this potential disaster.

In addition, Los Angeles is often threatened by fire (eg in November 1961 and August-September 2009 ), which mainly affect the rich suburbs newer built on hillsides, in contact with the natural vegetation 20 . Finally, the city, despite the low amount of precipitation, is not safe from floods, which, like those of 1938 and 1969 , can be disastrous. To limit the risk, several ponds were built, and the Los Angeles River has been concreted over almost its entire length 21 .

Urbanism

Los Angeles seen from above. One can notice several business districts, symbolized by the presence of buildings and skyscrapers in addition to the real historical center , which characterizes the lack of genuine downtown Los Angeles. The city of Los Angeles is now considered by urban planners and geographers as the forerunner and model development of American cities . It overshadows the model Chicago that had prevailed since the end of the xix th century with the famous Chicago School . Considering recent studies 22 , the “City of Angels” appears to many scholars as the laboratory of ” postmodern urban ” 23 .
First, Los Angeles is characterized by the absence of real downtown. Even if for Angelins the historic heart of the city is the Plaza , where Los Angeles was founded, and if the center is Downtown Los Angeles , the different functions of command are actually distributed in several distinct neighborhoods and distant. This situation stems from the history of the city. Upon arrival, the new Anglo-Saxon populations and Protestant like to stand out populations Hispanics already present and the brand that they have printed in the historic city. Motivated by an ideal ‘pastoral’ ideology characteristic of WASP , these new residents build the neighborhoods of the city with a low density, in order to keep a close with the natural and social life to focus on the family unit equipped with an important domestic space. At the end of the xix th century, Angelins chose the house with a garden as a form of preferred habitat. This conception of urban organization anchored logic of unlimited growth of the town, which was made ​​possible as the means of transport were improved and multiplied: urbanization initially went to great public transport routes ( trains and trams), and expansion possibilities were increased by the automobile 24 , which gave the city its current configuration of oil stain extending over 100 km from north to south.

Downtown Los Angeles

This urban sprawl ( urban sprawl in English) to the extreme a consequence, today, to go against a real close with nature, wilderness areas are only accessible after a long Crossing the vast housing estates constituting the vast periphery of the city . This indeed has the lowest score in regard to the relationship between natural areas and the total area of the entire West Coast 25 . Urban travel have also become a central problem. The transport can have no efficacy because of the lack of density. The use of cars therefore holds a virtual monopoly of travel, resulting in gridlock, despite the creation of a large number of highways connecting the various urban neighborhoods of the city.
The low proportion of public spaces in turn generates social exclusion and withdrawal of many ethnic communities together, promoting the presence in the election of “ethnic candidates.” The architect Frank Lloyd Wright said about the city itself: “Lean the world on one side and everything that does not quite slip into Los Angeles.” 26 . This characteristic makes the singularity of Los Angeles compared to other western cities 27 .

One of the symbols of the rebirth of downtown Los Angeles: the Walt Disney Concert Hall. There has however in recent years a great revival of downtown . In 1970 six , were erected skyscrapers in this neighborhood, which was emptied at the close of business. At the beginning of xxi th century , the city decided to transform the city center, in cooperation with private institutions. The objectives are to diversify the functions of the city center, the upgrading of the heritage and create public spaces. It is about developing the site dedicated to entertainment and culture, to form an art district , to attract people and tourists, to reinforce the importance of Los Angeles and its center compared to the vast agglomeration no longer really. The ambition is to establish a “real downtown Los Angeles” 28 .
For this, many projects have emerged, including the axis of the Grand Avenue to be completed in 2009 and cost $ 1.8 billion 29 , the mayor wants to turn in the Champs Elysees on the west coast. A restoration program was created to Broadway (the old cinemas between the wars) and for new lofts on Spring Street. Central Library, built in the 1920s style Art Deco was rehabilitated. New buildings have sprung up: the Walt Disney Concert Hall signed Frank Gehry (2003), the building of the MTA , the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, designed by Rafael Moneo (2002). The concentration of cultural institutions ( Museum of Contemporary Art , the Colburn School of Performing Arts ) must restore interest in the city center. The results of this policy to restore the city center are watched closely by city planners around the world: many Angelins choose to return to live in the center where over 10,000 subdivisions are under construction. Redensification the urban and the creation of new parks will therefore change the face of the city a few years 30 . This new phenomenon, which challenges representations of people (still mostly attached to the model home garden and low density), is still in its infancy, and if he leads the gentrification of some sectors, such as Grand Avenue, it does not remedy the problem necessarily ghettos. And urbanism angelin he hesitates, at the beginning of xxi th century , two trends – the creation of a centrality through a true public space, and its further enhancement old model of private space – while leaning more towards the first 31 .
Environmental problems

Downtown Los Angeles for the Griffith Observatory on the bottom of smog:

Due to urban sprawl, too low densities of the agglomeration and the extensive use of the car, Los Angeles is undergoing a major air pollution. The smog , which is particularly intense, is a cloud of pollution caused by exhaust fumes and industrial emissions. Once a certain threshold is exceeded, an alert is issued by the authorities of the city travel by car are then restricted to that necessary, and the factories must stop burning hydrocarbons. Poor air quality has held authorities since the late 1940s , when the county created a public agency in charge of this problem 32 . Currently, new measures are being considered to improve air quality in the coming years 33 . The launch on 20 November 2006 , through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, plan to reduce air pollution by at least 45% in five years in the San Pedro Bay and at all transport and equipment, shows that the fight against pollution is a priority 34 . In addition, the municipality encourages the development of public transport (which are less practiced at San Francisco or New York ) and a system of carpooling , but these measures do not achieve the expected success. A network of cycle paths has been developed and a network of lines of bus express, in an attempt to offer an alternative to the automobile. The mayor of Los Angeles signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (“Agreement of U.S. mayors on climate protection”), to meet or exceed the objectives of GHG reduction set by the Kyoto Protocol . Los Angeles already has 215 km of bike paths 35 and 122 km of bike lanes 36 . In Los Angeles , fiscal measures to encourage companies and individuals to install solar panels which, since 1999, representing a total capacity of 16 megawatts 37 . 10% of the energy consumed in the city is already from renewable sources 38 : The objective of the City of Angels is to reach 40% in 2020 38 . The program Trees for a Green LA encourages residents to plant trees to reduce smog and improve the living environment. Antonio Villaraigosa announced that he will plant one million trees in his town and he will encourage fuel ” own “before the end of his term 39 . Los Angeles a recycling rate of 65% 40 . In February 2009, the Mayor announced that the Town will replace 140,000 bulbs in street lights and traffic signals with light emitting diodes 41 .

Hollywood Boulevard.

The area of the city is important, Los Angeles is divided into many neighborhoods . Most of their names originates from rural areas which were annexed by Los Angeles over time, geography, main streets, the names of landowners. These divisions have no legal status but are of great importance to the people for cultural and financial reasons. These neighborhoods, Hollywood is famous worldwide for its film studios.
Many names of neighborhoods reflect the origin of their inhabitants, as Little Armenia , Thai Town , Historic Filipinotown , Little Ethiopia and Little Persia ). The set reflects the demographic diversity and richness of the region. The many municipalities that border Los Angeles or are isolated (eg Beverly Hills and Santa Monica ) are mostly culturally confused with it. The city is generally divided into several broad areas: Downtown Los Angeles , the Eastside and Northeast, South Los Angeles , the Harbor Area, Hollywood, Wilshire, the Westside and San Fernando valleys and Crescenta.

Entrance of Chinatown in downtown

In the census of 2000 , there were 3,694,820 residents 46 and 798 407 families in the city. The population density was 876.8 7 people per km ². This figure may seem low compared to densities of European cities 47 or even U.S. 48 . But this is an average that hides significant disparities in population between the sparsely populated areas like the Santa Monica Mountains 49 highly urbanized areas further south. Some neighborhoods are in second place after New York in terms of density, if they were independent of the City of Los Angeles.

Age pyramid of the city of Los Angeles

In 2000, 26% of the population was under 18, 11.1% had 18 to 24 years, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% people aged over 65. The average age was 32 years. Like other American cities, the contrasts of wealth are strongly marked in Los Angeles. Some of the richest neighborhoods such as Bel Air and Hollywood areas adjacent to black and Hispanic are often pockets of poverty. 30.3% of those under 18 and 12.6% of those aged 65 or over were living in poverty at the beginning of the xxi th century .
Concerning the origins of the inhabitants, the census of 2000 shows that: about 2,812,114 people born in the U.S. in the city, 1,485,576 were born in California, 663,746 come from another State of the Union, and 31 792 were born in a territory like Puerto Rico , Guam … Of the 1,512,720 foreign-born residents, 100,252 come from Europe , 376,767 from Asia , 20,730 from Africa , 4,104 from Oceania , 996 996 of Latin America and 13,859 from other countries of North America . Los Angeles continues to attract many migrants.
Los Angeles is a multiethnic city. Compared to other California cities, it has a higher proportion of Hispanics, who are now in the majority in the County of Los Angeles. The proportion of blacks is relatively high. The city of San Francisco has more Asians in the total population 50 .
Distribution of the population of Los Angeles by ethnic and cultural group 51
Group Los Angeles California U.S.

Night, including increases insecurity in Downtown

According to the COMPSTAT Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department , responsible for compiling statistics on the city, Los Angeles has seen a significant decline in violence since the mid- year 1990 : the year 2005 was a record at that level , with 43,231 acts of violence, including 487 homicides . Can be compared with the year 1992 during which 72,667 crimes and offenses were recorded with 1096 homicides . The decrease in violent crime continued in 2006 52 .

Despite negative stereotypes – LA is called gangland – statistics show that, in comparison with other cities, Los Angeles is doing relatively well: it has a crime index lower than that of New Orleans and Detroit . Among the largest cities, only New York and Chicago have a higher crime lower. A study of 2001 conducted by the National Drug Intelligence Center , the Los Angeles County is home to 1,350 gangs that bring together 152,000 people . If car chases happen more often than in other cities, it is partly because of the complexity and size of the motorway network of the city 53 .

The insecurity varies widely depending on the neighborhood where you are. Generally, it is not recommended for tourists to visit the neighborhoods to the south, southeast and east of downtown (Inglewood, Florence, Compton …). The downtown itself is not recommended since the dark. Conversely safe areas are north, northwest and west of downtown (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Venice, Cheviot Hills, West Hollywood …).
Economy

The famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles

The economic weight of the agglomeration angeline is considerable: in 2002, the GDP of the city was $ 411 billion 54 , that is to say it produces more wealth than the Netherlands, 55 for example. The GNP of the town is more than 3.3% of U.S. GDP. Los Angeles is famous for being the main production center film in the U.S., the most profitable in the world, but surpassed by the number of productions of Bollywood in India . The name of Hollywood , the neighborhood in which production takes place, has become synonymous with this industry. We note, however in recent years an increase in competition at this level, and more and more productions are performed in other cities of the United States, or Canada , to Vancouver (nicknamed North Hollywood) and Toronto . Formerly, the aerospace and oil were the dominant economic areas of the city, but have been replaced today by the finance , telecommunications, law, health and transport. The city has a large port with a cargo traffic of 54.228 LAX million metric tons in 2008 56 . As for his container business, in 2009 it reached a total of 6,748,995 TEUs which placed the port in the front row of ports in North America for this class of traffic 57 . Over 60% of California businesses have set up their headquarters in Los Angeles, and although the city is home to many companies (three are part of the ranking Fortune 500 ), quadruple that number when you consider its suburbs ; most companies have preferred to settle in areas where taxes are lower. The Los Angeles basin, especially its western part, is exploited for its oil: since the beginning of xx th century , 30,000 wells were drilled, and today about 2,500 are still in operation 58 . The city is home to many Mexican immigrants, including many illegal, who are often relegated to more menial work of the city’s economy, as maintenance personnel.
Tourism

Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.

The tourism industry is poorly developed in Los Angeles. Tourists are directed generally to the many theme parks in the region such as Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood .The classic tourist itinerary also includes a generally round in the arteries known as Sunset Boulevard , Santa Monica LA Times Boulevard , Melrose Avenue , the Pacific Coast Highway or the famous Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is home to many luxury boutiques. Venice Beach to the southwest of the city is a site offering numerous activities. Also a very wide range and monitored, tourists visit the many small souvenir shops, clothing, gadgets, etc.., Do rollerblade or bike on bike paths along the beach, or watching the few painters or musicians s’ it produces daily. A few kilometers further west, Malibu is famous for its beaches and luxury villas. Los Angeles, with his headquarters to Hollywood , one of the highlights of the film industry . In addition to the Hollywood sign , symbol of the neighborhood, the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard (where is located the famous Walk of Fame ), spreading all blockbusters in a world first, and a tour of the homes of stars (from the street) to Beverly Hills with a Star Mansion map are the ongoing activities of tourists moviegoers.
Culture

Los Angeles is often called the world capital of entertainment industries through its impressive film and television , as well as musical and artistic .
Cultural institutions

Panorama of the Getty Center

Several cultural institutions are present in the city, the largest being the Art Museum of Los Angeles County ( Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)), the Getty Center , the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the Museum of Neon Art (MONA), the Norton Simon Museum , the Museum of Tolerance , the Skirball Cultural Center , the Latino Museum of History, Arts and Culture, the George C. Page Museum, National Museum of Japanese Americans, the California Science Center and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County . Los Angeles also has numerous art galleries, such as Culver City gallery Blum & Poe opened in October 2010 on 1950 m 2 59 .

Huntington Gardens:

The Huntington Library and Art Gallery , open to the public in 1928 and created by Henry Edwards Huntington , offers a library of over 10,000 books including many old books, a museum of art and a botanical garden famous for its cactus garden . The main library of the city is the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), with headquarters located in Downtown, has been recognized National Historic Site . Unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and some small towns are served by the Los Angeles County

Public Library:

There are many performance venues Theatre in Los Angeles: the Music Center (composed of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion , home of the Los Angeles Opera and the Ahmanson Theater, where the blockbusters are played in Broadway ), the Ford Amphitheater The Greek Theater, the Hollywood Bowl , the Pantages Theatre and the Kodak Theater . The Los Angeles Philharmonic occurs at Walt Disney Concert Hall .
Los Angeles is also a museum in the open air of murals , some of Diego Rivera , David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco 60 and would be the city to contain the greatest number. It has some of graffiti ‘s best-known world, for example those of the Belmont Tunnel. You can also find many sculptures in city parks, including the University of Judaism and the University of California at Los Angeles .
Religion

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels

Main articles: List of bishops and archbishops of Los Angeles and List of éparques of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles (Maronite Rite) . The composition of the population and migration partly explain the distribution of religions in Los Angeles. The Catholics are the majority view of the importance of the Hispanic population: the Diocese of Los Angeles, the largest in the country, led by Cardinal Roger Mahony, has over 5 million believers 61 . Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels is as tall as a 12-story building and can accommodate over 3,000 worshipers . With 590,000 people in 2000 62 , the population Jewish is the second biggest behind that of New York, and the city is home to many synagogues , most of which are located in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles (the oldest The Breed Street Shul, located in East Los Angeles, which was until 1951 the largest synagogue west of Chicago 63 , became a historical museum 64 ). All world religions are represented: Islam , the Buddhist , the Hindu , the Zoroastrian , the Sikhism , the Orthodox Church , etc.. The Church of Scientology is present in the city since 18 February 1954 , and the Celebrity Center is part of its many museums, churches and places of recruitment. There is also the historical presence of Mormon : the Los Angeles California Temple , located in West Los Angeles on Santa Monica Boulevard , is the second most important temple of worship.
Media

The headquarters of the Los Angeles Times , style art deco

The largest daily newspaper in the region is the Los Angeles Times . La Opinión is read by the Hispanic community. There are also a variety of regional newspapers and local information, magazines and weekly newspapers, including the Daily News of Los Angeles Newspaper Group, which is found mainly in the San Fernando Valley , LA Weekly , LA City Beat , Los Angeles magazine , Los Angeles Business Journal , Los Angeles Daily Journal , the Hollywood Reporter . Added to many local magazines serving the various communities in their native language, and some newspapers from other municipalities, as the Daily Breeze ( Torrance ) and the Press-Telegram ( Long Beach ).
In terms of radio and television , the public’s Greater Los Angeles has access to many local channels. The major channels are KABC-TV 7 (American Broadcast Company), KCBS 2 ( CBS ), KNBC 4 ( NBC ), KTTV 11 (FOX), KTLA 5 (The WB Television Network), and KCOP 13 (UPN). There are also many Spanish channels or independent in the region.

Downtown Los Angeles: the US Bank Tower

In architectural terms, it can be noted, notable buildings as the Los Angeles Central Library ( 1926 ) of Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue whose appearance evokes the buildings of ancient Egypt and other ancient civilizations 65 , Central Station Union Station combines Spanish colonial styles and Mission Revival and City Hall, whose top evokes the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus . The Bradbury Building ( 1893 ) is a building notable for its facade style Italian Renaissance brick brown, its inner courtyard, with its many stairs, elevators, and for the hundreds of floral motifs that decorate their iron railings. Recently built, the building of the Metropolitan Transit Authority incorporates some elements referring to the style Art Deco , which can be found on some buildings downtown like the Eastern Columbia was built in 1930 and turned into lofts in the early xxi th century. Modern architecture is through the work of Paul Williams , the architect of the Shrine Auditorium and the Theme Building, the building representative of the Los Angeles International Airport (with Welton Becket), the Los Angeles County Courthouse , the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration , and buildings in Beverly Hills , and those of Frank Gehry , as the Walt Disney Concert Hall , the California Aerospace Museum, Loyola Law School. Gehry is currently responsible for overseeing the Grand Avenue Project. Among the major skyscrapers of Los Angeles overlooking the city include the US Bank Tower (310 m), the Aon Center (262 m), the Two California Plaza (229 m), the Gas Company Tower (228 m ), the ARCO Center (224 m), 777 Tower (221 ​​m), Wells Fargo Tower (220 m), the Figueroa at Wilshire (219 m), Bank of America Tower (213 m) and Paul Hastings Tower (213 m).

Los Angeles in the arts

Los Angeles in the literature

Los Angeles comes into literature in the 1920s, with satirical Merton of the movies of Harry Leon Wilson on the film industry in Hollywood (a theme that has since been repeated in numerous novels 66 ), and The Boosters ( 1924) by Mark Lee Luther, who described the housing boom of the time, Angel’s Flight (1927) Don and Rian Oil! of Upton Sinclair 67 describes the rush to oil in Signal Hill . Since then the city and its region, popular authors (the greater Los Angeles home, after New York and San Francisco , the largest number of published writers, nationally 68 ) are fertile territory for writers. Two types in particular are linked to the city: the “Hollywood novel” and the thriller. The “Hollywood novel” attempts to portray the dark side of Hollywood dream, to show the confusion between reality and illusion, between commerce and art, it entails, and the consequences it causes in the lives of characters: Book by Nathaniel West, The Day of the Locust (1939), is one such model 69 , which includes, among others, The Loved One (1947) of Evelyn Waugh and Hollywood (1989) of Charles Bukowski . In addition to the world of literature has quickly joined the cinema in Los Angeles, through the writing of scenario , and the film industry quickly attracted a large number of authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald , Aldous Huxley , Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner.

The thriller is, since the 1930s, well represented through the works of writers like Raymond Chandler ( The Big Sleep ( The Big Sleep , 1939), Farewell, My Lovely ( Farewell My Lovely , 1940), The Long Goodbye , 1953), Ross Macdonald (who writes in the tradition of the latter while giving his characters a deeper psychological) Walter Mosley , James Ellroy with The Black Dahlia ( Black Dahlia , 1987), The Big Nowhere ( The Big Nowhere , 1988), LA Confidential (1990), Joseph Hansen and Michael Connelly ( The Sewers of Los Angeles (1992). Los Angeles is an object of fascination for many paradoxical authors. Most of the texts published on the Los Angeles portray a complex city and highlight the differences between his public reputation and reality often black and tinged with pessimism, making Los Angeles an allegory of a modern condition marked by anxiety 70 . In his semi-autobiographical novels (the first Bandini in 1938), John Fante describes the Los Angeles of the Great Depression , when his alter ego Arturo Bandini seeks to live to write. Maria with and without ( Play it as it Lays , 1971) by Joan Didion of the city stands a negative picture, like Less Than Zero ( Less Than Zero , 1985) Bret Easton Ellis , who described the disposition of a student of the gilded youth who out of a dive in the shallows of the company angeline by leaving the city. In his autobiography Always Running (1993), Luis J. Rodriguez describes his experience of gangs and drug trafficking. The science fiction door to the far sides of the dystopian metropolis, a place of nightmare, for example, I Am Legend (1954) by Richard Matheson and place conducive to disaster, in many novels and disaster movies that s ‘place there 71 . But the literary figure of Los Angeles does not preclude optimism, it is, just like the real city, diverse and multiple.

The streets lined with palm trees are a symbol of Los Angeles as here in the district of Hollywood
Birthplace of Hollywood myth, Los Angeles has consistently fascinated a host of American directors including Michael Mann . Two of his films take place in Los Angeles:
Heat is the story of a hunt in the heart of the megalopolis between a mob boss ( Robert De Niro ), and an insomniac detective ( Al Pacino ). This thriller ends with a scene including an anthology of tracks near the airport in Los Angeles. Collateral is the story of an encounter with a cab driver ( Jamie Foxx ) and a contract killer ( Tom Cruise ) during a night in Los Angeles. Filmed entirely in digital camera, the film is as much about the psychological confrontation between the two characters of clean urban mobility in Los Angeles. The cold-blooded killer and the ability of the taxi driver to move as skillfully in this urban space disproportionate (the famous “grid”) share the same implacable logic and deadly.
David Lynch , who lives in the city of Los Angeles, has shot many of his films:
Lost Highway , which has a murder from the perspective of different personalities of the assassin
Mulholland Drive , a dreamlike film about the world of cinema in Los Angeles and named after a road winding hills above the city. Inland Empire , shot using digital technology, again addressing the subject of Hollywood filming.

Other famous films have their scenario to take place in Los Angeles:

Climb up there of Fred C. Newmeyer , whose most famous scene shows the hero (played by Harold Lloyd ) hanging from the hands of a clock on a skyscraper.
LA Confidential by Curtis Hanson shows the Los Angeles of the 1950s, a victim of score-settling after the death of one of the main bosses of the city.

Lethal Weapon of Richard Donner stages the police duo’s most famous film: Martin Riggs ( Mel Gibson ) and Roger Murtaugh ( Danny Glover ). The Princes of the City of Taylor Hackford : in the 1980s, three cousins ​​Chicanos , members of the gang Vatos Locos , will each take a different route. The film embodies the decadence of the young barrio and directed the murky world of prisons and neighborhoods.
Nowhere , a film by Gregg Araki on American youth who suffers from a lack of benchmarks, disorientation which finds its metaphor in the urban fabric of the city.

Collision band crossing fates of many characters in the space of 36 hours.
There are also films about Mexican immigrant community. Born in east LA , a comedy of Cheech Marin , speaks of a Chicano born in the Mexican neighborhood of East Los Angeles who has been expelled by mistake in Mexico, a country that it does not know.

The thriller Training Day , to Antoine Fuqua , released in 2002, takes place in a little hot neighborhoods of the city, such as the Jungle . The sci-fi film Time Out takes place there, the business district to the ghettos. Los Angeles television

Many television shows are held in Los Angeles. Most belong to the detective genre: Badge 714 (1,951 to 1959), Mannix (1967-1975), Columbo (1968-2003), Cannon (1971-1976), Police Story (1973-1978), Charlie’s Angels (1976 – 1981), Quincy (1976-1983), CHiPs (1977-1983), Matt Houston (1982-1985), Hunter (1984-1991), the first six seasons of 24 hours chrono (2001-2010), The Shield ( 2002-2008), The Closer priority surveys (since 2005), NUMB3RS (2005-2010), NCIS (since 2009) ( NCIS is also shot). Several serials evoke the installation and adaptation of new residents ( Beverly Hills 90210 , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ) or reflect the ethnic diversity of the city: Moesha , The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air recount the everyday African-Americans . The world of fashion, film stars and appears in The Bold and the Beautiful (since 1987), The Girls Next Door (2005-2009), Fashion House (2006), Dirt (2007-2008) or Entourage (2004 ). Act of Los Angeles (1986-1994) and Shark (2006-2008) depict lawyers. Some neighborhoods are being honored as Bel-Air ( Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ) or the neighboring town of West Hollywood , homosexual stronghold in The L Word . Finally, Los Angeles provides the setting for the derived series such as Fame LA , Joey (2004-2006) or Nip / Tuck . Six Feet Under (2001-2005) held in Los Angeles and covers topics as diverse as drugs, death, homosexuality.

Video Games in Los Angeles

The company Rockstar Games has published a number of games taking place or in a city inspired by Los Angeles, among which include Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto V (two sets of the famous video game series Grand Theft Auto ), the racing video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles , or more recently LA Noire , which takes place in Los Angeles of the 1940s. The video game True Crime: Streets of LA (published by Activision ) was also based on the city. Each year takes place in Los Angeles one of the biggest shows in the world of video games: the Electronic Entertainment Expo , often abbreviated E3.

Los Angeles music

Just pieces devoted to the city, LA was born and is still home to many artists who are particularly attached, for good or evil, the megalopolis and who regularly speak in their songs. The most representative types are rap (west coast), some sub-genres of heavy metal ( glam metal , thrash metal ) and punk rock (subgenus California ) including:
the west coast rap (from “West Coast of the United States,” which begat the Gangsta rap ). Examples: Tupac Shakur , Eazy E , NWA , Outlawz , Snoop Dogg , Game , Cypress Hill , Dr. Dre and more recently the rapper Tyga in 2009;
The Californian punk (close to a specific genre punk rock). Examples: NOFX , Bad Religion and the Red Hot Chili Peppers ;
Also Sunset Boulevard (district strongly related to hard rock). Examples: Motley Crue and Guns & Roses ;
the pop rock: Jonas Brothers , Vanessa Hudgens , Selena Gomez , Demi Lovato , Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus ;
the psychedelic rock : The Doors , The Byrds , Strawberry Alarm Clock ;
Pop: LMFAO , Will.I.Am (Leader of the Black Eyed Peas ).

Tuition

The Royce Hall Auditorium at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

The city schools are managed by the Los Angeles Unified School District , the second system of the United States in terms of number of students (over 720,000 in 2006 ). With the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 in the state, urban school districts witnessed a decrease in their ways, and particularly the LAUSD suffered for years of underfunding, overcrowding of classes and poor maintenance of the premises. Parents often prefer rich send their children to private schools, sometimes those of the middle class were moving to the suburbs to bring their children in other districts. Since then the situation has improved considerably since the LAUSD has embarked on a program of building new schools to accommodate all students in better conditions. There are also two French schools in the city famous: the Lycée International de Los Angeles ( LILA ) and the French high school 72 . Among these universities in the city include the prestigious University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA – public) and University of Southern California (USC – private) that are considered part of the best universities of the West Coast and the world. One can also cite many other universities, like University of California at Los Angeles (CSULA – public), the California State University Northridge (CSUN – public), the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) (private), the Occidental College (Oxy) (closed), the Southwestern University School of Law (Private) and the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) (closed). In addition to these universities, the city contains a large number of community colleges . The region of Greater Los Angeles welcomes other leading universities, such as California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The Town Hall of Los Angeles since 1928

The city has a system of strong mayor . The current mayor is Antonio Villaraigosa , Hispanic. There are 15 departments in the City Council. Other elected officials are City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, who pursues petty offenses committed within the city, and the city controller , Laura Chick. The district attorney , elected by county voters, prosecutes major crimes.

To make city government more responsive to citizens’ expectations and to improve the management of the various districts, the City Council established neighborhood councils. These advisory boards for the first time proposed by Councillor Joel Wachs in 1996 , have been delineated in the Charter Reform of 1999 . The area managed by each board is not necessarily identical to the neighborhood as it is traditionally perceived by the population. Over 90 councils have been formed and each person can vote for the composition of the board of his neighborhood. Although they did actually have little power, they have lobbied the City Council during important business, for example in their opposition to a project to increase the price of water was directed by the city.

At the judicial level, the Los Angeles County Superior Court has jurisdiction over serious trial (felonies) responding to the law of the State , while the United States District Court for the Central District of California is responsible for all federal trials. Both institutions occupy several large buildings in the neighborhood Civic Center downtown. The entire city of Los Angeles and its largest suburbs are located in the same county, the County Superior Court and District Court are both the most important of the United States of America.

Greater Los Angeles includes a little over a third of the members of the Assembly of the State of California , who tend to work in part from their home districts. Since the early 1990s , Los Angeles is becoming more like the “real capital” of the State 73 .

Political developments

Los Angeles is a city in California more conservative than its northern rival San Francisco but more liberal than San Diego , its southern neighbor. Municipal elections are nonpartisan California, candidates are not elected based on their political label, but based on their charisma or their ability to build a coalition around themselves, even if the political tendency of each candidate is not trivial.
In 1973 , the Angelins choose their first black mayor, the Democrat Tom Bradley , reelected five times. In 1993 , the Republican Richard Riordan takes the reins of the municipality for two terms. In 2001 , not re-elected, Riordan gave way to James Hahn , a Democrat.
In May 2005 , the Los Angeles residents elected their first Hispanic mayor since 1872 . Supported by a broad coalition that includes Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, Richard Riordan and Barbara Boxer , Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa was elected with 59% against 41% in the outgoing mayor. Villaraigosa’s election is the first major consecration of the political clout of Hispanics in the state, especially since they represent 46% of people in Los Angeles. The latter is committed to a policy of environmental protection and the fight against greenhouse gas emissions: for example he announced in 2006 that will plant one LA Lakers million trees in Los Angeles and he encourage “clean” fuels by the end of his term 39 .

Transportation

The vast network of motorways in Los Angeles and the surrounding area.The streets form a grid pattern whose major axes are the main highways and streets area , also called boulevards. Among the main east-west streets include Ventura , Hollywood , Sunset , Wilshire , Santa Monica and Beverly . There are other famous streets in the city who do not have the title of boulevards, although these are also important axes. These include for example: Mulholland Drive , Pacific Coast Highway , Melrose Avenue , Florence Avenue, Normandie Avenue, Vermont Avenue, La Brea Avenue, Figueroa Street, Grand Avenue, Central Avenue and Alameda Street.

Los Angeles is known for its many nest-holes that cause accidents. Funds for roads are indeed insufficient to maintain the huge road network of the city. This problem has been the main cause of the attempted secession of the San Fernando Valley in 2002 . In December 2005 , an operation to reseal the nest-holes took place in the Valley, but the problem is not solved at present. The city is also the scene of many races pursuit that can last for hours as the road and highway system is large and complex, and often relayed by local television stations. Contrary to the assertion of a popular song that says “no one walks in LA” ( “nobody walks in LA” ), several places in the city are frequented by pedestrians, especially in the downtown and in the many shopping districts. There is then often quicker to walk than drive, because of lack of parking and the very large number of automobiles. Despite its size, Los Angeles is not comparable to the city of Memphis is a real city empty of pedestrians .
Expressways

Freeway interchange in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the central hub of a network of motorways ( freeways ) very important: more than 1,000 kilometers throughout the city 74 . The city is indeed regarded as a kind of “capital” of congestion and car. Its highways totaled daily travel of some 160 million kilometers. Network quality is recognized, but the increasing traffic jams for several years pushed the authorities to develop other means of transport. The main highways are the Golden State (I-5) (north-south), San Diego (405), the US Route 101 , the California State Route 1 , the Santa Monica (I-10). Rush hour is between 6 and 9 am on weekends and evenings between 15 and 19 hours.
Airports

The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Los Angeles is the city with the most airports of the world. The main airport of the city and its region, the Los Angeles International Airport , is chosen by most international visitors. He stands at 5 th place worldwide with 60 million passengers passing through it each year 75 . Other airports are notable the Ontario International Airport , the Bob Hope Airport (formerly Burbank Airport), the Long Beach Municipal Airport and John Wayne International Airport . Los Angeles World Airports , a department of City of Los Angeles, is responsible for administering those of Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT), Van Nuys (VNY) and Palmdale Regional (PMD). Los Angeles also has a heliport ( Century City Heliport , IATA code : CCD ).

Ports

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together make up the Los Angeles-Long Beach Port , the third of the world for traffic containers . Medium sized ports and marinas line the rest of the coast, like Marina del Rey or Redondo Beach , hosting many yachts . There is also a ferry to reach the town of Avalon , located on Santa Catalina Island , off the city.
Rail

Union Station

The rail freight land is provided by the Union Pacific and BNSF Railway . Union Station is the main station of passengers from Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other agencies direct the extensive system of lines of bus and subway that are used by approximately one million people each day. The main lines are the lines red, purple, gold, blue, green and orange, this one specifically dedicated to the bus. It is served by buses designated as the ” Metro Liner “easily recognizable by their original appearance and their length 77 . Many projects to improve and extend these lines are under consideration or in progress: recently, the metro connects Hollywood Mid-Wilshire center. A shuttle can reach this area from Union Station to the airport. At the beginning of xxi th century , the city has also reactivated a railway line that goes from the center to the south port 78 . However, just over 10% of transport are used in common, against 50% in New York 79 , which shows that Los Angeles is still the motor city.

Sports

The Los Angeles area offers a diverse environment, pro sports and outdoor recreation. Thousands of miles of trails through the city and its surroundings, which can borrow on foot, bike or horseback. It is possible to perform a wide variety of activities in the county, including skiing , the climbing , the Beach volleyball and windsurfing . The latter two sports have been invented elsewhere in the region (even if their predecessors were invented by Duke Kahanamoku in Hawaii ).

Many celebrities were born, lived or died in Los Angeles. Being a major cultural and artistic centers of the U.S. west coast, the city attracts many personalities of cinema , the music and television , particularly in neighborhoods of Malibu and Beverly Hills .

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