Los Angeles, California
| City of Los Angeles | |||
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| Nickname: L.A., The City of Angels | |||
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Coordinates:  34°03′N 118°15′W / 34.05, -118.25 |
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| State | California | ||
| County | Los Angeles County | ||
| Settled | September 4, 1781 | ||
| Incorporated | April 4, 1850 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Mayor-Council | ||
| - Mayor | Antonio Villaraigosa | ||
| - City Attorney | Rocky Delgadillo | ||
| - Governing body | City Council | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 498.3 sq mi (1,290.6 km²) | ||
| - Land | 469.1 sq mi (1,214.9 km²) | ||
| - Water | 29.2 sq mi (75.7 km²) 5.8% | ||
| - Urban | 1,667.9 sq mi (4,319.9 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 233 (city hall) ft (71 m) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - City | 3,849,378 (US: 2nd) | ||
| - Density | 8,205/sq mi (3,168/km²) | ||
| - Metro | 12,875,587 | ||
| - Demonym | Angeleno | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP code | 90001-90068, 90070-90084, 90086-90089, 90091, 90093-90097, 90099, 90101-90103, 90174, 90185, 90189 | ||
| Area code(s) | 213, 310, 323, 424, 661, 818 | ||
| Website: www.lacity.org/ | |||
Los Angeles (IPA: /lɑˈsændʒələs/;or Los Ángeles/los ˈanxeles/ in Spanish) is the largest city in the state of California and the second-largest in the United States.[1] Often abbreviated as L.A., it is rated an alpha world city, having an estimated population of 3.8 million[2] and spanning over 469.1 square miles (1,214.9 square kilometers) in Southern California. Additionally, the Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nearly 12.9 Million[3] people who hail from all over the globe and speak 224 different languages. Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populous and most diverse county[4] in the United States. Its inhabitants are known as "Angelenos" (IPA: /ændʒəˈlinoʊz/).
Los Angeles was founded in the year 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porciúncula). It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thus becoming part of the United States; Mexico retained the territory of Baja California. It was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850 — five months before California achieved statehood.
Los Angeles is one of the world's centers of culture, technology, media, business, and international trade. It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and it is one of the most substantial economic engines of the United States. Los Angeles also leads the world in producing popular entertainment — such as motion picture, television, video games and recorded music — which forms the base of its international fame and global status.
