It
would be hard to be born on the North
American (or any other) continent and
not know of Los Angeles. Meaning simply
“The Angels” it is anything
but angelic, and is filled with more people
and more places then any other city; in
fact while not one of the largest cities
if one considers population it defiantly
takes the cake as far as land mass is
considered. Los Angeles spreads out over
34000 square miles and is the city that
more or less invented the term “urban
sprawl”.
Settled originally by the Spanish in 1769,
the town that would eventually grow into
one of the world’s largest population
centres it wasn’t officially founded
until 1969. As the town grew to a city
it served as the capital of a Mexican
province called “Alta California”.
In 1846 the Untied States invaded the
province and the city was swallowed up
with it (a event that some Los Angeles
residents are still sore about to this
day). When oil was discovered in the 1890s
the growth rate began to climb; when in
the early 1900s the movie industry took
advantage of the California sunshine the
city began to explode.
In the 1940s the war started with both
the Japanese and the Germans. During World
War II Los Angeles boomed as a centre
for the production of war supplies and
munitions. Thousands of African Americans
migrated to Los Angeles to fill factory
jobs.
As
the war ended and the “golden 1950s”
began the city started to grow out of
control in every conceivable direction.
It literally swallowed up the little town
of Hollywood. Other communities it would
envelop included Central City, San Pedro,
Sylmar, Watts, Westwood, Bel-Air, and
Boyle Heights.
As the early 20th Century turned into
the late 20th century the city began to
boil with people. Immigrants from Asia,
Mexico, and the rest of the United States
all arrived in Los Angeles looking for
a place to live and work. So many people
in tight quarters was a recipe for disaster
and soon Los Angeles got its modern reputation
for riots, gang violence, and urban decay.
With a current population of 14 million
(and with no sign of slowing down) L.A.
will continue to grow and grow until it
either is stopped by its struggling neighbours
or slides into the sea.
|
|
