Relative LocationLos Angeles is 466 square miles. It covers 50 miles from San Fernando Valley (north) to Los Angeles Harbor at San Pedro Bay (south) and 30 miles from San Gabriel Mountains (east) to the Pacific Ocean (west). The city boundaries are the red lines in the map above.
Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second largest city in the U.S. The population is 3,694,820 for the city itself and for the greater Los Angeles area is over 16 million people. Los Angeles International Airport is the major airport in the area. Los Angeles is close to two states (Nevada and Arizona), one country (Mexico), and one ocean (Pacific Ocean). |
Absolute Location34º 03' N, 118º 14' W
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History & Settlement
Most of the early people who settled in California were Native Americans. The first group to settle were the Chumash in 8000 B.C. Later on around 200 to 300 A.D. the Tongva or People of Earth settled here and became the main group in the Los Angeles area. Both groups lived off the land.The Spanish came to the area in the 1500s and formed a colony called New Spain, which was located in Mexico but the land expanded into California and the southwest. The Spanish had a history of taking advantage of the Native Americans. The colonists did not want to move from Mexico. In 1769, the Spanish got soldiers and Catholic priests to start missions along the California coast. They hoped to convert them to Christianity.Two missions were founded in the Los Angeles area: San Gabriel Arcangel and San Fernando, Rey de Espana. The Spanish forced Native Americans at the missions to grow food and raise animals; the Spanish then traded the food and animals to make money. The Spanish had four forts or presidios to protect their land and missions. Villages or pueblos supported the fort or presidios. In 1779, Governor Felipe de Neve planned a pueblo between two presidios. The governor offer free land and supplies to anyone who had settled there. Not many people had took him up on the offer. Only 14 families settled at the San Gabriel mission by August of 1781. There were a total of 44 settlers, who were from different races. The pueblo was founded on September 4,1781. It was called El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, which meant The Town of the Queen of the Angels. It was named after the Los Angeles River. So Los Angeles was officially founded on September 4,1781 by Governor Felipe de Neve. In 1822 Mexico became its own nation. They got rid of the missions. El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles became a city in 1835. The city was named Los Angeles. From 1846 - 1848 the Mexican War happened between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. won and California was annexed, or made a part of the U.S.in 1848. Los Angeles became a U.S. city in 1850.