Los Angeles

A city of southern California on the Pacific Ocean in a widespread metropolitan area. Founded by the Spanish in 1781, it served several times as a colonial capital before incorporation in 1850. Its real growth began after the coming of the railroads in the 1870s and 1880s and the discovery of oil in the 1890s. Today it is a major shipping, manufacturing, communications, financial, and distribution center noted for its entertainment industry. Population: 3,850,000.