Los Angeles , [ a ] often referred to by its initials L. With an estimated 3,, residents within the city limits as of [update] , [ 8 ] it is the second-most populous city in the United States, behind only New York City ; it is also the commercial, financial and cultural center of Southern California.
Los Angeles has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, and is the principal city of a metropolitan area of Greater Los Angeles , which includes the Los Angeles and RiversideβSan Bernardino metropolitan areas, is a sprawling metropolis of over The majority of the city proper lies in a basin in Southern California adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in the west and extending partly through the Santa Monica Mountains and north into the San Fernando Valley , with the city bordering the San Gabriel Valley to its east.
It covers about square miles 1, km 2 , [ 6 ] and is the county seat of Los Angeles County , which is the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9. The city was founded on September 4, , under Spanish governor Felipe de Neve , on the village of Yaanga.
Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, , five months before California achieved statehood. The discovery of oil in the s brought rapid growth to the city. Los Angeles has a diverse economy with a broad range of industries. Despite a steep exodus of film and television production since the COVID pandemic , [ 21 ] Los Angeles is still one of the largest hubs of American film production , [ 22 ] [ 23 ] the world's largest by revenue; the city is an important site in the history of film.
It also has one of the busiest container ports in the Americas. Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in and , and will also host in Despite a business exodus from downtown Los Angeles since the COVID pandemic , the city's urban core is evolving as a cultural center with the world's largest showcase of architecture designed by Frank Gehry. The local English pronunciation of the name of the city has varied over time.
