The City of Los Angeles holds many distinctions. LA is the entertainment capital of the world, a cultural mecca boasting more than 300 museums, and a paradise of good weather. From tourist attractions like the Walk of Fame’s collection of stars (numbering 2,466, and growing by one or two a month) to career opportunities like those presented in the expanding biotech industry, Los Angeles is the place to be. It is the only city in North America to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice. Downtown LA is the largest government center outside of Washington, D.C. Los Angeles has the only remaining wooden lighthouse in the state (located in San Pedro’s Fermin Park) and the largest historical theater district on the National Register of Historic Places (located Downtown on Broadway).
Los Angeles is on the leading edge of several growth industries. LA County, with more than 68,500 jobs in the fashion industry, has surpassed New York’s fashion district workforce. The LA five-county area also has more than 700,000 people at work in health services/biomedical activities and 152,000 people in aerospace/technology. Here are some more facts and figures about Los Angeles: the city, the county and the region.
SIZE:
City of Los Angeles: 472 square miles
County of Los Angeles: 4,084 square miles
Los Angeles Five-County Area: 34,135 square miles
(Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties)
There are 88 incorporated cities in Los Angeles County ranging from Vernon
(population 112) to Los Angeles city (population 3.8 million).
Source: LACity.org, LACounty.org, California State Association of Counties – counties.org
GEOGRAPHY:
Los Angeles spans a widely diverse geographic area. Primarily a desert basin, the area is surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountain range and divided by the Santa Monica Mountains. Los Angeles County has 75 miles of coastline and altitudes ranging from 9 feet below sea level at Wilmington to 10,080 feet above sea level atop Mt. San Antonio. Area Rivers include the Los Angeles, Rio Hondo, San Gabriel, and Santa Clara rivers.
CLIMATE:
Southern California’s climate has often been described as “perfect” and with good reason. Most days are sunny and warm, with gentle ocean breezes in the summer. The humidity is low with little rain. In fact, there are no unpleasant seasons in Los Angeles.
Annual precipitation: 15 inches Average high temperature: 75° F
Avg. sunny/partly sunny days: 292 days Average low temperature: 57° F
Source: National Weather Service Forecast Office at noaa.gov
HISTORY:
Sept. 4, 1781, is the city’s official birthdate, when 44 vecinos pobladores—village settlers from the Mexican provinces of Sonora and Sinaloa — made their home in what is now Downtown Los Angeles. Two of the 44 settlers were Spaniards, while the others were Indians, Blacks and Mestizos (of mixed ancestry). Here to greet the pobladores was a tribe of American Indians called Tongva. The Spanish named the new settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles, or The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels. After the territory changed hands from Spain to Mexico, the town was officially declared a city in 1835. In August 1846, American soldiers entered Los Angeles, and the stars and stripes have flown over the city since January 1847.
POPULATION (2010):
City of Los Angeles:
3.8 Million
County of Los Angeles:
9.8 Million
Los Angeles Six-County Area:
21.0 Million
(Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino and San Diego counties)
Source: 2010.census.gov
If the Los Angeles six-county area were a state, it would surpass all states in total population size with the exception of California and Texas. The County of Los Angeles alone would be the ninth most populated state, behind Michigan, with 9.9 million, and ahead of Georgia, with 9.8 million people. Los Angeles ranks as the second largest city in the nation.
PEOPLE:
The diverse, multiethnic population of Los Angeles today distinguishes the city as the cultural hub of the Pacific Rim. In fact, Los Angeles is one of only two U.S. cities without a majority population. People from 140 countries, speaking approximately 86 different languages, currently call Los Angeles home.
Hispanic or Latino (of any race):
48.5 percent
White, non-Hispanic:
28.7 percent
Asian/Pacific Islander:
11.4 percent
African-American:
9.6 percent
American Indian/Others:
1.8 percent
Source: 2010.census.gov
TOURISM STATISTICS (estimated 2011):
Total Visitors to Los Angeles County
43.7 million
Domestic Overnight visitors
21.0 million
International visitors
5.9 million
Day Visitors (traveled over 50 miles)
16.8 million
Total Visitor-Related spending
$15.9 billion
Overnight Visitor spending
$15.2 billion
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries; TNS Global Travels America Survey; CIC Research
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS FOR EACH AIRPORT IN 2011:
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
61,862,052
Ontario International Airport
4,551,875
Bob Hope Airport (Burbank)
4,301,568
Long Beach Airport
3,115,433
Source: Lawa.org, Burbankairport.com, Long Beach Airport - Lgb.org
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is a unique system of three airports owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles. Each of the airports – Los Angeles International (LAX), LA/Ontario International (ONT) and Van Nuys (VNY) – plays an integral role in helping to meet the regional demand for passenger, cargo and general aviation service in the 21st century.
As the gateway to the West Coast and the #1 international gateway to Asia/Pacific, LAX offers direct flights from 97 domestic cities and 58 international cities. LAX is the sixth busiest passenger airport in the world. Opened in 1984, the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX (TBIT) completed a major renovation program designed to make traveling through this international gateway safer, faster and more comfortable. The three-year project, which came in under budget at a cost of $737 million, was commemorated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 26, 2010.
LA/Ontario is a medium-hub, full-service airport with commercial jet service to major U.S. cities. ONT is located in the Inland Empire, approximately 38 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. The airport is the centerpiece of one of the fastest-growing transportation regions in the United States.
Source: Lawa.org
CRUISE TRAFFIC FOR THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES (2011 Estimates): 608,000
Source: PortofLosAngeles.org
AMTRAK PASSENGER BOARDINGS IN ALL LOS ANGELES COUNTY STATIONS IN FY2011: 1,606,121
Los Angeles Union Station is the 5th busiest station in the national Amtrak System.
Source: Amtrak.gov
BEACHES:
The Los Angeles County coastline, stretching from Malibu to Long Beach, is 75 miles long.
BUSINESSES:
Tourism and Hospitality ranks among the top industries in LA County including Commercial & Business Services; Medical & Health Services; Real Estate & Construction; Entertainment & Sports; and Transportation & Trade.
Furthermore, Tourism and Hospitality employs close to 364,000 people, representing nearly 1 out of every 10 jobs in Los Angeles County.
Source: LAEDC
THE ECONOMY:
Los Angeles has developed into one of the premier centers of economic and cultural activity in the world. If we compare the economy of the world’s top 20 countries; the LA five-county area ranks at No. 16 and Los Angeles County ranks at No. 19 in the world. The state of California ranks at No. 9 in the world economy ranking.
MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY IN LOS ANGELES:
California is the leading supplier of entertainment to the world, and Los Angeles County produces the vast majority of the state’s entertainment output. The motion picture industry in LA County generates approximately $48 billion annually in direct sales.
Source: LAEDC – 2011 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region
IMPORTS/EXPORTS:
Los Angeles is the No. 1 import/export port in the United States. The total value of two-way trade handled at the Los Angeles Customs District in 2011 is anticipated to be $387 billion.
The top trading commodities were computers, peripherals, machinery & appliances; electric machinery, sound & TV equipment; optical, photo & medical/surgical instruments; plastics & items made of plastic; and motor vehicles & parts.
HIGHER EDUCATION:
Los Angeles is home to 121 accredited colleges and universities with 156 campuses, including such prestigious institutions as the University of Southern California (USC), UCLA, Pepperdine University, Occidental College, Loyola Marymount University and the Art Center College of Design.
Source: LAEDC
About The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is a private, nonprofit business association whose primary mission is to market and promote Los Angeles as the premier site for meetings, conventions and leisure travel. Though not part of City government, Los Angeles Tourism is recognized as the City's official tourism marketing organization. For more information, visit the official visitor information website of Los Angeles at http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/. Please visit our FaceBook page at facebook.com/LosAngelesFan or follow us on Twitter @discover_LA.
Los Angeles International Pow Wow is supported by the following Premiere Partners; Brand USA, Los Angeles World Airports, and Visit California. The Premiere Event sponsors are Cirque du Soleil, Hollywood & Highland and Universal Studios Hollywood. The Platinum sponsors are The GRAMMY Museum, LA Waterfront, Metro, and Wolfgang Puck Catering.
The Gold sponsors are Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau, CityPASS, Coach America, DFS, Downtown Business Improvement District, The Grove, Hollywood Entertainment District, Merlin Entertainments Group, Miles Media, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Original Farmers Market, Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities CVA, Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau, Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission, Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau, Starline Tours & TourCoach Charters, Temecula Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau.The Silver sponsors are Beverly Center, Capital Grille, Citadel, City of Santa Clarita, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Malibu Wines, Premium Outlets, and Visit Mendocino County.The Bronze sponsors are da Vinci Villa, Integrated Transportation Services, and JAN.
Media contacts:
Carol Martinez
Vice President, Communications
phn: 213/236-2357, fax 213/425-1457
cmartinez@lainc.us
For more information on Los Angeles visit http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/
Visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/LosAngelesFan
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/tourism_LA
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