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California Vacations Los Angeles
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The second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles with its diverse cultures, is a sprawling, energetic city. Officially founded on September 4, 1781, it remained a small farming settlement until the advent of the railroad in 1876, the discovery of oil in 1892, the citrus industry and the aircraft manufacturing industry during WW2 which all contributed to the population explosion of the area. The city is now home to an international community of nearly 18 million people in the metropolitan area, with more than a hundred different languages spoken and a wide variety of religious faiths are practiced. Situated in the southern part of California, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and harboring the largest sea port in the USA, LA is surrounded by mountains, forests, valleys plus a desert and enjoys a Mediterranean type climate. There are gloriously restored buildings featuring Spanish Gothic, French baroque, American and International architecture, palatial mansions showing the lifestyles of the rich and famous, tree lined streets, elegant hotels, mind-boggling shopping centers, a park five times larger than Central Park in New York and marvelous beaches. Also known as The City of Angels or just L.A., it is regarded by many as "The Entertainment Capital of the World" with many movie and TV celebrities residing in the surrounding suburbs. Countless restaurants provide culinary experiences from around the globe to delight any taste buds and the many bars and clubs offer a variety of musical talent from Jazz to Rock. While LA is synonymous with the latest trends in modern music, there are numerous venues for classical music, opera and performances by musical greats. For those interested in fine art, there are a number of superb museums to discover - one museum has a great exhibit of fossilized skeletons of mammals and another celebrates the automobile industry. There are museums catering especially for children with story-telling and workshops; there are the favorite theme parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios that offer year round fun and excitement; parades throughout the year with a firm favorite being the Christmas Parade; plenty of quirky and bizarre stores for wacky and eccentric items and a profusion of souvenir shops. Los Angeles is a centre for international trade, fashion, technology, education and much more. It proudly boasts the University of California, a premier teaching and research institution and the University of Southern California, the city's largest private sector employer. In 1984, Los Angeles hosted the most financially successful Summer Olympics in history, which was the second hosting, the previous one being in 1932. For the sports enthusiast there are two major stadium venues offering major league baseball, professional basketball and ice hockey fixtures and events. Visitors to LA will find a wide choice of accommodation from which to choose. Traditional and boutique hotels, serviced and non-serviced apartments, resorts, bed & breakfast guest houses, backpacker hostels etc are all in plentiful supply throughout the city.
An introduction to the Los Angeles transport network The Los Angeles entertainment scene A visitors guide to the Los Angeles restaurant scene |
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