The
Spanish explorer, Gaspar de Portola, first visited the San Pedro Bay
area in 1769. However, it was not until 1781 that a group of Spanish
settlers established what they called El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora
de los Angeles de Porciuncula (the town of Our Lady the Queen of the
Angels of Porciuncula).
Los Angeles eventually became the capital of the Spanish colonial
province of Alta California but in 1846 was captured by United States
forces during the Mexican War. The arrival
of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876 and the discovery of oil
in the 1890s stimulated economic growth in the area. The development
of the motion-picture industry in the early 20th century also helped
the city to expand rapidly.
During the Second World War Los Angeles became
involved in producing war supplies and munitions. This created a great
deal of migration to the area. In the 1970s and 1980s Los Angeles
experienced dramatic growth through immigration. This included a very
large Hispanic population. Other immigrants came from China, South
Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines. By 1990 Los Angeles
had a population of 3,485,398, making it the second largest city in
the United States.
(1)
Rosalind
Franklin, letter to Jane Rich
(August 1954)
The centre of Hollywood is vulgar and characterless, and
only a little less sordid
than the centre of Los Angeles. Here I was shown the worst part, which
is really incredibly awful. Bad patches can be found in any big city,
but none of the same extent as this, even if of the same depravity.
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