Los Angeles is a city with a fascinating history. From its indigenous roots to its current status as a major metropolitan area, the City of Angels has seen many changes over the centuries. We know that the current name Los Angeles is in Spanish for The Angels, and it has been the official name of the city since at least 1850 when it became an American city. The charter of the City of Los Angeles ratified by voters in 1999 created a system of neighborhood advisory councils that would represent the diversity of stakeholders, defined as those who live, work or own property in the neighborhood.
There are about 90 neighborhood councils, and Los Angeles residents choose supervisors for the first, second, third, and fourth supervisory districts. In addition to these local government bodies, there are numerous colleges and universities outside the city limits in the greater Los Angeles area, including the Claremont Colleges consortium, which includes some of the most selective liberal arts colleges in the U. S. Department of State.
The Los Angeles Transportation Authority has Amtrak intercity passenger trains, and its main train station is Union Station, just north of downtown. The city also contracts directly for local and commuter bus service through the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). As the home of Hollywood and its entertainment industry, numerous singers, actors, celebrities and other artists live in several districts of Los Angeles. Home to the Chumash and Tongva indigenous peoples, the area that became Los Angeles was claimed by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo for Spain in 1542. This rugged terrain has required having different grids for each of the valleys covered by Los Angeles.
The greater Los Angeles area is home to many movie stars and many of the biggest rock bands in the history of the United States. Los Angeles has a diverse economy and is home to businesses in a wide range of professional and cultural fields. During World War II, Los Angeles was an important manufacturing center during wartime, such as shipbuilding and aviation. Downtown Los Angeles has many buildings with more than 30 floors, with fourteen of more than 50 floors, and two of more than 70 floors, the tallest of which is the Wilshire Grand Center.
The Foursquare Gospel International Church was founded in Los Angeles by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923 and continues to be based there to this day. Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, its ethnic and cultural diversity, its Hollywood film industry and its extensive metropolitan area. It is a big city with city limits that are a long way from downtown, from beaches to mountains. Calship built hundreds of Liberty and Victory Ships ships on Terminal Island during World War II, and the Los Angeles area was home to six of the country's leading aircraft manufacturers. Studying the history of Los Angeles is something many people love to do and talking to locals is one way to do it. Grants and donations from the historical society and a group of book lovers called the Zamorano Club of Los Angeles paid to print a new book on durable acid-free paper and distribute it free to colleges, universities and public libraries.
