a city on the southern Pacific coast of the USA, in the state of California. Located on a narrow coastal lowland bordered by the San Gabriel, Santa Monica, and Santa Ana mountains, the city extends about 80 km from north to south and approximately 50 km from west to east. It is the main economic center of the American West. Population, 2.8 million (1970); with suburbs, more than 7 million (compared to 50,000 in 1890).
The gainfully employed population is about 3 million (1970), 30 percent of whom work in industry, 40 percent in trade and services, 5.7 percent in finance and insurance, 10 percent in construction, transportation, and the municipal economy, and 14 percent in government service. The number of people in manufacturing increased from 160,000 in 1939 to 879,000 in 1969, almost two-thirds of whom were employed in machine building and metalworking. Los Angeles is a major center for the war industry. It is a primary center for the production of air-planes, rockets, spacecraft (more than 200,000 workers), and radioelectronic equipment (primarily for military purposes). Also developed are other branches of machine building: automobile assembly, shipbuilding, electrical engineering, and the production of instruments and of industrial equipment, particularly equipment for the petroleum industry. Oil is refined there, and the city has chemical, rubber, furniture, garment, and food industries, the last concentrating on canning fish, fruits, and vegetables. There is a large metallurgical combine near the city. Los Angeles is also an important center for the petroleum industry (12,000 employees).
Los Angeles is the second most important port on the Pacific coast of the USA, with a freight turnover of about 20 million tons in 1970; combined with the neighboring port of Long Beach, the turnover was more than 35 million tons; it is also an important transportation junction and has an international airport. It is famous as a center for the film industry (Hollywood) and television. The University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and other educational institutions are located there. It is a seaside health resort.
V. M. GOKHMAN
Los Angeles was founded by the Spanish in 1781 in the territory of Mexico, which belonged to the viceroyalty of New Spain. After Mexico achieved independence (1821), it became part of the Mexican state. During the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, it was seized by the USA. Today Los Angeles is an important center of the workers’ movement of the USA.
Distinguished by a very low building density, Los Angeles has a grid-like street plan. Because the pattern of urban planning is dominated by low private homes (mostly in Spanish style) surrounded by large gardens and open areas, the construction of numerous highways and complex bypasses has been necessary.
Examples of modern architecture in Los Angeles include the Banning House (1911) and the Dodge House (1916), both by the architect I. Gill; the Hollyhock House (1913; now the Municipal Art Gallery) and the Sturges House (1940), both by the architect F. L. Wright; the Jardinette Apartments (1927), the Corona Avenue School in the suburb of Bell (1935), and the Northwestern Insurance Offices (1952), all by the architect R. Neutra; the Bethlehem Baptist Church (1944, architect R. Shindler); the Tishman Building (1957, architect V. Gruen); the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1965, architect W. Pereira); and the Music Center complex (1967, architect W. S. Beckett). The Southwest Museum (the art of the Indians) is located in Los Angeles.
a city in central Chile, administrative center of Bío-Bío Province. Population, 44,000 (1968). It has a railroad station. The city has food industry, primarily beet-sugar, and flour milling; vegetable oil (from rape) is also produced.