Day 84 – Los Angeles, Day 1

The vast city of Los Angeles covers an area of approximately 470 sq miles, with the greater Los Angeles urban area covering a staggering 2281 sq miles, and with an estimated population of 18.1 million. It is the second largest metropolitan area in the United States after New York, and is ranked number 24 on the list of the world’s mega cities.

Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by the Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a Mexican territory following the Mexican /American war in 1821 but was purchased back by the United States in 1848 at the end of that war. The discovery of oil in the 1890s brought rapid expansion. Los Angeles has a broad range of industries including one of the world’s biggest TV and movie industries and it is one of the busiest container ports in the world. It also has major music production, aerospace engineering, IT, petroleum, fashion and tourist industries. One in every six Los Angeles residence works in the entertainment/arts sector.

Today we took the shuttle bus to Long Beach where we spent most of the day walking around and stopping for an obligatory burger and fries for lunch.