Los Angeles is a coastal city in southern California located south of Santa Barbara and north of San Diego. Los Angeles offers a wide range of entertainment including museums, amusement and theme parks, and cultural and city tours. The City of Angels, as it is nicknamed, is a popular place for tourists and celebrities.
In this article, we will provide you with some fun facts about Los Angeles, California as well as some awesome tourist attractions and must-see places to visit in the city. Put your tourist cap on and get ready to discover a breathtaking city set on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in sunny California.
How Many People Live in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles holds the title of the second largest city in the United States of America with a population of nearly 3.9 million people in 2020. The city boasts a large Latin American population and reflects this rich cultural influence in its people.
What Is the History of Los Angeles?
Los Angeles was settled by the Chumash and Tongva tribes before being conquered by the Spanish and then the Mexicans. After the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles became part of the eventual state of California in the United States.
It achieved incorporated city status in 1950 and was named Los Angeles after one of the Virgin Mary’s titles, Our Lady of the Angels. Its economy is central to the United State’s revenue with the busiest shipping container port in America.
Los Angeles also played host to the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984 and is slated to hold the Summer Games again in 2028.
What Is Los Angeles Famous For?
The famed city of Angels is best known for its role as the country’s center for the television and film industry. Home to Universal and Warner Brother Studios and Paramount Pictures, Los Angeles draws many tourists to its gates looking for tours of the famous production studios.
The renowned Hollywood sign towers over the city, while the TCL Chinese Theater boasts the most celebrated celebrities’ foot and handprints on the Walk of Fame. Vendors sell maps detailing the addresses to the homes of stars so that tourists can walk or drive by hoping for a glance at their favorite celebrity.
What Are Some Good Tours to Take In Los Angeles?
There are lots of fantastic tours to book on your trip to Los Angeles, California. Warner Brothers Studios offers tours of their production studios so you can see where your favorite television shows and movies are filmed and produced. You may even snag a glimpse of a movie star!
You can also take an open air bus tour of the city including places such as Beverly Hills, the beaches, and past famous celebrity homes. Get your camera ready; you never know who you might see!
Perhaps you would rather ride in style as you tour the city and wind your way up to the Hollywood sign. If so, there are classic car and Ferrari tours that offer a more intimate and classy way to tour the city of Angels.
What Museums Are Worth Visiting in Los Angeles?
The Getty Center boasts an impressive art collection with paintings, sculptures, and beautiful gardens that it is one museum not to be missed. Admission to the museum is free although parking is a mere $15 fee for the seven level underground parking garage.
For the car enthusiast in you, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a heavenly find. This fun museum offers exhibits including the first car and the first hydrogen vehicle along with many other significant car finds throughout history.
One of the best outdoor museums is parked right in the Los Angeles harbor – the Battleship USS Iowa Museum. A vessel that served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War, this battleship is now an extensive military museum that is kid friendly and truly a spectacle to behold.
What Other Attractions Does Los Angeles Feature?
Located in Griffith Park on top of Mount Hollywood nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Griffith Observatory is one of the leading public astronomy establishments in the United States. Once you have gazed through its impressive telescope, you will never see the night sky the same way again.
If you want to indulge the child inside, spend the day at Universal Studios Hollywood for rides, food, and fun based on popular cult classic movies such as The Mummy, Jurassic Park, and Jaws. Another go-to theme park is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter where the magic of the movies comes alive.
Maybe you are a music enthusiast and want to experience Los Angeles’ musical side. There is no better place to attend a concert performance than the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
What Are Some Unique Places to Visit in Los Angeles?
If you want to get up close and personal with famous celebrities from the past and the present, Madame Tussauds’ famous wax museum is the perfect stop on your attractions list. With uncanny likenesses of over one hundred actors and actresses and a virtual reality room, this is a visit you will not regret.
For a unique blast from the past, visit the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum which features fossils from sabertooth tigers, mammoths, dire wolves, ancient plants, and more. It puts our modern age into perspective when you witness the world’s only active Ice Age excavation site in an urban setting.
The Venice Canals Walkway also offers a beautiful walking tour of the city on the water. At night, the lights of the city reflect mesmerizingly off the water as you walk over romantic bridges in the mild California clime.
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a fun experience for all ages with a carousel, beautiful gardens, and a plethora of animal exhibits from hippos to lions to giraffes. Come and have a blast feeding the animals and watching the zookeepers give demonstrations.
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Interesting Facts about Los Angeles City
