On the Pacific coast of southern California lies a vast,
sprawling urban area that is remarkable for the immensity of
its population, the diversity of its physical features, its
climate, and its economy. The heart of this urban area is
the city of Los Angeles. Within its limits live about 3
million people. Another 4.5 million reside outside of the
city proper but within the metropolitan area, which is
composed entirely of Los Angeles County. One of the nation's
fastest-growing places, the county's population increased by
almost 1.5 million persons between 1960 and 1980. Los Angeles
is also the center of a larger urban region, covering Ventura,
Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, that includes
a population of more than 11.5 million people.

  The development of Los Angeles is a 20th-century phenomenon.
In 1900 the city had only 102,000 people, while New York City
had 3.5 million people. As of the 1980 census Los Angeles
was the third largest city in the United States, after New
York and Chicago. In 1982 Los Angeles surpassed Chicago in
population to become the second largest city.  The city of
Los Angeles lies on a gently sloping plain between the
Pacific Ocean and the San Gabriel Mountains. It covers an
area of 464 square miles (1,202 square kilometers). Los
Angeles County spreads out over 4,070 square miles (10,540
square kilometers), an area larger than Delaware and Rhode
Island combined. The county is most built up in its southern
third. Together, with the metropolitan area of San Diego 127
miles (204 kilometers) to the south of Los Angeles, southern
California now has more than half of the state's population.
                            (Compton's Encyclopedia)


USEFUL  LINKS:
Disneyland    
Universal Studios - Hollywood  
Knott's Berry Farm    
Six Flags Magic Mountain  



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