Take a Vacation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the nation's second-largest city (after New York), L.A. is a great place in which to take a vacation. Marvelous restaurants, terrific night-life, beaches, diverse cultural offerings, Disneyland and easygoing attitudes converge in a vast territory flooded with sunshine and lined with palms. Nearly everyone should see L.A. at least once, though a single trip will hardly be enough to appreciate such a vast area that's jam-packed with things to do.

The Routine of Life in Los Angeles California according to The October 1989 issue of Psychology Today, rated Los Angeles as among the U.S. cities with the slowest overall pace of life, including the slowest bank tellers and the second slowest talkers. In that same edition, the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area (Los Angeles County) ranked as the tenth most stressful city the United States.

Statistics for Los Angeles

The U.S. Census population estimate for Los Angeles County is more than 10 million.

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach

California is the most visited state in America, and accounts for 11.5 percent of all domestic travel in the U.S.

Los Angeles County receives the most domestic tourism in the state with approximately 53 million person trips

Longitude: -118.242W

Time zone: Pacific Daylight Saving

LA is known as the "City of Angels"

LA is located on the Pacific Coast

Los Angeles History

Originally Los Angeles was a Spanish settlement known as "Reina de los Angeles" or "Queen of the Angels." Explorer Gaspar de Portolá, sent out to establish missions in northern California, camped here in 1769. Early settlers faced the obstacles of isolation, poor harbors and lack of water

The local L.A. economy developed in bursts, with cattle, real estate, citrus, oil, autos, movies, aircraft and the military

Voters defeated measures in the past which would have allowed San Fernando Valley and Hollywood to secede from the city of Los Angeles

Ranked No. 4 among Best Cities for Singles, Forbes magazine, 2002

Received national attention for 1991 police beating of Rodney King, and the rioting that followed officers' acquittal of charges

Filming location for 1997 film, "L.A. Confidential" and 1955 movie, "Rebel Without a Cause"

Census Bureau highlights: Second largest city in the U.S. by population; city with the fifth largest population growth in the 1990s (209,321 people)

Well-known residents have included:

• Marilyn Monroe, actress
• Adlai Stevenson, politician and diplomat
• Earl Warren, California governor and chief justice of U.S. Supreme Court
• Coolio, rap musician
• Musical Groups include the Doors, Guns n' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Eagles, Metallica, Bangles

Parks & Attractions include the following:

• Dockweiler State Beach
• Will Rogers State Beach
• Channel Islands National Park
• Griffith Park
• Los Angeles Zoo
• Mildred Mathias Botanical Garden
• CBS Television City
• Griffith Observatory and Planetarium

There are many Sports teams in LA . . . Oakland LA Avengers (AFL) - Los Angeles LA Clippers (NBA) - Los Angeles LA Dodgers (MLB) - Los Angeles LA Galaxy (MLS) - Los Angeles LA Lakers (NBA) - Los Angeles LA Kings (NHL) - Los Angeles LA Sparks (WNBA)

Here's a list of Historic sites, museums & the Arts to visit:

• Getty Center
• Latino Museum of History,
• Art and Culture,
• Southwest Museum,
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County,
• Autry Museum of Western Heritage,
• Museum of Tolerance,
• California African-American Museum
• Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Los Angeles Master Chorale
• Los Angeles Opera
• Center Theatre Group

Colleges & Universities: University of California, University of Southern California, West Coast University, Antioch University - Antioch Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, Occidental College