Even before O.J. drove the Bronco or "The Terminator" became governor, Frank Lloyd Wright said, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles."
The Los Angeles metro area has been a "boomtown" since the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1876, first attracting "the folks" from the Midwest with a blessedly warm and dry climate--and becoming a gateway to a remarkable diversity of immigration from throughout the Pacific Rim and Latin America.
L.A. is a sprawling megalopolis; one could start in one end of L.A. and drive for more than two hours without leaving the county's influence. The metro area includes smaller cities, such as Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena and Long Beach, which were founded around the end of the nineteenth century and retain distinct identities. Geographically, there is very little logic as to what is part of the city of L.A.; for example, Hollywood is not a separate city--it is part of the City of Los Angeles--but adjacent West Hollywood and Beverly Hills are not part of the city.
The city's primary newspaper is the Los Angeles Times. The free LA Weekly comes out on Thursdays and is a good source for concerts and other local information. Local areas may have their own free papers as well.
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