From the artist community of Venice to the corporate towers of Century City to Westwood Village, home to the Bruins of UCLA, the Westside communities of Los Angeles house an impressive array of industries -- medical, hospitality, retail, education -- in addition to being a thriving cultural and entertainment center.
The first settlers of the City of Los Angeles consisted of 14 families numbering 44 individuals. The ceremonies founding the City took place on September 4, 1781. At that time, Colonel Felipe De Neve, who was then Governor of the Spanish Province of Alta California, officially used the name "El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles" or "The Town of the Queen of the Angels."
The City of Los Angeles was incorporated on April 4, 1850. At that time it had a population of 1,610 (U.S. Census) and an area of 28 square miles. Today, Los Angeles has a population of over three million people, an area of 465 square miles, 7,366 miles of streets, water and power brought from mountains hundreds of miles away, and thousands of publicly-owned structures of various types.
The City of Los Angeles is by far and away the largest incorporated City located within Los Angeles County. Due to its size, the City of Los Angeles recognizes many unincorporated communities representing its various geographic locations and cutural specialities.
The Communities located on the "Westside" of Los Angeles include Bel Air-Beverly Crest, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Wilshire District, Hollywood, Koreatown, West Los Angeles, Palms, Westchester, Westwood, Playa del Rey and Century City.
From the artist community of Venice to the corporate towers of Century City to Westwood Village, home to the Bruins of UCLA, the Westside communities of Los Angeles house an impressive array of industries -- medical, hospitality, retail, education -- in addition to being a thriving cultural and entertainment center.