Los Angeles
Population 3 833 995 in city and 17 755 322 in metro Area 1 215.50 km² (469.31 mi²) Altitude 81 m (267 ft)		Find a building : Districts and Zones See buildings listed by geographic location in Los Angeles. Buildings in Los Angeles Get information and see photos on structures and buildings in Los Angeles. Companies in Los Angeles See what companies and persons are located in Los Angeles. Images in Los Angeles View pictures of this city’s buildings, sights, and the skyline.

About

Los Angeles America’s second largest city was once referred to as 128 communities in search of a city because there was no defining city center. That has changed. It is still the world headquarters of the freeway with no less than thirty separately named arteries which are the lifeblood of southern California (more automobiles are registered in Los Angeles County than in all of Russia). Palm trees, beaches, movie stars and the birthplace of Disney, L.A. is the most unique gathering of people you will ever find anywhere.

In 1904 the city limited the height of Class A buildings to 130 feet (extended to 150 feet in 1911). The limits impacted all steel-frame and reinforced buildings. As a result of the ordinance, Parkinson's "skyscraper" design for the Braly Block remained the tallest building in the city for more than 50 years. The one exception was Los Angeles City Hall, which was exempt from these limitations by public vote. The height limtiation was to keep Los Angeles more "low-rise" and open; to avoid the "Manhattanization" of the city; to ensure more sunlight and fewer shadows on the streets. Earthquake concerns likely kept the ordinance in place longer than otherwise but the limitation was lifted in 1957, though heights are still restricted by lot size and zoning regulations.

Today, with engineering having come a long way, the skyline has been transformed into a kind of New York West. Time will tell if the "new" L.A. can really withstand the rigors of an 8.5 quake. Until then, L.A. is a vibrant city fresh with the spirit of optimism and loads of sunshine. It’s like no place on earth.

Metro Cities

Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Aliso Viejo, Altadena, Anaheim, Arcadia, Avalon, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Banning, Beaumont, Beverly Hills, Blythe, Bradbury, Brea, Buena Park, Burbank, Cabazon, Calabasas, Carson, Chino, Claremont, Colton, Commerce, Compton, Corona, Costa Mesa, Cudahy, Culver City, Cypress, Dana Point, Downey, Duarte, El Monte, El Segundo, Fontana, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Gardena, Garden Grove, Glendale, Glendora, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Huntington Park, Indian Wells, Indio, Industry, Inglewood, Irvine, Irwindale, La Canada Flintridge, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, La Habra, Lake Forest, Lakewood, La Mirada, Lancaster, La Palma, Loma Linda, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Manhattan Beach, Marina del Rey, Mission Viejo, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Newport Beach, Norwalk, Ontario, Orange, Oxnard, Palmdale, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Pasadena, Placentia, Pomona, Port Hueneme, Quartz Hill, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Dominguez, Rancho Mirage, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rancho Santa Margarita, Redondo Beach, Riverside, Rubidoux, San Bernardino, San Clemente, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Juan Capistrano, San Marino, Santa Ana, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Sierra Madre, Signal Hill, Simi Valley, South El Monte, Stanton, Temecula, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Tustin, Twentynine Palms, Upland, Ventura, Vernon, Victorville, Villa Park, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Westminster, Whittier, Yorba Linda, Yucaipa