Demographics (2010): 48.6% Hispanic, 26.1% White, 15.4% Asian, 9.0% Black
Population (2010): 9,818,605
Growth rate: Slow (6% since 2000)
President: 63.10% D / 35.60% R (2004), 69.19% D / 28.82% R (2008), 69.69% D / 27.83% R (2012), 71.76% D / 22.41% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $56,266
% Bachelor's: 31.8%
For the final county in my series, we come to the most populous county in the state and country. Los Angeles County has a greater population than San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties combined, as well as a greater population than all but 9 states (California itself, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina; Michigan is slightly smaller in the 2019 estimate). There is a lot to cover here, so I will do a 5-part analysis. This diary will cover a basic overview of the different parts of the county, and the city of Los Angeles.
NORTH
The second diary will feature northern Los Angeles County. The San Fernando Valley, Crescenta Valley, and Santa Clarita Valley are here. So are parts of the Conejo and Antelope Valleys. (The former is also partially in Ventura County; the latter is also partially in Kern County.)
The famous San Fernando Valley joined the city of Los Angeles in 1915 so farmers there could have a share of the water from the newly-built Aqueduct. Increased urbanization followed in the next few decades with the movie and manufacturing industries, before and after World War II. Before Northridge, a major earthquake here in 1971 was the most powerful since Long Beach in 1933. The famous "Valley" culture was recognized in the early 1980s, giving rise to the "valley girl" stereotype. Rising poverty and crime rates in the 1990s led the San Fernando Valley to attempt to secede from Los Angeles, which failed in 2002. Afterwards, development projects came to the valley.
The Santa Clarita Valley is along the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River and is a dangerous area for wildfires because of its geography, between the High Desert and the Oxnard Plain, which funnels the hot, dry Santa Ana Winds.
The Antelope Valley was named after the American Antelopes that roamed the area and is in the western part of the Mojave Desert. After being a stop for prospectors on their way to the gold fields in the 1850s, railroads brought white settlers to the valley. Aerospace came later, with the establishment of Edwards Air Force Base (then Edwards Army Air Field) in 1933, and Plant 42 in 1952. Beginning in the 1980s, the Antelope Valley has become more of a bedroom community to Los Angeles.
EAST
Planned for my third diary in this series, the Eastside of Los Angeles is heavily Hispanic and has notable sites such as the Latino Walk of Fame in East Los Angeles and Mariachi Plaza. Boyle Heights is a major center of Chicano culture (people of Mexican ancestry born in the United States).
The Pomona Valley is partially in Los Angeles County, as well as San Bernardino County, stretching from San Dimas (of Bill and Ted fame) in the west to Rancho Cucamonga in the east. Part of the San Jose Hills separate the Pomona Valley from the San Gabriel Valley. In 1893 the State Assembly voted to form a new county, San Antonio County, with Pomona as the seat. The measure was rejected in the State Senate. Demographically, the Pomona Valley is mostly Caucasian and Hispanic. The former is more prevalent in Claremont, La Verne, and San Dimas. The latter is concentrated in Pomona. The Pomona Valley doesn't have as high a proportion of Asians as the San Gabriel Valley, but significant populations can be found in Diamond Bar and Walnut.
The San Gabriel Valley was named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel founded by Junipero Serra in 1771. The history of Asians here goes back to the mid-19th century when pioneers from China, Japan, the Philippines, and South Asia came to work on the farms and vineyards, and helped build the valley's infrastructure. Japanese immigrants came in the 1920s to Monterey Park to work the farms. Today the San Gabriel Valley has the highest concentration of Asian Americans in the country.
SOUTH
The fourth diary will feature southern Los Angeles County, which includes South Los Angeles, Gateway Cities, Harbor Region, South Bay, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
South Los Angeles was renamed in 2003 from South Central Los Angeles. This area is well-known for its significant black population, though the share of working-class Hispanics in this area has increased. Central Avenue was the historic center of black culture in Los Angeles, with one of the west's first jazz scenes. Many blacks came to South Los Angeles in the 1930s and 1940s looking for jobs, and were actually a minority there until the white, Hispanic, and Asian populations moved out around this time. Later in the 1950s, the area had incidents of racial violence, when whites damaged homes purchased by blacks. Freeway construction at this time altered the geography of South Los Angeles, and the rapid loss of manufacturing jobs in the 1970s accelerated the area's economic decline. As a consequence, street gangs including the infamous Crips and Bloods arose. The gangs were only helped by drug money from crack cocaine in the 1980s. Crime declined in the 2000s, and in the wake of the 2008 recession, home values increased.
The Gateway Cities are the "gateway" between Los Angeles and Orange Counties and is one of the most densely populated parts of the country. The economy is heavily based on shipping and trucking because of the key ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in the South Bay. Aerospace used to make up a significant share of the region's economy and now the ports are the main engine of the Southern California economy. The Port of Long Beach is the busiest in the country, and when combined with Los Angeles' Port, the fifth-busiest in the world. The area is also highly racially diverse.
WEST
The final diary for the county and the series overall will cover the world-famous Westside and the Beach Cities. The Westside is majority-non-Hispanic White, mostly upscale, and has a high proportion of residents with at least a bachelor's degree. Home to famous cities and neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood, and Bel-Air, the Westside has exerted a significant influence on the American entertainment industry. On the other side of the Santa Monica Bay, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach are famous for their piers.
Los Angeles
Demographics (2010): 48.5% Hispanic, 28.7% White, 11.3% Asian, 9.6% Black
Population (2010): 3,792,621
President: 71.36% D / 27.35% R (2004), 76.32% D / 21.80% R (2008), 76.39% D / 21.02% R (2012), 78.45% D / 16.36% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $49,497
% Bachelor's: 33.7%
Now we come to the country's second-largest city. Los Angeles incorporated in April 1850, 5 months before California statehood. Oil discovery brought rapid growth in the 1890s and propelled California to the country's largest oil producer. Continuation of rapid growth was ensured with the delivery of water via the Aqueduct, completed in 1913.
Hollywood became a Los Angeles neighborhood in 1910, and income from the movie industry shielded the city from losses in the Depression. The population reached over 1 million in 1930 and continued to grow. During World War II Los Angeles was a major center of aircraft and shipbuilding, which also brought rapid growth in manufacturing to the city. Companies headquartered there included Douglas, Hughes, Lockheed, North American Aviation, Northrop, and Vultee. Already-fast growth became even faster in the 1950s when people moved into the San Fernando Valley. In 1969, the first ARPANET transmission was sent from the University of California, Los Angeles to Menlo Park near Stanford in the Bay Area.
Los Angeles is a two-time (soon to be three-time) Summer Olympic host: 1932, 1984, and 2028. The 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics were the only Olympic Games to turn a profit.
Los Angeles had its share of racial tensions with the Watts riots in 1965, and the 1992 riots after the acquittal of Los Angeles Police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
Today, the City of Los Angeles is very close demographically to the County of Los Angeles, just slightly more whites and somewhat fewer Asians in the city.