The global icon, and maybe the most talked about city in America, known to many as Los Angeles is located in Southern California (Los Angeles County), and situated in a broad basin on the west coast of the U.S.
The “City of Angels”, or “LA” as many refer to it as is surrounded by desert landscapes, stunning mountain ranges, green forests, valleys, and of course, some of the most stunning beaches along the Pacific Coast.
Over the years Los Angeles has become somewhat of a playground for the rich and famous, it is home to some of the most lucrative neighborhoods and areas of the country, with Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Malibu to name just a few.
However, a lot of people move to the city of angels to achieve their life-long ambitions of becoming exactly who they want to be, by doing exactly what they want to do, and for many, this can be achieved through the abundance of opportunities this incredible city presents.
Los Angeles is the epitome of the American Dream, people from all walks of life, shapes, and sizes, and from all over the globe flock to the city to try and accomplish their goals.
Although LA is known for being a hotbed for talent, boasting some incredible beaches, an incredible economy, and infrastructure, and having everything a modern city desires, there are still so many interesting facts about Los Angeles that are less known, and you probably haven’t heard of!
If you want to skip straight to the Los Angeles Economic Facts, click on the link to take you there, or scroll down the page.
What are some fun facts about Los Angeles? Here is our list of 20+
1. By the year 1923, Los Angeles had produced one-quarter of the world’s oil supply, and the city still contains the third-largest oil field in the United States.
2. If you want to talk about a lucky location, look no further than Beverly Hills High School, which produces around 400 barrels per day, which generates approximately $300,000 per year in royalties.
3. LA isn’t known for having bad weather, in fact, on average there are around 284 sunny days per year. However, when it rains in Los Angeles, it really does rain! On April 5, 1926, a gauge in the San Gabriel Mountains was collecting rainfall at an inch per minute!
4. Los Angeles was founded in 1781, its original name was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles Sobre el Río Porciúncula”. Yep, that’s right, this tongue-twister was the full name of the city when it was first discovered, which can be loosely translated to “The town of our lady queen of the Angels on the Porciúncula River”.
5. Los Angeles was home to the first movie theatre in California, the iconic Electric Theatre opened its gates for the first time on April 2, 1902.
6. The city of angels is the birthplace of many incredible inventions, with non more revolutionary than the Internet! In 1969, the first ARPANET transmission was sent from the University of California, Los Angeles to the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park.
7. Los Angeles is a hotbed for the entertainment industry, with millions of aspiring actors and entertainers moving to the state annually to pursue their dreams. But the question is, how and why did the entertainment industry end up in LA? So, filmmakers traveled to the West to avoid Thomas Edison’s intellectual property claims, he resided in New Jersey but he owned the majority of the country’s film patents.
8. The infamous Hollywood Walk of Fame includes over 2,600 stars engraved on the sidewalk, these stars all display the names of musicians, actors, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and more who helped shape the entertainment industry to what it is today in LA.
9. Don’t let the bright lights, and endless riches of Los Angeles fool you, the city itself came from extremely humble beginnings. Beverly Hills was first a Spanish ranch where lima beans were grown, before becoming what we know it as today!
10. You know that famous saying about kissing a frog, with the hope it will become a prince? Well, it is advised to steer clear of this when in the city of angels! Or, at least with toads as it is completely illegal to lick one in LA. Not only is licking toads illegal, but there are also many more weird things that are illegal in Los Angeles.
What is illegal in Los Angeles
- It is illegal for a man to beat his wife with a strap wider than 2 inches without her consent.
- You must not bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time.
- Hunting moths under a streetlight is totally illegal.
- It is illegal to cry on the witness stand.
- It is completely illegal to wear a zoot suit in LA.
11. Los Angeles is home to California’s only remaining wooden lighthouse, located in San Pedro’s Fermin Park.
12. Boredom when visiting or living in the city is virtually non-existent, with over 105 different museums and 225 theaters to choose from as your entertainment!
Economic Facts About Los Angeles
There is a lot to consider and unpack when looking into the business and economic facts about Los Angeles as the city has a plethora of brilliant business and economic attributes. This has generated the best city economy in the entire nation, paired with the state LA resides in having the 4th largest economy in the world! Los Angeles has created a strong and pro-business environment for entrepreneurs and workers alike.
Over the past several decades Los Angeles’ popularity has been increasing at a tremendously quick rate, with more and more people calling the city of angels their new home and subsequent place of work and business. With amazing infrastructure, the largest consumer market in the U.S., an ever-impressive education system, higher salaries than the majority of other cities, and one of the best qualities of life, Los Angeles really does leave no stone unturned when it comes to attracting people to move to the state for any reason!
- Los Angeles metropolitan area GDP is over $1.05 trillion, which is higher than most other states, never mind cities!
- LA has a progressive income tax rate ranging between 1% to 12.3%.
- The median household income is $62,142.
- Los Angeles metro area ranks 2nd out of all 50 states for its economic output (Visual Capitalist).
- Three majorly important industries in Los Angeles are Aerospace, Entertainment, and Tourism.
- The average house price in Los Angeles is $809,865, however, this number is seasonally adjusted. The latest prices can be found on Zillow’s website.
- Los Angeles sales tax rate is 9.5%
- Los Angeles corporate income tax rate is 8.84%.
- LA’s entertainment industry over the years has been responsible for more than 175,000 jobs, providing $8.5 billion in direct economic impact from salaries and more than $177 million in tax revenue!
- Los Angeles is home to the two largest seaports in the US, making international trade a hotspot within the city.
- California sold $2.5 billion worth of marijuana in 2018.
- $15 per hour is the minimum wage in the city of angels.
- There are 23 Fortune 500 companies operating in LA and counting.
- California is currently #1 in new business starts (Business.ca.gov).
All of these economic facts about Los Angeles provide many valid reasons why so many people decide to move to the city to either start a new business or franchise or for work opportunities, and it is difficult to argue with any of them!
Here are the remaining fun facts about Los Angeles
13. The oldest building located in Los Angeles County is the 1795 Gage Mansion, located in Bell Gardens.
14. The palm trees of LA ironically enough don’t even belong on the same continent as Los Angeles, they are native to South Africa and India.
15. Los Angeles is the home to the largest historical theatre district on the National Register of Historic Places.
16. San Francisco has a reputation for having many hills and elevations, however, it is Los Angeles that has the steepest street in the state. Eldred Street in Highland Park is the steepest street in the Golden State with a 33% elevation.
17. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles is the largest in the Western United States region, and it has collected over 4.5 billion years worth of the Earth’s history.
What are 3 interesting facts about Los Angeles? Here are our last 3!
18. Located in downtown Los Angeles is the awesome OUE Skyspace, which is in the US Bank Tower. This unique LA attraction consists of a glass slide from the 70th to the 69th floor – we don’t advise going if you are afraid of heights! The amazing Walt Disney Concert Hall can be found in downtown Los Angeles too.
19. When you visit LA, there is no way you cannot check out the iconic Hollywood Sign, overlooking the incredible city.
20. Here are 8 of the best Los Angeles beaches:
- Santa Monica (Santa Monic Pier)
- Malibu
- Huntington Beach
- Redondo Beach
- Playa del Rey
- Venice Beach
- Manhattan Beach
- Long Beach
Thanks for taking a look at our 20+ fun facts about Los Angeles! If you have some facts and fun information regarding LA’s past and present that we have not covered, make sure to comment below and we will add them to the page.
