Bibliography of Los Angeles facts for kids

Los Angeles, often called L.A., is a huge and exciting city in California, USA. It's known for its sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and being the center of the entertainment world, especially Hollywood movies. L.A. is also a place where many different cultures come together, making it a vibrant and diverse city. It's a place where dreams are chased, from movie stars to innovators in technology.

Exploring Los Angeles

Los Angeles is so big that it feels like many cities in one! It has famous landmarks, unique neighborhoods, and a rich history. Understanding L.A. means looking at its amazing buildings, how the city grew, and the many different people who call it home.

Cool Buildings and City Design

L.A. has all kinds of interesting buildings, from old historic places to super modern designs. The way the city is planned, with its wide streets and many different areas, shows how it grew over time. You can find everything from grand old theaters to sleek new skyscrapers. Many books explore how architects and city planners shaped Los Angeles into the unique place it is today.

Understanding City Life

Thinking about Los Angeles often means looking at how people live and work here. It's a global city, meaning it's connected to the whole world through business, culture, and people. There are many different communities, and the city is always changing and growing. Experts study how L.A. handles growth, how different areas develop, and what makes it such a special place to live.

A Look Back at Los Angeles History

Los Angeles has a fascinating history, from a small town to a huge metropolis. It grew rapidly, especially in the early 1900s, with new people arriving all the time. Important moments in its past include the building of major transportation systems, like the early trolleys, and how the city managed its water supply to support its growth. Many books tell the story of L.A.'s journey through different time periods, showing how it became the city we know today.

• Bills, Emily. "Connecting Lines: L.A.'s Telephone History and the Binding of the Region," Southern California Quarterly, 91 (Spring 2009), 27–67.
• Brook, Vincent. Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles (Rutgers University Press; 2013) 301 pages.
• Fogelson, Robert M. The Fragmented Metropolis: Los Angeles, 1850–1930 (1967).
• Friedricks, William. Henry E. Huntington and the Creation of Southern California (1992).
• Lavender, David. Los Angeles, Two Hundred Years. (1980). 240 pp.
• Leader, Leonard. Los Angeles and the Great Depression. (1991). 344 pp.
• Rolle, Andrew. Los Angeles: From Pueblo to City of the Future. (2d. ed. 1995). 226 pp.
• Sitton, Tom and Deverell, William, eds. Metropolis in the Making: Los Angeles in the 1920s. (2001). 371 pp.
• Verge, Arthur C. Paradise Transformed: Los Angeles during the Second World War. (1993). 177 pp.

City Planning and the Environment

How Los Angeles is planned and how it interacts with its environment are big topics. The city's growth has always been linked to things like water, transportation, and air quality. The automobile played a huge role in shaping L.A., leading to its famous freeways. People have worked hard to manage pollution and protect the natural beauty around the city.

• Bottles, Scott L. Los Angeles and the Automobile: The Making of the Modern City. (1987). 302 pp.
• Davis, Margaret Leslie. Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles. (1993). 303 pp.
• Davis, Mike. City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles. (1990). 462 pp.
• Deverell, William, and Greg Hise. Land of Sunshine: An Environmental History of Metropolitan Los Angeles (2006) 350 pages.
• Dewey, Scott Hamilton. Don't Breathe the Air: Air Pollution and U.S. Environmental Politics, 1945–1970. (2000). 321pp.
• Jacobs, Chip, and William Kelly. Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles (2008).
• Mulholland, Catherine. William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles. (2000). 411 pp.
• Post, Robert C. Street Railways and the Growth of Los Angeles (1989). 170pp.

Hollywood: The Movie Capital

The famous Hollywood sign

Hollywood is a huge part of Los Angeles's identity. It's where many movies, TV shows, and music are made. This section looks at how Hollywood became the global entertainment powerhouse it is today, from the early days of filmmaking to the big studios we know now. It also explores how Hollywood has influenced American culture and beyond.

• Balio, Tino. Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930–1939. (1993). 483 pp.
• May, Lary. The Big Tomorrow: Hollywood and the Politics of the American Way (2000).
• Schatz, Thomas. The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era. (1988). 492 pp.
• Smith, Catherine Parsons. Making Music in Los Angeles: Transforming the Popular. University of California Press, 2007.
• Vaughn, Stephen. Ronald Reagan in Hollywood: Movies and Politics. (1994). 359 pp.

Diversity and Community Life

Los Angeles is famous for its incredible diversity, with people from all over the world living side by side. This section explores the different communities that make up L.A., including various ethnic groups and religious faiths. It looks at how these communities have grown, shared their cultures, and contributed to the city's unique character.

• Allen, James P. and Turner, Eugene. The Ethnic Quilt: Population Diversity in Southern California. (1997). 282 pp.
• Degraaf, Lawrence B. "The City of Black Angels: Emergence of the Los Angeles Ghetto, 1890–1930". Pacific Historical Review 1970 39(3): 323–352.
• Engh, Michael E. "'A Multiplicity and Diversity of Faiths': Religion's Impact on Los Angeles and the Urban West, 1890–1940", Western Historical Quarterly 1997 28(4): 462–492.
• Engh, Michael E. Frontier Faiths: Church, Temple, and Synagogue in Los Angeles, 1846–1888. (1992). 267 pp.
• Griswold del Castillo, Richard. The Los Angeles Barrio, 1850–1890: A Social History. (1979). 217 pp.
• Hamilton, Nora and Chinchilla, Norma Stoltz. Seeking Community in a Global City: Guatemalans and Salvadorans in Los Angeles. (2001). 296 pp.
• Hayashi, Brian Masaru. "For the Sake of Our Japanese Brethren": Assimilation, Nationalism, and Protestantism among the Japanese of Los Angeles, 1895–1942 (1995). 217 pp.
• Min, Pyong Gap. Caught in the Middle: Korean Communities in New York and Los Angeles. (1996). 260 pp.
• Modell, John. The Economics and Politics of Racial Accommodation: The Japanese of Los Angeles, 1900–1942. (1977). 201 pp.
• Monroy, Douglas. Rebirth: Mexican Los Angeles from the Great Migration to the Great Depression. (1999). 322 pp.
• Moore, Deborah Dash. To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A. (1994). 358 pp.
• Ong, Paul, ed. The New Asian Immigration in Los Angeles and Global Restructuring. (1994). 330 pp.
• Ríos-Bustamante, Antonio and Castillo, Pedro. An Illustrated History of Mexican Los Angeles, 1781–1985. (1986). 196 pp.
• Saito, Leland T. Race and Politics: Asian Americans, Latinos, and Whites in a Los Angeles Suburb. (1998). 250 pp.
• Sánchez, George J. Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900–1945. (1993). 367 pp.
• Sides, Josh. L. A. City Limits: African American Los Angeles from the Great Depression to the Present (2003).
• Waldinger, Roger and Bozorgmehr, Mehdi, eds. Ethnic Los Angeles. (1996). 497 pp.
• Weber, Francis J. Magnificat: The Life and Times of Timothy Cardinal Manning. (1999). 729 pp.
• Weber, Francis J. His Eminence of Los Angeles: James Francis Cardinal McIntyre. (1997). 707 pp.
• Weber, Francis J. Century of Fulfillment: The Roman Catholic Church in Southern California, 1840–1947. (1990). 536 pp.

Fun Facts and Fiction About L.A.

Many authors have been inspired by Los Angeles, writing both true stories and exciting novels set in the city. These books help us imagine what life is like in L.A. and explore its many different sides.

Stories Set in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has been the setting for many famous books and plays. These fictional stories often capture the unique atmosphere of the city, from its glamorous Hollywood side to its more mysterious corners.

• The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler (1939)
• The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West (1939)
• The Arrangement, Elia Kazan (1967)
• The Black Dahlia, James Ellroy (1987)
• Speed-the-Plow, David Mamet (play, 1988)
• The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy, Evelyn Waugh (1948)

Images for kids

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  Flag of Los Angeles, California

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  Echo Park Lake and Los Angeles Skyline

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  Union Station Los Angeles

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  The Sunset Tower on Sunset Boulevard

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  Hollywood Boulevard

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  Macarthur Park, Los Angeles

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  Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center

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  Janss Steps, right; Royce Hall, left, at UCLA

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  The Red Line, Los Angeles MetroRail

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  Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles

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  Hollywood Sign

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  Hollywood Boulevard in Thai Town, Los Angeles

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  Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles

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  B'nai David Judea

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  Vincent Thomas Bridge

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  Griffith Observatory at dusk

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  Los Angeles International Airport