Los Angeles City
In the Los Angeles County, the
City of Los Angeles is the largest
municipality among all the cities.
It is asymmetrical in shape because
it has spread over the years through
the annexation of surrounding
territory and cities. Several
independent cities such as Beverly
Hills, Santa Monica, and Culver City
are partially or completely
surrounded by L.A. City. The Santa
Monica Mountains, which run east to
west, bisects the city.
Downtown Los Angeles prides itself
in having the tallest skyscraper
west of the Mississippi, the U.S.
Bank Tower, the most visible
skyline of the many surrounding
business centers. Before the 1950s
the most visible architectural
landmark of the region was the
distinctive Los Angeles City Hall
with its pyramid-top. Unfortunately,
the building was overshadowed by
surrounding tall office towers.
In the downtown’s south side, the
City of L.A. tapers sharply after
the University of Southern
California campus and Memorial
Coliseum, the only site in the
world, to date, to host two Olympic
Games namely that of 1932 and 1984.
Hollywood, the famous Mecca of the
motion-picture industry, is found
northwest of downtown Los Angeles,
known also as the “City of
Hollywood”. Also in the hills is
another major icon of the Los
Angeles region: a huge sign spelling
out “HOLLYWOOD” in 50 feet tall
letters, whose original purpose was
as a real estate promotion ad in
1923. |
