Los Angeles is a massive, sprawling city that has come to embody the glamour, richness, and excitement of the West Coast. The name alone is iconic and likely to bring to mind ultramodern skyscrapers, smog, boulevards lined with palm trees, sunshine, swimming pools, movie stars...

The second most populous city in the U.S., Los Angeles began as a Spanish settlement on the banks of the Porciuncula River (now called the Los Angeles River). Founded in 1781 by California governor Felipe de Neve, the community was given the name El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula ("The Town of Our Lady of the Angels of the Porciuncula River"). Over the years, this was gradually shortened to "Los Angeles."