The largest city on the west coast. The third largest city in the country. The home of America's, and arguably the world's, entertainment industry.

The story of Los Angeles is full of controversy, but no one can say it isn't interesting. Originally a small coastal town, LA began to grow rapidly towards the end of the nineteenth century, continuing unabated through World War 2 and even the 1950s following the Japanese seizure of the port.

As the home of Hollywood, LA has earned a reputation as a land of glitz and glamor, though the diverse and often impoverished neighborhoods of the growing city are on the front lines of America's civil rights movement.