General Information:
Los Angeles is the largest City in California and the second largest in the United States. It is classed as a megacity, as outside the city bounds the county spans for miles. The City has a population of 3.8 million while outside the City the count goes up to an incredible 14.8 million. Los Angeles is therefore divided into five-county metropolitan areas, the glamour of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the Sunset Boulevard, stunning canyons and the famous beaches have added to Los Angeles's reputation as a California paradise, promoted in such television series as ‘Baywatch’.
History:
Los Angeles was built upon the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means it suffer from earthquakes. This geologic location has produced numerous faults, the instability of which causes an estimated 10,000 earthquakes every year. On the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate is the San Andreas Faults. Massive earthquakes to have haunted the Los Angeles area including the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Most earthquakes register low on the rickter scale, however the location of Los Angeles mean it is always under threat from these major fault lines.Los Angeles is diverse City, it has one of the largest Hispanic populations in the United States, a large Asian community, and sizable populations consisting of nearly every ethnic background in the world.
Sport:
Like most American Cities, Los Angeles has an affinity with a variety of sports. Home to Dodgers (Baseball), the Kings (Hockey), the Clippers and more famous Lakers (Basketball). Soccer has taken off at a very fast rate in the city with the local team known as the LA Galaxy.With high profile players such as David Beckham and Landon Donovan, there has been a huge recent pull towards soccer in LA. Oddly enough, it is the largest City in the United State without an NFL team. Sport form part of the Cities national identity. Also there is a huge surfing culture in Los Angeles, with miles of white sandy beaches in which to catch great breaks.From Venice beach for beginners to Hermosa Beach for the seasoned surfer. There are alway surf camps to be found around the region. Together with experienced, qualified and friendly staff you can learn everything from first aid to how to hang five.
Music:
Music has always been a key contributor to LA life. Many of the worlds greatest rock n roll bands have come out of LA as well as artists from other genres. During the 1960's and 70's, Venice beach was home to one of LA's greatest bands "The Doors". Lead singer Jim Morrison resided here while attending UCLA and met other band members Ray Manzerek, John Densmore and Robby Krieger. Other bands to come out of LA include Rage Against The Machine, The Beach Boys, Metallica and many more. LA is a music haven for bands for the last century and continues to do so today.