Los Angeles, California
City of Angels, City of Flowers and Sunshine, La La Land, Southland or The Big Orange – the largest city in the US state of California has many names and many more facets to discover. Located on the Pacific Ocean and the Los AngelesRiver, it is the second largest city in the United States with almost 4 million residents (2014) after New York City and before Chicago and is 17th among the world’s metropolitan regions.
Beaches in and around Los Angeles
Those who go on a city tour sometimes simply need time to relax and unwind. There are many beautiful beaches for this, especially in the west. The Pacific near Los Angeles does not always have a bathing temperature, but most of the year the climate is so warm that you can at least take a short excursion into the cool water.
Santa Monica
When you go to Santa Monica, you first feel like you’re at a fair. In addition to the beach and the sea, a ferris wheel, a wild mouse and a branch of the “Bubba Gump Shrimp” chain, known from Forrest Gump, await visitors there. However, it is usually very crowded on the approximately two-mile-long beach, people lie close together and sellers are on the move between them who want to sell their goods. On the paved path you can cycle or jog and only a few meters away is the 3rd Street Promenade, which invites you to go shopping.
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Venice Beach
Venice Beach is the “muscle beach”. There you can find the bodybuilders who pump up their muscles, even if the machines have definitely seen better days. It is worth strolling along the boardwalk, watching people train, watching the hustle and bustle and see what the souvenir sellers and street performers have to offer there. You can also surf at Venice Beach, but there are better areas for surfers, such as Surfrider Beach.
Surfrider Beach
As the name suggests, surfers can be found here. In Malibu, surfing starts early in the morning at the pier or a few hundred meters north. However, many locals also use the time before work just for a relaxed stroll on the beach.
El Matador State Beach
About ten miles north of Malibu with many rocks and small caves and a breathtaking sunset is El Matador State Beach, which is a true El Dorado for romantics. However, anyone who thinks they are undisturbed there is wrong. Day after day, numerous lovers cavort here, looking together at the sunset, but also many photographers who want to capture this for eternity.
Marina Beach and Mother’s Beach
Most of the beaches around Los Angeles are less suitable for children. Exceptions are Marina and Mother’s Beach, where the water is shallow and even small children can play well in the water. There is also a large children’s playground here.
Will Rogers State Beach
Will Rogers State Beach is actually a beach like any other. However, he does not have his nickname “Ginger Rogers” for nothing. This is where the gay scene is especially to the west of Lifeguard Station 18, so that you mainly see men here.
Dana Point
About an hour south of Venice Beach is Dana Point, an idyllic place with a small but fine beach, for all those who want to take great photos on the one hand and enjoy a little peace on the other.
“The City of Angels” – a journey into history
The first European in the area of what is now Los Angeles was Juan Rodríguez in 1542, who claimed the land for Spain. However, it was not settled for a long time. It was not until 1771 that Spanish Franciscan monks founded the “San Gabriel” mission near Whittier Narrow, from which the settlement of the region gradually progressed.
The community of Los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781 with 44 settlers at the time by the Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de la Reine de Los Ángeles (“The village of the Queen of Angels”) on the territory of the Tongva indigenous people. The name was later shortened to Los Angeles (“The Angels”). At that time mainly cattle breeding was practiced.
But the situation in California also caused turbulence. Los Angeles was conquered by Mexico in 1821, but again occupied by the Americans and annexed to the USA during the Mexican-American War between 1846 and 1848. The gold rush that began in 1848 did the rest for the growth of the village, which was granted town charter on April 4, 1850, with a population of 1610 at the time, and profited from the sale of food to the prospectors.
From 1869 onwards, the railway was an important development engine for the next few decades. In addition, there was coal production from 1890 and, shortly afterwards, oil production. In 1923, a quarter of the world’s oil was produced in Los Angeles. The film people came to LA from 1910 and contributed to the meteoric boom in the city and the area.