Los Angeles: History

Originally settled by Native Americans, the city of Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by a group of settlers from Mexico led by Spaniards who first called it El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles. In 1848, under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States of America acquired Los Angeles along with the State of California at the conclusion to the Mexican-American War.

Since that time, Los Angeles has had several key developments instrumental in making it the city it is today: access to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876, the discovery of oil in 1892, and the completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. In 1899, construction began on the Port of Los Angeles; and its first major wharf was completed in 1912.

During the next several decades, Los Angeles catapulted itself onto the world by becoming the capital of the filmmaking industry, movie stars, and television. To this day, millions of people everywhere travel to Los Angeles with either the hope of seeing a Hollywood Star or becoming one.