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The True Story Of How LA Got To Be So Big
A view of the downtown L.A. skyline from Lincoln Heights.
(
Chava Sanchez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Los Angeles has 88 cities and more than 100 unincorporated areas and communities. The need for water has a lot to do with it.
Why it matters (to L.A.): Los Angeles has more cities than most counties in the nation. Then there are the unincorporated areas like Baldwin Hills, Altadena, Agoura and East Whittier. But here's where it really gets complicated: Some cities rely on county agencies for law enforcement and other services while others are completely independent with their own city councils and police forces.. To understand why, you have to understand the dire need for water when the city of L.A was coming of age.
The backstory: In the 19th century, L.A. was starting to become a place of opportunity. There was warm weather, a lot of land and manufacturing possibilities. In the late 1800s, the area started to experience massive population growth that soon outpaced the water resources the L.A. River could provide. People had to figure out how to quench the growing region’s thirst. Enter William Mullholland and the L.A. Aqueduct. Here was the catch: You had to live within the boundaries of L.A. city to access it. So, what did neighboring communities do? They sought to be annexed by the city of L.A.
But this is only half the story. To learn more, listen to the How to LA episode with LAist's LA Explained reporter Caitlin Hernández and read Caitlin’s story.
Listen to the episode:
So How Did The City Of LA (And Then The County) Get So Big?
When we say "L.A.," what are we talking about exactly? The city? The county? One of the 88 cites within the county? Or how about the unincorporated areas? It's all pretty complicated.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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