An Olympic city world-famous for its Hollywood film industry, Los Angeles is also one of the richest cities in the world, and the second largest city in the United States after New York. A sprawling, cosmopolitan megalopolis, sometimes fantasised about, sometimes reviled, the City of Angels embodies the American dream, and with it its disillusions...

‘Los Angeles, give yourself to me a little! Los Angeles, come to me as I came to you, my feet on your streets, my pretty city I loved you so much, sad flower in the sand, my pretty city.’
This prayer, addressed to the city, is uttered by Arturo Bandini, the main protagonist of the novel ‘Ask the Dust’, and double of its author, John Fante. Both Italian immigrants who arrived in Los Angeles in the 1930s, the writer and his character sing in this work of the frenzy of a city with an elusive and tumultuous nature, in which their desires for success, money and happiness either frolic or collide.
Almost a century later, Los Angeles continues to be dreamt about, sung about and admired, despite the social and cultural realities it faces. But where does this almost magical aura come from? To decipher this unique city, set off on a walk or run to discover its most emblematic districts and their history!
History and urbanism
Los Angeles is characterised by horizontal urban planning, taking the form of a juxtaposition of neighbourhoods spread out in an anarchic fashion over an area of more than 100 km2, with no real central district.This distinctive morphology has its origins in the city's history, and more specifically in the arrival of Anglo-Saxon Protestant populations. Determined to distinguish themselves from the Spanish-speaking community living in the historic centre, these Protestants bought former ranches and transformed them into housing estates, built as public transport developed. In line with their pastoral ideal, these new residents created low-density neighbourhoods with spacious domestic spaces close to nature, establishing a logic of unlimited urban growth. During the 20th century, the urbanisation of the city continued apace, spurred in particular by the inauguration of the Southern Pacific in 1876, and later by the motor car.
Today, the city's urban area is home to almost 19 million people, 4 million of whom live in Los Angeles.

As a Sun Belt city, Los Angeles offers a pleasant and attractive living environment. Situated between the ocean and the mountains, it offers a wide variety of landscapes and natural areas, but has few tourist attractions to speak of. It does, however, boast a number of cultural institutions of great renown, including the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the Getty Center and the Huntington Library, as well as exceptional buildings such as the Los Angeles Central Library, with its antique allure, Union Central, and the Griffith Observatory, an example of Art Deco overlooking the city and frequently used as a film location. Beyond its architectural heritage, Los Angeles' culture has been forged around the audiovisual and music industries, as evidenced by the number of theatres, concert halls, art galleries and cinemas dotted around the city.
Hollywood, the dream machine
The fame of Los Angeles is intimately linked to the history of the American film industry. Its heart is in Hollywood, one of the city's 29 districts. From Paramount to Warner Bros to Universal Pictures, all the major film studios that have shaped the country's audiovisual landscape are present. Built at the dawn of the 20th century, the empire today embodies the symbol of the cultural identity of the United States, and remains one of the main vectors for its dissemination throughout the world.
Born in New York, American cinema got off to a shaky start among European migrant communities, but it was in California that it became a myth, when producers, attracted by the East Coast's sunny climate, diverse landscapes and cheap land, decided to set up shop there. They were soon followed by directors, writers and scriptwriters, all seduced by the appeal of this Eldorado, whose fertile soil held the promise of inspiration and success. Actors were emerging from anonymity: this was the era of the first film stars, such as Charlie Chaplin. Financing and marketing became the cornerstones of this new system based on the commercialisation of art, which was quickly elevated to the status of entertainment. And the rest is history...

To find out more about the history of cinema, take advantage of the recent opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the first museum of its kind in the country, just a few kilometres south of Hollywood.
Los Angeles, a city of contrasts

Far from the gigantic letters of Hollywood Hill, there is a city with many facets and many districts....
A city of opportunity and success, Los Angeles is a paradoxical object of fascination, just like the districts and towns that make it up. Downtown Los Angeles, the city's historic and financial centre, is filled with skyscrapers, art galleries and shopping centres, but it is also home to the largest homeless community in the United States, just a few hundred metres from the corporate headquarters.
The wealth and luxury of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, home to the iconic Rodeo Drive shops and the famous Walk of Fame, have made the city famous. But its legend is just as much a part of the bohemian, artistic culture of the Venice district, the warm atmosphere of the beaches of Malibu and the violence of the gang wars of South Los Angeles.
Run, walk or ride with JOOKS, from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica beach!
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