LOS ANGELES
Is Our Home
Everything you know about Hollywood – the sign, the Walk of Fame, the footprints – we are right next to it. Los Angeles (or “The Angels” in Spanish) is the cultural, financial and commercial center of Southern California. L.A. is also billed as the “creative capital of the world”, boasting the highest percentage of creative workers in the country – with more artists, writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers and musicians living and working in metro L.A. than any other city.
A Timeline
History Always in the Making
1741
Pueblo de Los Ángeles is founded by Spanish Governor Felipe de Neve.
1869
The railroad arrives in California with The Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, a 21-mile line from San Pedro Bay to Los Angeles made to transport freight.
1892
The gold prospector Edward L. Doheny and his partner, Charles A. Canfield, discover oil within the Los Angeles City Oil Field – a large oil field, north of Downtown Los Angeles, extending south of Dodger Stadium and west to Vermont Ave.
1908
The Los Angeles City Council passes the first municipal zoning ordinance in the United States, establishing both residential and industrial districts.
1910
The city of Hollywood is merged into Los Angeles, bringing with it 10 operating movie companies. By 1921 more than 80% of the world’s film industry is found in L.A.
1932
The city hosts the Summer Olympics during the Great Depression. These Games saw many firsts, including the first Olympic Village and the first time the victory podium was used.
1940
The Arroyo Seco Parkway becomes the first freeway in the Western United States. Connecting L.A. to South Pasadena, it represents a transitional phase between early parkways and modern freeways.
1942
The Battle of L.A. occurs. Reports of an air raid send the city into a panic as a blackout is ordered by the military so they can fire into the sky. While this was a false alarm, it’s true that during WWII Los Angeles was a major center for manufacturing ships and aircrafts.
1969
L.A. becomes the birthplace of the Internet. The first message on the ARPANET is sent. The message was the word “login”, but the system crashed after the first two letters, making the literal first message “lo.”
1984
The City of Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympic Games for the second time. The Games produced 223 million dollars in profit and became a model for future Olympics.
ARTS & CULTURE
Film
For over a hundred years of moviemaking, L.A.’s studios have shot everything from legendary silent movies to the newest ground-breaking blockbuster.
Major studios like Universal, Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures all have tours for long-time Hollywood movie fans. For the more indie-minded, there is the New Beverly Cinema, where owner Quentin Tarantino screens classic and cult films on 35mm, as well as reels from his private collection.
Exploring the city, you’ll recognize many iconic locations from both film and TV. Downtown L.A.’s Union Station, The Bradbury Building, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Ennis House are just some of L.A.’s most famous filming landmarks. The natural landscape of Los Angeles is notable too – from Santa Monica Beach seen in Baywatch to Vasquez Rocks used for Star Trek.
Music
Music is an integral part of Los Angeles. Our very own campus was once the historic RCA Studio B, used by artists such as Elvis and The Rolling Stones and just up the street from us is the iconic Capital Records Building.
L.A. boasts many world-class venues such as the Nokia Theatre or the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars® are held each year. The show-stopping Walt Disney Concert Hall is an architectural experience and California’s perfect weather allows for concerts at the outside amphitheaters of the Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre and John Anson Ford Theatre.
For a more intimate setting, check out L.A.’s historic venues like The Wiltern, Hollywood Palladium or the Roxy, famous for live recordings by legends like Bob Marley, Frank Zappa and Bruce Springsteen.
Museums and Galleries
There are 841 museums and art galleries in the city of Los Angeles. That is more museums than any other city in the world. Notable museums include LACMA (the largest art museum in the Western U.S), the Getty Center (part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world’s wealthiest art institution) and L.A.’s Natural History Museum.
Along the Miracle Mile, there’s Museum Row where you can explore everything from cars in The Petersen Automotive Museum and The Oscars® in the Academy Museum to L.A.’s prehistoric past with the La Brea Tar Pits.
Performing Arts
There are more theatres in L.A. than anywhere else in the U.S. Our school is just blocks away from the landmark Pantages Theatre, which brings all the Broadway hits to Hollywood. A little further down sits the Magic Castle, a secretive venue which hosts magic shows, big and small, for its members and their guests.
Downtown has The Los Angeles Music Center, one of the largest performing arts centers in the country. The center includes: the Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum among others. Welcoming over a million people each year, it is the place to see the L.A. Philharmonic, L.A. Opera as well as dances, stage plays and art festivals.
Fashion
Everyone loves California style. From La Brea Avenue’s vintage clothing shops to Rodeo Drive’s luxury boutiques, there’s something for everyone in Los Angeles. The hub of L.A.’s fashion industry, however, is downtown’s Fashion District. With one hundred blocks with over 2,000 independently-owned retail spaces, the L.A. Fashion District is the one-stop shop for designers, buyers and retailers.
Sports
L.A. is a sports mecca with ten major league professional teams, including decorated teams like the L.A. Lakers and the L.A. Dodgers. The Lakers have won 16 NBA championships and The Dodgers have five World Series titles. With venues like the Staples Center at L.A. Live, Dodger’s Stadium and L.A. Coliseum, to say sports are a favorite pastime for Angelenos, is an understatement.
Food
From food trucks to James Beard Award-winning restaurants, the food scene of Los Angeles is bustling and dynamic. Whether you’re craving street tacos or an organic, vegan, gluten-free meal, California cuisine has you covered. Less than a mile from our campus is one California’s greatest culinary institutions, In-N-Out Burger. Founded in 1948, In-N-Out was the first drive-thru hamburger stand in California. Occasionally visiting our school with their food truck, we couldn’t be happier to be neighbors!
FUN FACTS about L.A.
Did You Know…
There are more cars than people in Los Angeles.
For all its glitz and glamour, affluent Beverly Hills was once known as the Hammel and Denker Ranch, growing lima beans before it was incorporated in 1914.
There are at least 11 miles of hidden Prohibition-era tunnels under the city of Los Angeles. Running from Spring and Temple to 1st and Grand in downtown, the tunnels were used to transport people, money and liquor to underground speakeasies.
It is illegal to lick a toad in Los Angeles, specifically the Sonoran Desert Toad. These toads secrete a highly toxic, hallucinogenic venom.
The L.A. County Coroner has a gift shop, Skeletons in the Closet, open to the public.
Downtown L.A. has the world’s shortest incorporated railway, Angel’s Flight. The 117-year-old funicular gives passengers a short ride up Bunker HiIl and for $1 you can enjoy a trip made famous by Hollywood movies and TV.
The largest boulder ever transported can be found at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art). The 340-ton block of granite took 11 days to move just 85 miles to its final destination.
Thrill-seekers can slide down a portion of the 72-story U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles, advertised as “tallest open-air observation deck in California”.