Los Angeles, a sunny melting pot on the West Coast
The famously sprawling city of Los Angeles is one of the world's most geographically, culturally and architecturally diverse communities. Each part of The City of Angels has its own identity, from the high rises and art galleries of Downtown LA to the midcentury developments of Historic South Central. Hillside homes in Brentwood and Bel Air take advantage of the mountainous landscape, while the San Fernando Valley offers a taste of classic suburbia. Home to more than 3.8 million people, the city remains the second-most populous city in the country. "LA is a huge, gorgeous city that has a melting pot of ethnicities,” says Molly First, a Los Angeles native and Realtor with Lyon Stahl Investment Real Estate. “You can get different vibes from people, from the scenic crowd of Hollywood and the hipsters in Echo Park to the beachgoers of South Bay and Westside. You get so much culture!”
Founded in 1781 under Spanish rule, the city has continually reinvented itself over the centuries. It has been an agricultural center, a shipping hub, a manufacturing and aviation boomtown and, of course, the birthplace of modern cinema (not to mention celebrity culture). All these elements are still present in modern Los Angeles, though major industries have since shifted toward tech, healthcare and education. Modern LA is perhaps best known for its vast creative output: according to the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, “There are more artists, writers, filmmakers, actors, dancers and musicians living and working in Los Angeles than any other city at any time in the history of civilization.”
Los Angeles, CA is the second most populous city in United States.
Venice was founded as an independent city in 1905 and currently has a population of 40,885.
The area enjoys warm dry summers and mild winters in Bel Air, offering year round beauty.
Griffith Observatory looms over the Los Feliz neighborhood.
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Downtown condos and Bel Air mansions
Housing in LA runs the gamut from basic studio apartments and one-bedroom bungalows to uber-luxurious penthouses and sprawling coastal estates. Midcentury ranch styles built during the manufacturing boom of the 1950s and 1960s make up a considerable portion of the city's single-family homes. Many were renovated and expanded as housing prices in the city skyrocketed in the early 21st century. Two-story Spanish-style and new traditional homes are more common in San Fernando Valley communities like North Hollywood and Sun Valley . The Santa Monica foothills are home to neighborhoods like Westwood , Brentwood and Laurel Canyon, known for their mountainside views, beautiful residential architecture and expensive price tags.
Despite the city’s massive size, Los Angeles is in the middle of one of the most severe housing shortages in modern U.S. history. Single-family homes don't usually enter the market for less than $500,000, while condos may list for as low as $250,000, making multifamily options increasingly popular. "Millennials looking for a home are often buying two to four units because it gives them the flexibility to have extra income," First says. The modest midcentury ranch styles of South Los Angeles, built initially to accommodate blue-collar aviation and manufacturing workers, can range from $600,000 to $800,000. Larger homes in the San Fernando Valley generally hit the market between $1 million and $5 million. In Westside neighborhoods like Brentwood and Bel Air, home prices start at around $2.5 million and can list for over $20 million. Los Angeles is home to some of the most expensive private residences in the world, including Bel Air's Chartwell Mansion, which was purchased by Lachlan Murdoch in 2019 for $150 million.
Downtown LA has densely packed apartment and condo buildings, some with city views.
Stylish Mediterranean-style homes can be found throughout Beverly Crest.
Most properties in Manhattan Beach are large, three-story homes of varying architecture.
One story Mediterranean style homes are an option in Pico.
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Shopping in the Fashion District
Shopping options vary dramatically across the city: South LA has strip malls and Latin supermarkets, while North and West LA have shopping malls and organic grocers. The downtown Fashion District, a 100-block district home to over 4,000 retailers, showcases locally owned shops in the open-air market on Santee Alley. Those looking for a more luxurious shopping experience will appreciate the hundreds of high-end boutiques throughout central and west LA in communities such as Melrose and Hollywood Hills West .
One of the benefits of the city's renowned diversity is an array of top-notch cuisines, from LA staples like taco trucks and burger joints to international fare. The expansive city showcases countless offerings, from the pupusas at Westlake’s Guatemalan Night Market to the carefully plated Japanese delicacies at N/Naka — one of the city’s 24 Michelin-starred restaurants. “If you want something, you can get it,” First says. “Sawtelle is great for ramen and udon noodles. Beverly Hills is known for Persian and Israeli cuisine. In Mid-City , there’s Little Ethiopia. Koreatown has such good food and barbecue. And, of course, I go to South Bay for great Mexican food.”
Sunset Plaza in Hollywood Hills West boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.
Colorado Avenue connects major shopping strips in Downtown Santa Monica with the beach.
Try one of the ramen dishes at Jinya Ramen Bar in Ocean Park.
Ocean Park is an easy going neighborhood with good pizza, good drinks and the good life.
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Endless events and festivals in Downtown LA
From Lakers and Dodgers games to internationally renowned musical acts at the LA Orpheum, there’s always a hot ticket in town. Much of the action is concentrated in Downtown LA, home to the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena, half a dozen major museums and the Historic Broadway Theater District. The city hosts yearly events that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors, including the LA Film Festivals, LA Pride Festival and the Nisei Week Japanese Festival. Fiesta Broadway, which attracts more than 200,000 people annually, is the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S.
Band of Vices in West Adams provides an art space for the often overlooked artists.
WeHo Pride Parade inspires positive change and progress.
Marina Del Rey Summer Concerts are a family-friendly event.
2. Teams from across the region gather for the Kahanamoku Klassic in Marina del Rey.
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Education in the second-largest district in the U.S.
The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second-largest public school district in the country, supervising over 780 schools and serving over 425,000 students. The district earns a B-plus grade from Niche overall. The district also oversees several specialty, charter and magnet schools, including the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies and the Science Academy STEM Magnet, which regularly rank among the best schools in California, according to Niche. The area is also well-known for its excellent private schools, including nationally renowned high schools like Harvard-Westlake, Brentwood School and Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences.
LA’s post-secondary options include behemoth universities like the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California, which are historic rivals, each enrolling more than 20,000 undergraduates annually. Additional options include California State University, Los Angeles, a few miles from downtown. The city is also home to nine community college campuses overseen by the California Community Colleges System, which enrolls over 200,000 students in the LA area.
Santa Monica Mountains, sunny beaches and city parks
Many of LA’s parks have been featured prominently in film and television. The famous Griffith Park Observatory, near Los Feliz , appears in dozens of blockbuster films, including The Terminator and La La Land. The coastline in Venice and Santa Monica Beach are two of the most-visited beaches in the country, offering surfing, swimming, sunbathing and cycling opportunities. Hikers, bikers and equestrians can view the city skyline along hundreds of miles of mixed-use trails on the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains. The Marvin Braude Bike Trail, known as "The Strand," runs beside the beachy coast for 22 miles. There are multiple city-maintained greenspaces, notably Elysian Park, which includes the Chavez Ridge Disc Golf Course.
While most of North and West LA is within a short drive of the beach or the mountains, certain parts of South and Central Los Angeles notably lack green spaces. There is, however, a growing network of bike trails connecting the city's neighborhoods. Many trails, like the 23.9-mile Los Angeles River Greenway, follow spillways through neighborhoods with limited parks and recreational amenities.
Visit Topanga Beach to enjoy the sun and surf in Topanga, CA.
Los Feliz visitors can drive up Griffith Park for breathtaking views of the Hollywood sign.
Los Angeles is less than an hour away from beautiful hikes in every direction.
Wonder-Full Summer Concert series is adjacent to playgrounds and beautiful landscapes.
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Traffic on the 5
LA traffic is notoriously congested, with all major highways prone to traffic during rush hour. Locals often expect to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstates 5 and 10, both of which run through the heart of downtown. Even highways outside the city center, such as Interstate 405, can be tricky to navigate. “If you live on the east side of 405, but you’re dating someone west of 405, I’d call that a long-distance relationship,” First laughs. “Because, depending on traffic, it takes over an hour.” Many locals choose to keep a personal vehicle and don’t often use the available rideshare options. “Ubers are expensive. From Venice Beach to Hermosa Beach is just 15 miles, but it's a $40 Uber ride.”
On the plus side, LA's public transit options have improved dramatically since its establishment in the early 1990s. For the first few years, the Los Angeles Metro Rail was more likely to be a punchline than a means of getting around the city. However, in recent decades, the transit system has expanded into one of the most popular urban rail systems in the nation. Today, the city’s four light rail lines and two rapid transit lines connect to major neighborhoods in and around the city, extending to Long Beach. An extensive bus system also makes it easy to navigate greater LA. Biking around town has also become much more feasible with the development of multiple waterway-adjacent bikeways, notably the LA River and Rio Hondo bike paths, which run for dozens of miles and connect the city with the southern and eastern suburbs.
Residents choose from several major international airports in the area, including the Burbank Airport and Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. The largest and most connected airport in town is Los Angeles International, the sixth busiest airport in the world, which accommodates over 65 million passengers each year and offers direct flights to 185 destinations.
Dealing with crime and pollution
Property and violent crime rates in LA are significantly higher than the national average. According to an annual report by the Los Angeles Police Department, violent crime decreased slightly between 2022 and 2023 before trending upward once more in 2024. Property crime is on the rise, increasing by more than 3% from 2022 to 2023. The LA Police and Public Health Departments are continually rolling out programs like the gun violence-targeting Smart Policing Initiative and the survivor-centered Trauma Prevention Initiative to prevent crime and alleviate its underlying causes.
The government's General Plan, which addresses areas of concern for the future, involves 35 Community Plans that touch on safety, climate resilience, growth and infrastructure. The General Plan details a network of initiatives meant to address drinking water supply issues and housing demands. LA also has one of the highest rates of homelessness of any major American city. The homeless population in LA County was estimated at a little over 75,000 in 2023, a number that has steadily increased at a rate of 10% to 15% per year. The county's Homeless Initiative offers incentives to landlords and rental subsidies for accommodating unhoused individuals. The city's reputation for smog and poor air quality has often been attributed to the mountainous geography, heavy industrial presence and high population. Wildfires and earthquakes are yearly concerns, as are landslides during the winter rainy season.
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