The City of Los Angeles, spread over 467 square miles, is the hub to a five-county 17 million resident metropolis, per the 2000 U.S. Census. It consists of 1.3 million African Americans, 3.6 million Latinos, 1.8 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 90,000 Native Americans and a balance of European Americans. The shorthand name for the 5-county metropolis is "LA."

140 distinct cultures live in Los Angeles County.

The combination of Universal Studios, Aquarium of Pacific, Magic Mountain, Raging Waters, Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm, and Soak City make LA & Orange Counties the arch-rival to Orlando for theme park attractions.

Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County, is America's largest yacht harbor.

LA is a foremost visual and performing arts destination that boasts over 300 museums, theaters and concert halls; premier museums and venues include the Getty Center, Getty Villa of Malibu, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gene Autry Center, Norton-Simon Museum, Peterson Automotive Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre, Pantages Theatre, Disney Music Center, Kodak Theatre and Nokia Theater.

LA’s "Digital Coast" fills more multimedia jobs (133,000) than Silicon Valley and New York City combined.

Although Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta Hartzfield-Jackson airports each attract more total flights, more flights originate at LAX airport. That distinction is due to LA being America's largest transportation metropolis on the Pacific Coast.

Greater LA is headquarters to 20 Fortune 500 companies and a West Coast division for a hundred more.

California Institute of Technology, UC Los Angeles, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, University of Southern California, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Fullerton, CSU Northridge, CSU Long Beach, Pepperdine University, California Polytechnic Pomona, Otis Art Institute, RAND, JPL, Pasadena Art Center, and several smaller colleges

LA has more than 120,000 jobs in the fashion industry, which is larger than New York City's fashion district.

Los Angeles County employs more people in manufacturing than any other county in America.

Los Angeles County attracts about 25 million visitors per year.

You could fill a book with Black celebrities in LA.  Instead we choose to acknowledge a sample of residents who either got their start or made their mark here AND opened doors for others:

Biddy Mason
Founded First AME church in LA

Dr. Ralph Bunche
First African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize

Tom Bradley
Former 5 term major of Los Angeles

Jackie Robinson
Broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball

Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Model for pro athletes on and off the court

Danny Bakewell
Newspaper publisher & civic activist

Julian Dixon
Congressional Black Caucus founding member

Maxine Waters
US Representative and former head of the CBC

Nat “King” Cole
Music legend, helped break down residential segregation in LA

Paul Williams
Architect of several magnificent structures around town; opened doors for other Black architects

Rev. Chip Murray
First AME pastor and civic activist

Bishop Charles Blake
West Angeles COGIC pastor

Dr. Maulana Karenga
Founder of Kwanzaa

Stevie Wonder
Musical artist & caring community radio station owner

Arthur Ashe
UCLA grad, activist to free South Africa and humanitarian

Wilt Chamberlain
Most dominant NBA center, first NBA player perceived as a celebrity, which opened the door for paid endorsements to Black players

Dorothy Dandridge
First African American to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actor category, male or female

Sidney Poitier
First African American to win an Oscar for Best Actor; opened the door for Black actor to play diverse and 3-dimensional leading roles.

Denzel Washington
2nd African American to win an Oscar for Best actor

Johnnie Cochran
Famous defense attorney

Tavis Smiley
A thoughtful voice of Black America