View source for Culture of Los Angeles

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The '''culture of Los Angeles''' is rich with arts and ethnically diverse. The greater Los Angeles metro area has several notable art museums including the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]] (LACMA), the [[J. Paul Getty Museum]] on the [[Santa Monica Mountains]] overlooking the Pacific, the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]] (MOCA), and the [[Hammer Museum]]. In the 1920s and 1930s [[Will Durant]] and [[Ariel Durant]], [[Arnold Schoenberg]] and other intellectuals were the representatives of culture, in addition to the movie writers and directors.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}} As the city flourished financially in the middle of the 20th century, culture followed. [[Boosterism|Boosters]] such as [[Dorothy Buffum Chandler]] and other philanthropists raised funds for the establishment of art museums, music centers and theaters. Today, the Southland cultural scene is as complex, sophisticated and varied as any in the world.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} Los Angeles is strongly influenced by Mexican American culture due to California formerly being part of Mexico and, previously, the Spanish Empire.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/8/5/mexican-la-history-culture-and-resistance|work=aljazeera |title=Mexican LA: History, culture and resistance }}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Los Angeles}}
{{Expand section|date=August 2021}}
The history of [[Los Angeles]] began in 1781 when 44 settlers from [[New Spain]] established a permanent settlement in what is now [[Downtown Los Angeles]], as instructed by Spanish Governor of [[Las Californias]], [[Felipe de Neve]], and authorized by Viceroy [[Antonio María de Bucareli]]. This piece of history has been marked by a monument named  "El Pueblo". After sovereignty changed from Mexico to the United States in 1848, great changes came from the completion of the [[Santa Fe Railroad|Santa Fe railroad]] line from [[Chicago]] to Los Angeles in 1885. "Overlanders" flooded in, mostly white [[Protestantism|Protestants]] from the Lower [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] and [[Southern United States|South]]. Los Angeles began to grow as the built their first firehouse station in 1884 and the first home was built by Francisco Avila in 1818.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LASTAR18520731.2.2&srpos=1&e=-------en--20-LASTAR-1-byDA-txt-txIN-Overland-ARTICLE------ |title=The Overland Emigration |date=31 July 1852 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Star]] |volume=2 |number=12 |via=[[California Digital Newspaper Collection]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LASTAR18540921.2.6&e=-------en--20-LASTAR-1-byDA-txt-txIN-Overland-ARTICLE------ |title=News by the Goliah |date=21 September 1854 |newspaper=Los Angeles Star |volume=4 |number=19 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LASTAR18600602.2.5&e=-------en--20-LASTAR-21--txt-txIN-Overland-ARTICLE------ |title=From the Texan Border |date=2 June 1860 |newspaper=Los Angeles Star |volume=X |number=4 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LASTAR18600728.2.7&e=-------en--20-LASTAR-1--txt-txIN-Overland-ARTICLE------ |title=Breckinridge to Visit California |date=28 July 1860 |newspaper=Los Angeles Star |volume=X |number=12 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LASTAR18630103.2.11&e=-------en--20-LASTAR-1--txt-txIN-Overland-ARTICLE------ |title=Overland Mail—Southern Route |date=3 January 1863 |newspaper=Los Angeles Star |volume=XII |number=35 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH18901211.2.28&e=-------en--20-LAH-1--txt-txIN-Overlander-ARTICLE------ |title=His Nose was Scratched |date=11 December 1890 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |volume=35 |number=58 |via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref>{{overcite|date=August 2025}}

Los Angeles had a strong economic base in farming, oil, tourism, real estate and movies. It grew rapidly with many suburban areas inside and outside the city limits. [[Cinema of the United States|Its motion picture industry]] made the city world-famous, and [[World War II]] brought new industry, especially high-tech aircraft construction. Politically the city was moderately conservative, with a weak labor union sector.

Since the 1960s, growth has slowed—and traffic delays have become infamous. Los Angeles was a pioneer in freeway development as the public transit system deteriorated. New arrivals, especially from [[Mexico]] and [[Asia]], have transformed the demographic base since the 1960s. Old industries have declined, including farming, oil, military and aircraft, but tourism, entertainment and high-tech remain strong. Over time, [[Droughts in California|droughts]] and [[List of California wildfires|wildfires]] have increased in frequency and become less seasonal and more year-round, further straining the city's [[water security]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/environment/west-drought/ |title=The Drought That May Never End |last=Abramsky |first=Sasha |date=3 December 2021 |magazine=[[The Nation]] |access-date=December 3, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.drought.gov |title=Advancing Drought Science and Preparedness across the Nation |website=National Integrated Drought Information System |access-date=December 3, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-camp-fire-science-20181110-story.html |title=California's most destructive wildfire should not have come as a surprise |last1=Boxall |first1=Bettina |last2=St. John |first2=Paige |date=November 10, 2018 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=November 11, 2018}}</ref>

== The arts ==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2025}}
=== Architecture ===
[[Image:Easternstandard cropped by mlsb.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Eastern Columbia Building]] is a well known Art Deco building in [[Downtown Los Angeles]]]]
Los Angeles has many different types of architectural styles scattered throughout the city and nearby satellite cities. Los Angeles has a rich and diverse history of architectural works, having been known throughout professional architectural circles as a testbed for architecture. The [[case study houses]] in particular revolutionized residential architecture. Architects such as [[Richard Neutra]], [[Jack A. Charney|Jack Charney]], [[Pierre Koenig]], [[John Lautner]] and [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] all have important works in the city. Some of the different types of architectural styles throughout the city and metropolitan area are [[Mission Revival architecture|Mission Revival]], [[Spanish Colonial Revival architecture|Spanish colonial revival]], [[American Craftsman|craftsman]], [[French Provincial architecture|Norman French Provincial]], French chateau, [[Tudor Revival architecture|English Tudor]], [[Beaux-Arts architecture|beaux arts]], [[Art Deco in the United States|art deco]], and [[Streamline Moderne|streamline moderne]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

In downtown Los Angeles, there are several buildings constructed in the [[Art Deco]] style. In recognition of this heritage, the recently built Metropolitan Transit Authority building incorporates subtle Art Deco characteristics.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Modern architecture in the city ranges from the works of pioneering African-American architect [[Paul Williams (Architect)|Paul Williams]], to the iconoclastic [[deconstructivism|deconstructivist]] forms of [[Frank Gehry]], a long-time resident of the city. [[Charles Eames]] and his wife [[Ray Eames]] designed famous chairs and other domestic goods.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

=== Visual arts in Los Angeles ===

The ''[[plein air]]'' movement of [[impressionism|impressionistic]] landscape painting found early adherents in the Los Angeles area. Instrumental in the development of the genre was the [[California Art Club]] (est. 1909) that provided numerous exhibitions and lectures. The art form continues to be recognized as a signature style of California art.  Much of the energy in the city's '''art scene''' in the 1945 to 1980 stretch came from private collectors, artists' collectives, print shops, art schools and especially from commercial galleries.<ref name="latimes.com">Scott Timberg (January 1, 2012), [https://web.archive.org/web/20111231231253/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-pst-gallery-owners-20120101,0,5052133,full.story Galleries fostered L.A.'s postwar art scene] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref>

In the 1960s, [[Corita Kent]], then known as Sister Mary Corita of [[Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary|Immaculate Heart College]], created bright, bold [[serigraph]]s carrying the messages of love and peace.

=== Public art in Los Angeles ===
''See [[List of public art in Los Angeles]]''

The oldest known public artwork in Los Angeles is the 1900 sculpture of a United States soldier by architects S. M. Goddard and Kilpatrick (no known sculptor), part of the , located in [[Pershing Square (Los Angeles)|Pershing Square]].<ref name="lapl">{{cite web |title=The Man behind the Rotunda Murals |url=https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/man-behind-rotunda-murals |publisher=Los Angeles Public Library |access-date=16 September 2020}}</ref> The 1926 [[Los Angeles Public Library|Central Library]] designed by [[Bertram Goodhue]] was an architectural masterpiece incorporating murals and sculptures throughout, notably four rotunda murals by [[Dean Cornwell]] depicting California history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Print this page Painted Decoration: Goodhue Building |url=https://www.lapl.org/branches/central-library/art-architecture/painting |publisher=Los Angeles Public Library |access-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>
[[Image:Mural LA Central Library.jpg|thumb|225px|Artworks in the Central Library's rotunda include this 1932 mural ''The Era of Discovery'' by Dean Cornwell]] Los Angeles is known for [[Murals of Los Angeles|its murals]], and many outdoor public art murals have been painted throughout the 20th century by early Mexican muralists [[Diego Rivera]], [[David Alfaro Siqueiros]] and [[José Clemente Orozco]].

During the 1960s and 1970s, the [[Chicano Movement#Chicano art|Chicano art movement]] took a strong hold in Los Angeles. Much of the work produced followed the Mexican muralist tradition of sending potent social messages. Works produced in this era included [[East Los Streetscapers]], [[Judy Baca]] and others. Chicano arts in Los Angeles also gave rise to the internationally renowned [[Self Help Graphics & Art]], known for its [[Corita Kent]]-influenced serigraphs and its annual [[Día de los Muertos]] festival.

[[Public art|Public Art]] in the downtown area of Los Angeles during the 1970s was characterized by large abstract sculptures such as Herbert Bayer's ''Double Ascension'' (1973), and Alexander Calder's ''Four Arches'' (1973)<ref>{{cite web |title=Alexander Calder-Four Arches |url=http://www.crala.org/internet-site/Other/Art_Program/artist_list/alexander_calder.cfm |publisher=Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles |access-date=16 September 2020 |archive-date=30 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330065215/http://www.crala.org/internet-site/Other/Art_Program/artist_list/alexander_calder.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref> installed with the commercial redevelopment of [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles|Bunker Hill]].  In 1989 the City passed an ordinance requiring developers to contribute one percent of the cost of construction of new buildings to a [[public art]] fund.  The resulting funds for public art and public art programs in the 1990s, coupled with substantial subway and light rail transit in the 1990s, created public art installations in new rail stations and public spaces throughout the city and beyond.

Chris Burden's ''[[Urban Light]]'' (2008) in front of the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]] on Wilshire Boulevard attracts hundreds of visitors daily, has been featured in several films as an iconic image of Los Angeles, and has become a tourist destination and popular public space.<ref name="lacma-burden">{{cite web |title=LACMA Collection: Urban Light Chris Burden (United States, Massachusetts, Boston, 1946-2015) |url=https://collections.lacma.org/node/214966 |publisher=Los Angeles County Museum of Art |access-date=13 September 2020}}</ref>

=== Art museums and galleries ===
''See [[List of museums in Los Angeles County, California|List of museums in Los Angeles]]''[[Image:Highsmithlacmaoblique.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]]]]

There are 841 museums and art galleries in [[Los Angeles County]].<ref name="lmu">{{cite web|url=http://www.lmu.edu/about/The_Los_Angeles_Region.htm|title=The Los Angeles Region|date=May 5, 2008|publisher=[[Loyola Marymount University]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018115613/http://www.lmu.edu/about/The_Los_Angeles_Region.htm|archive-date=October 18, 2011|access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref> In fact, Los Angeles has more museums per capita than any other city in the world.<ref name="lmu" /> Some of the notable museums are the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]] (the largest art museum in the Western United States<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lacma.org/overview|title=Overview|publisher=[[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]]|access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref>), the [[Getty Center]] (part of the larger [[J. Paul Getty Trust]], the world's wealthiest art institution<ref>{{cite news|last=Boehm|first=Mike|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-mar-16-et-getty16-story.html|title=Getty slashes operating budget after severe investment losses|date=March 16, 2009|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref>), the [[Battleship Iowa]], and the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]]. A significant number of art galleries are located on [[Gallery Row]], and tens of thousands attend the monthly Downtown Art Walk there.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mather|first=Kate|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-aug-05-la-me-0805-art-walk-20110805-story.html|title=Downtown L.A. Art Walk safety changes planned|date=August 5, 2011|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref>

In 1943, a community-run arts association in Pasadena merged with the better funded Pasadena Art Institute and moved into what is now the home of the [[Pacific Asia Museum]]. Renamed the [[Pasadena Art Museum]], it organized some of the most adventurous and cutting edge shows of contemporary art in the region, notably, an early Pop art show in 1962, and a [[Marcel Duchamp]] retrospective in 1963. Although the city had a long tradition of visual arts supported by private collectors and galleries, Los Angeles did not have a comprehensive museum of art until 1965, when [[LACMA]] opened its doors. At about the same time, [[La Cienega Boulevard]] became home to many art galleries, most notably [[Ferus]], featuring works by artists who lived in the area, [[Virginia Dwan|Dwan Gallery]], and Riko Mizuno Gallery.<ref name="latimes.com" /> Although [[Andy Warhol]] was based in New York, the famous "soup cans" were first exhibited at Ferus. A local exponent of pop art was [[Ed Ruscha]], some of whose work was representational, others consisted of simple slogans or mottoes which were usually humorous, being so far out of the context where such statements would normally appear. An example of this is ''Nice Hot Vegetables'' [[Larry Bell (artist)|Larry Bell]], for example, explored the interaction of a sculpture to its environment, demonstrating that the boundaries are usually not entirely clear. [[David Hockney]], an English immigrant, produced figurative paintings set in idyllic Southern California locales, such as swimming pools in the bright sunlight, belonging to modernist houses. Although these paintings are representational, they seem to be composed of small color patches, somewhat like collages. [[Finish Fetish]]—a style that emphasized gleaming surfaces—and [[Light and Space]]—art about perception—were other Ferus-bred styles that allowed L.A. to distinguish itself from the rest of the art world. It was during this period that the contemporary arts scene in Los Angeles began to command the attention of collectors and museum directors internationally.

Some of the most respected '''art museums''' in the world can be found in Los Angeles. They include the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]], [[the Broad]], the [[J. Paul Getty Museum]], the [[Norton Simon Museum]], the [[Huntington Library]] art collection and botanical gardens, and the [[Hammer Museum]] at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]]. Los Angeles is known for its expansive collections of contemporary art- the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]] has three separate incarnations: the Geffen Contemporary, for larger installation pieces by more renowned artists, the MOCA Downtown, its standard collection, and the Pacific Palisades, a large, multi-purpose building in [[modernist]] style that houses offices as well as stores and showrooms for contemporary graphic design, architecture, and interior design. Other smaller art museums in the city include the [[Craft Contemporary]], the [[California African American Museum]], and many sculpture gardens throughout the city, including those at the [[American Jewish University]] and the [[Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden]]. Private art collections that are open to the public are the ones by [[Eli Broad]] and the [[Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation]].  The growth of Los Angeles as an art capital was first comprehensively documented in a series of exhibitions partially funded and spearheaded by the Getty, but held at all major museums during the Fall of 2011. "The exhibitions, and the events that accompanied them as part of "Pacific Standard Time" demonstrated the pivotal role played by Southern California in national and international artistic movements since the middle of the 20th century. [[LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes]] (The culture square and arts museum) a [[Mexican-American]] museum and cultural center opened in April 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boehm |first=Mike |date=2011-10-05 |title=La Plaza is an open and empty space downtown |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-oct-05-la-et-la-plaza-20111005-story.html}}</ref> The museum contains interactive exhibits designed by [[experience design]] expert Tali Krakowsky such as a reconstruction of a 1920s Main Street.<ref name="good">{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Alissa |date=2011-04-28 |title=A New Cultural Center Brings Mexican American Voices to L.A.'s Birthplace |url=http://www.good.is/post/a-new-cultural-center-brings-mexican-american-voices-to-l-a-s-birthplace/ |access-date=2011-04-29 |website=[[Good (magazine)|Good]]}}</ref> The museum shares the stories of the history, cultures, values, and traditions of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and all Latinos in Los Angeles and Southern California. Art institutions from Santa Barbara to San Diego are joining together to create programs that highlighted the region's vibrant artistic scene."[http://www.getty.edu/news/press/pacific_standard_time_release.html] [[Culver City]]'s La Cienega Boulevard features one of the highest concentrations of '''fine art galleries''' and studios in Southern California. The trendy [[bohemianism|bohemian]] neighborhoods of [[Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California|Silver Lake]] and [[Los Feliz]] are home to numerous smaller galleries, showcasing local or underground art. [[Gallery Row, Los Angeles, California|Gallery Row]] downtown is known for its small [[DIY]] galleries, such as [[The Smell]], which doubles as a [[punk rock|punk]] and [[noise music]] venue.

==== Art schools and colleges ====
Los Angeles County is home to three professional '''art colleges''', [[Art Center College of Design]], founded on 1930 in [[downtown Los Angeles]] as the Art Center School, [[Otis College of Art and Design]], which was founded in 1917 as Otis Art Institute, and [[California Institute of the Arts]], founded in 1961 as successor of the [[Chouinard Art Institute]].{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

== Cuisine ==
{{See also|Korean taco}}
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2014}}
[[Image:052607-005-Tommys.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The [[Original Tommy's]] Hamburgers]]
Los Angeles is the home of the [[cobb salad|Cobb Salad]], invented in the [[Brown Derby]] restaurant in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], the [[French-Dip sandwich]], originated early in the 20th century by either [[Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet]] or [[Phillippe's]]—both of which still exist downtown, the ice blended coffee drink by [[Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf]] and [[Original Tommy's]] [[Hamburger]]. In 2018, PETA declared Los Angeles to be the "most vegan-friendly city" in the world.<ref>Maria Yagoda,"This Is the Most Vegan-Friendly City in the World," ''[https://www.foodandwine.com/news/vegan-friendly-city-world-peta Food and Wine]'' 14 May 2018</ref>

The strength of the city's scene is in "ethnic" dining and it is considered to be one of the most dynamic scenes in the world in terms of range and depth. The [[DineLA Restaurant Week]] offers twice a year a sample of the enormous variety of restaurants in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dine LA Restaurant Week {{!}} October 6–20, 2023 {{!}} Discover Los Angeles |url=https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/dinela |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=www.discoverlosangeles.com |language=en}}</ref> In its predominantly African American neighborhoods are [[soul food]] restaurants such as [[Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} According to ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America'', Los Angeles "remains the United States's preeminent city to eat regional Mexican food."<ref name="SmithKraig2013">{{cite book|author1=Andrew Smith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DOJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA487|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America|author2=Bruce Kraig|date=31 January 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-973496-2|page=487}}</ref> The city of [[Glendale, California|Glendale]] has among the highest concentration of Armenian restaurants in the country.

Given its close proximity to Asia and constant flow of Asian immigrants, [[Asian food]] has a large foothold in Los Angeles. Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai restaurants are extremely common place. Japanese food in particular is a staple of Los Angeles' haute cuisine scene with places like Urasawa in [[Beverly Hills]], Nobu in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] and Koi in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]. California-styled cuisine is considered to be highly influenced by Asian seafood, as well as by Mediterranean cooking. The popularity of Asian food inspired food festivals such as [[626 Night Market]] in [[Arcadia, California|Arcadia]], where vendors sell traditional [[night market]] foods such as [[stinky tofu]] and skewers as well as modern [[Fusion cuisine|fusion food]] such as ramen burgers and pho tacos.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laweekly.com/heres-what-to-eat-at-the-last-626-night-market-of-the-year/|title=Here's What to Eat at the Last 626 Night Market of the Year|last=Hang|first=Kristie|date=2015-09-03|website=LA Weekly|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://laist.com/2016/02/22/rakken_tacos_brings_asianmexican_fu.php|title=Get Pho Tacos And Burritos At This New Asian-Latin Fusion Joint|last=Hang|first=Kristie|website=LAist|access-date=2020-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131084511/https://laist.com/2016/02/22/rakken_tacos_brings_asianmexican_fu.php|archive-date=2020-01-31|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Cinema ==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2025}}
[[Image:Grauman's Chinese Theatre, by Carol Highsmith fixed & straightened.jpg|thumb|190px|TCL Chinese Theatre]]

The [[greater Los Angeles area]] is the most important site in the United States for movie and television production. This has drawn not only actors, but also writers, composers, artists, and other creative individuals to the area.

The area is home to many institutes that give awards annually for movie and television production such as the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] and the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]. There are many [[Film festival]]s, like the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival conducted by [[Outfest]] and [[Dances with Films]] held at the [[TCL Chinese Theatre]]. Specialty theatres like [[Quentin Tarantino|Quentin Tarantino's]] [[New Beverly Cinema]] and [[art film|art house]]s like the [[Nuart Theatre]] screen eclectic mixes of new and historic movies.

=== Hollywood ===
{{Main|Hollywood, Los Angeles}}

[[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. This ethnically diverse, densely populated neighborhood is notable as the home of the U.S. film industry, including several of its historic studios, and its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry and the people in it.

Although film production in Los Angeles remains the most important center for the medium, Hollywood has become more international, thus it faces increasing competition, however, from other parts of the United States and from the [[Canada|Canadian]] cities of [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]] and [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]] as well as numerous other countries around the world such as [[Romania]] and [[Australasia]] that provide Hollywood with lower production costs. The phenomenon of entertainment companies running away to other locales in search of lower labor and production costs is known as "[[runaway production]]" although the trend shows signs of reversing due to the state's current Film & Television Tax Credit Program administered by the [[California Film Commission]].

The motion picture and TV industries have helped create the image that defines Los Angeles across the world. Many tourists flock to see Hollywood-related landmarks such as the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame|Walk of Fame]] and the [[Hollywood Sign]].

== Literature ==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2025}}
Los Angeles's literary history includes acclaimed authors such as [[Raymond Chandler]], whose hard-boiled detective stories were set in pre-war and immediate post-war L.A. [[Ross Macdonald]] carried on the Chandler tradition into the 1950s, and in the 1960s and 1970s blended it with themes of [[tragedy|classical tragedy]]. [[Walter Mosley]], [[James Ellroy]] and [[Joseph Hansen (writer)|Joseph Hansen]] are among the local successors to Chandler. [[Nathanael West]]'s book, ''[[The Day of the Locust]]'', depicted a raw side to the Hollywood dream. [[Ray Bradbury]] wrote science fiction after moving to the city in 1934. In the 1960s, [[Joan Didion]] became one of Los Angeles's most famous and acclaimed writers. Her essay collections ''[[Slouching Towards Bethlehem]]'' (1968) and ''[[The White Album (book)|The White Album]]'' (1979) as well as her novel ''[[Play It as It Lays]]'' (1970) established her as one of the preeminent chroniclers of the city. Actress [[Carrie Fisher]] found success as a novelist. The best known local poet was [[Charles Bukowski]], who mostly lived in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] but in the later part of his life lived in [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]]. Tens of thousands of [[screenplay]]s have been written by L.A. city residents, and the movie business has attracted many authors, including [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], [[Aldous Huxley]], [[Tennessee Williams]], [[Evelyn Waugh]], [[William Faulkner]] and Joan Didion.

Los Angeles County boasts a plethora of [[independent bookstore]]s<ref name="test">[http://laist.com/2011/03/21/gossip_rags_arent_the_only_things_w.php "Gossip Rags Aren't The Only Things We Read: In LA, Local Bookstores Make the A-List] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910092050/http://laist.com/2011/03/21/gossip_rags_arent_the_only_things_w.php |date=2011-09-10 }}, LAist</ref> such as [[Book Soup]] and Skylight Books, as well as a number of literary magazine, including the ''[[Los Angeles Review of Books]]'', ''Slake'', ''The Santa Monica Review'', and ''[[Black Clock]]''. Los Angeles has many public library branches, including the architecturally renowned [[Los Angeles Public Library|Public Library]]. This city is also home to [[The Last Bookstore]], which is the largest in California and second largest on the West Coast after [[Powell's Books]] in [[Portland, Oregon]].

=== Fiction ===
Los Angeles has provided fertile territory for writers of fiction with crime fiction being a common genre for stories about the city. During the 20th century, fiction portraying the city has highlighted the complexity of the city and the discontinuities between its public image and the reality of living there. The size and scale of the city have also provided crime writers with a suitably complex city against which to set their stories. Works that explore life in the city include:
* [[Eve Babitz]], ''Eve's Hollywood'', 1974; ''Slow Days, Fast Company'', 1977.
* [[James Robert Baker]], "Fuel-Injected Dreams", 1986; "Boy Wonder", 1988.
* [[Charles Bukowski]], ''[[Post Office (novel)|Post Office]]'', 1971.
* Raymond Chandler, ''[[The Big Sleep]]'', 1939; ''[[Farewell, My Lovely]]'', 1940; ''[[The Long Goodbye (novel)|The Long Goodbye]]'', 1953.
* [[Michael Connelly]], ''[[Harry Bosch]]'' Series, starting with [[The Black Echo]], 1992&ndash;present.
* Joan Didion, ''Play It as It Lays'', 1970.
* [[Bret Easton Ellis]], ''[[Less than Zero (novel)|Less Than Zero]]'', 1985.
* James Ellroy, ''[[The Black Dahlia (novel)|The Black Dahlia]]'', 1987; ''[[L.A. Confidential]]'', 1990;  ''[[White Jazz]]'', 1992.
* [[John Fante]], ''[[Ask the Dust]]'', 1939.
* [[Gerald Jay Goldberg]], ''Heart Payments'', 1982; ''126 Days of Continuous Sunshine'', 1972.
* [[Chester Himes]], "If He Hollers Let Him Go", 1945.
* [[Mary Helen Ponce]], ''Hoyt Street: An Autobiography'', 2006.
* [[Nina Revoyr]], ''Southland'', 2003.
* [[Roger L. Simon]], The Moses Wine series, starting with ''[[The Big Fix (1978 film)|The Big Fix]]'', 1973
* [[Héctor Tobar]], ''The Barbarian Nurseries'', 2011.
* [[Evelyn Waugh]], ''[[The Loved One (book)|The Loved One]]'', 1947.
* Nathanael West, ''[[The Day of the Locust]]'', 1939.

== Music ==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2025}}
{{Main|Music of Los Angeles|List of songs about Los Angeles}}
[[File:Grammy Museum.JPG|thumb|225px|The entrance of the [[Grammy Museum at L.A. Live|Grammy Museum]] at [[LA Live]]]]
Los Angeles is also one of the most important cities in the world for the recorded music industry. The landmark [[Capitol Records]] building, which resembles a stack of albums, is representative of this. [[A&M Records]] long occupied a studio off [[Sunset Boulevard]] built by [[Charlie Chaplin]] (who wrote the music for his own films). The [[Warner Brothers]] built a major recording business in addition to their film business. At the other end of the business, local [[Rhino Records]] began a reissue boom by digging through archives of old recordings and repackaging them for modern audiences.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Los Angeles had a vibrant African-American musical community even when it was relatively small: a number of musical artists congregated around [[Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California|Central Avenue]], and the community produced a number of great talents, including [[Charles Mingus]], [[Buddy Collette]], [[Gerald Wilson]], and others in the 1930s and 1940s before disappearing in the 1950s.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

In the 1960s, the [[Sunset Strip]] became a breeding ground for bands like [[The Byrds]], [[Buffalo Springfield]], and [[The Doors]]. [[Randy Newman]] also started his career during this time, and the [[Beach Boys]] were founded in nearby [[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]] during this same decade as well. Much hard rock has come out of Los Angeles, including legendary hard rockers [[Van Halen]] from nearby [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], "hair bands" like [[Mötley Crüe]], [[Ratt]], [[W.A.S.P. (band)|W.A.S.P.]], and [[Guns N' Roses]], [[thrash metal]] acts like [[Megadeth]], [[Metallica]] (who later relocated to [[San Francisco]]) and [[Slayer]] (from [[Huntington Park, California|Huntington Park]]), and also 1990s rock bands such as [[Jane's Addiction]], [[Korn]], [[The Offspring]], and the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]. Softer rock acts also flourished, as evidenced by the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] and [[Linda Ronstadt]] during the 1970s. There was a sizeable [[punk rock]] movement which spawned the hardcore punk movement featuring bands like [[X (U.S. band)|X]], [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] and [[Wasted Youth (American band)|Wasted Youth]]. In the 1980s, the [[Paisley Underground]] movement was native to Los Angeles. In the 1990s and early 21st century, Los Angeles' contribution to rock music continued with acclaimed artists such as [[Beck]], [[Sublime (band)|Sublime]] of [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[Tool (band)|Tool]], [[System of a Down]], [[Rage Against the Machine]], [[Crazy Town]], [[No Doubt]], [[Linkin Park]], [[The Calling (band)|The Calling]], [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]], [[Hoobastank]], [[Lifehouse (band)|Lifehouse]], [[Eve 6]], [[Sugar Ray]], [[Deftones]], [[Papa Roach]], [[Alien Ant Farm]], [[In This Moment]], [[Avenged Sevenfold]], [[AFI (band)|AFI]], [[Saosin]], and [[Thirty Seconds to Mars]]. In addition, the [[gangsta rap]] of [[N.W.A]], and later the solo careers of [[Dr. Dre]], [[Eazy-E]], [[Ice Cube]], [[2Pac]] and [[Snoop Dogg]], among related acts, reestablished Los Angeles (particularly the communities of [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] and [[Compton, California|Compton]]) as a center of [[African-American]] musical development and [[G-funk]] as one of hip-hop's major living styles. The 2000s saw a further flourishing of the Los Angeles rock scene with acclaimed acts such as [[Maroon 5]] and a resurgence in [[West Coast hip hop]] in the form of rappers such as [[Game (rapper)|The Game]]. [[The Black Eyed Peas]] gained even greater popularity during this decade. The pop singers such as [[Belinda Carlisle]], [[Paula Abdul]], [[Justin Timberlake]], [[Gwen Stefani]], [[Fergie (singer)|Fergie]], [[Hilary Duff]], [[Ashlee Simpson]], [[Jesse McCartney]], [[Aly & AJ]], [[Vanessa Hudgens]], [[Ashley Tisdale]], [[Miley Cyrus]], [[Selena Gomez]], [[Demi Lovato]], [[Colbie Caillat]], [[Sara Bareilles]], [[Katy Perry]], [[Kesha]], and [[Ariana Grande]] also anchored their singing careers in Los Angeles area as well.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

In the heart of downtown Los Angeles is the Music Center of Los Angeles County. The Music Center consists of the new [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]], the [[Dorothy Chandler Pavilion]], the [[Ahmanson Theatre]], and the [[Mark Taper Forum]]. The courtyard, fountain, and public art make it a beautiful location. Adding to its cultural importance, on the same street are the Los Angeles Central Library, the [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]], the Colburn School of Performing Arts, and the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels. The [[Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra]] now performs at [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] after having spent many years in residence at the [[Dorothy Chandler Pavilion]], and performs summer concerts at the [[Hollywood Bowl]]. The Los Angeles Master Chorale also calls the [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]] home. The [[Dorothy Chandler Pavilion]] is also the residence of the [[Los Angeles Opera]] and Dance at the Music Center. The Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, are home to the Center Theatre Group, directed by Michael Ritchie. Contemporary Opera Los Angeles presents performances that are sung in English and set in a contemporary style and their proceeds benefit local children's education charities and animal rescue charities.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

The demands of scoring thousands of hours of soundtracks for TV and movies also provides work for composers and classically trained musicians, bands, orchestras, and symphonies.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

== Cultural enclaves ==
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2025}}
The Los Angeles metropolitan area is one of the most diverse urban areas in the world with hundreds of cultures represented in the region.

=== Ethnic enclaves ===
Below is a list of many ethnic enclaves present in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, where their cultures contribute to the cosmopolitan nature of the city.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Ethnic Enclaves of Los Angeles Metro Area
!Ethnic Enclave Name
!Neighborhood
!Ethnicity Represented
!Official Recognition or Dedicated District
|-
! colspan="4" |East Asian Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|[[Chinatown, Los Angeles|'''Chinatown''']]
|[[Chinatown, Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Chinese Americans]], [[Taiwanese Americans]], & [[Hong Kong Americans]]; as well as many other [[Asian Americans]]
|Yes, 1938
|-
|[[Area code 626|626]]/SGV
|[[Chinese enclaves in the San Gabriel Valley]]
|No
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Little Taipei]]
|[[Monterey Park, California]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Taiwanese Americans in Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="2" |No
|-
|[[Rowland Heights, California|Rowland Heights]], & [[Hacienda Heights, California]]
|-
|'''[[Koreatown]]'''
|[[Koreatown, Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Korean Americans]]
|Yes, 2008
|-
|[[Koreatown, Garden Grove|'''Orange County Koreatown''']]
|[[Koreatown, Garden Grove]]
|Yes, 2019
|-
|[[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles|'''Little Tokyo''']]
|[[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Japanese Americans]]
|Yes, 1995
|-
|'''[[Sawtelle Japantown|Little Osaka/Sawtelle Japantown]]'''
|[[Sawtelle, Los Angeles]]
|Yes,  2015
|-
! colspan="4" |South East Asian Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|'''[[Filipinotown]]'''
|[[Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="2" |Historically [[Filipino Americans]]
|Yes, 2002
|-
|[[ManilaTown|'''Manilatown''']]
|[[Downtown Riverside]]
|No
|-
|[[Little Manila]]
|[[Carson, California]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Filipino Americans]]
|No
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|[[Eagle Rock, Los Angeles]] & [[Glendale, California]]
|No
|-
|[[San Gabriel Valley]]
|No
|-
|[[West Long Beach]]
|No
|-
|'''[[Little Saigon]]'''
|[[Little Saigon, Orange County]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Vietnamese Americans]]
|Yes, 1988
|-
|'''[[Little Saigon, Los Angeles]]'''
|[[Little Saigon, Los Angeles]]
|Yes
|-
|[[Thai Town, Los Angeles|'''Thai Town''']]
|[[Thai Town, Los Angeles]]
|[[Thai Americans]]
|Yes, October 27, 1999
|-
|[[Cambodia Town, Long Beach, California|'''Cambodia Town''']]
|[[Cambodia Town, Long Beach, California]]
|[[Cambodian Americans]]
|Yes, 2007
|-
! colspan="4" |South Asian Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|'''[[Little India]]'''
|[[Little India, Artesia, California]]
|[[Indian Americans]]
|Yes
|-
|[[Little Bangladesh, Los Angeles|'''Little Bangladesh''']]
|[[Little Bangladesh, Los Angeles]]
|[[Bangladeshi Americans]]
|Yes, 2010
|-
|Little Afghanistan
|[[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]
|[[Afghan Americans]]
|No
|-
! colspan="4" |Middle Eastern Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|[[Little Armenia, Los Angeles|'''Little Armenia''']]
|[[Little Armenia, Los Angeles]]
|[[Armenian Americans]]
|Yes, October 6, 2000
|-
|Arabia Street
|[[West Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Middle Eastern Americans]]
| rowspan="2" |No
|-
|
|[[Reseda, Los Angeles]]
|-
|'''[[Little Arabia]]'''
| rowspan="2" |[[Anaheim, California]]
|[[Egyptian Americans|Egyptian American]], [[Syrian Americans|Syrian American]], [[Lebanese Americans|Lebanese American]], & [[Yemeni Americans|Yemeni American]]
|Pending
|-
|'''[[Little Gaza]]'''
|[[Palestinian Americans|Palestinian American]]
|Pending
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Tehrangeles]] or [[Little Persia]]
|[[Westwood, Los Angeles]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Iranian Americans]]
| rowspan="3" |No
|-
|Southern [[San Fernando Valley]]
|-
|[[Beverly Hills, California]]
|-
|Persian Square
|Near [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]]
|No
|-
|Los Angeles Community Eruv
|[[Agoura Hills, California|Agoura Hills]], [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], [[Hancock Park, Los Angeles|Hancock Park]], [[Pico-Robertson, Los Angeles|Pico-Robertson]], [[West Hollywood, California|West Hollywood]], & [[Westwood, Los Angeles|Westwood]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Jewish American]]
|
|-
|North Valley Eruv
|[[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth]], [[Granada Hills, Los Angeles|Granada Hills]], [[North Hills, Los Angeles|North Hills]], & [[Northridge, Los Angeles|Northridge]]
|
|-
|Valley Eruv
|[[North Hollywood, Los Angeles|North Hollywood]], [[Valley Village, Los Angeles|Valley Village]], [[Van Nuys, Los Angeles|Van Nuys]], [[Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles|Sherman Oaks]], [[Sherman Village, Los Angeles|Sherman Village]], and [[Panorama City, Los Angeles|Panorama City]]
|
|-
|Woodland Hills/West Hills Eruv
|[[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles|Woodland Hills]]/[[West Hills, Los Angeles|West Hills]]
|
|-
! colspan="4" |Latin American/Caribbean Ethnic Enclaves
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''El Salvador Corridor'''
| rowspan="2" |[[Pico-Union, Los Angeles]]
|[[Salvadoran Americans]]
|Yes, August 2012
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Guatemalan Americans]], [[Honduran Americans]], & other [[Central America]]n groups
| rowspan="2" |No
|-
|Little Central America
|[[Westlake, Los Angeles]] & [[Harvard Heights, Los Angeles]]
|-
|'''[[Olvera Street]]'''
|[[El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Mexican Americans]] & [[Chicano]]
|Yes, 1877
|-
|'''[[Sonoratown, Los Angeles|Sonoratown]]'''
|
|Removed, 1732-1938
|-
|
|[[East Los Angeles, California]]
|No
|-
|'''[[Byzantine-Latino Quarter, Los Angeles|Byzantine-Latino Quarter]]'''
|[[Byzantine-Latino Quarter, Los Angeles|Byzantine-Latino Quarter]]
|[[Mexican Americans|Mexican American]], & [[Spanish Caribbean|Hispanic Caribbean American]]
|No
|-
|El Corredor Oaxaqueño
|[[Mid-City, Los Angeles]]
|[[Oaxaca]]n [[Mexican Americans]]
|No
|-
|Little Brazil
|[[Culver City, California]]
|[[Brazilian Americans]] & Other [[Lusophone]] Americans
|No
|-
|Little Belize
|[[Vermont Square, Los Angeles]]
|[[Belizean Americans]]
|No
|-
! colspan="4" |African and African American Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|[[Little Ethiopia, Los Angeles|'''Little Ethiopia''']]
|[[Little Ethiopia, Los Angeles]]
|[[Ethiopian Americans]]
|Yes, 2002
|-
|Freetown
|[[Whittier, California]]
| rowspan="3" |[[African Americans]]
|No
|-
| rowspan="2" |
|[[South-central Los Angeles]], [[Compton, California|Compton]], [[Carson, California|Carson]], [[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]], [[Culver City, California|Culver City]], and [[Hawthorne, California|Hawthorne]]
|No
|-
|[[Antelope Valley]]
|No
|-
! colspan="4" |Native American Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|[[Indian Alley]]
|[[Skid Row, Los Angeles]]
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]
|No
|-
! colspan="4" |Pacific Islander Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|
|[[Carson, California]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Pacific Islander Americans]]
|No
|-
|
|[[Eagle Rock, Los Angeles]] & [[Glendale, California]]
|No
|-
! colspan="4" |European Ethnic Enclaves
|-
|[[Little Italy]]/Via Italia
| rowspan="3" |[[San Pedro, Los Angeles]]
|[[Italian Americans]] & [[Maltese Americans]]
|No
|-
|Croatian Place
|[[Croatian Americans]]
|No
|-
|[[Greektown]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Greek Americans]]
|No
|-
|'''[[Byzantine-Latino Quarter, Los Angeles|Byzantine-Latino Quarter]]'''
|[[Byzantine-Latino Quarter, Los Angeles|Byzantine-Latino Quarter]]
|No
|-
|[[Little Portugal, Los Angeles|Little Portugal]]
|[[Little Portugal, Los Angeles]]
|[[Portuguese Americans]]
|No
|-
|[[Frogtown, Los Angeles|Frogtown]]
|[[Frogtown, Los Angeles]] & [[Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles]]
|[[French Americans]]
|No
|-
|[[Little Moscow]]
|[[Los Feliz, Los Angeles]]
|[[Russian Americans]]
|No
|-
|Little Odessa
|[[West Hollywood, California]]
|[[Ukrainian Americans in Los Angeles]]
|No
|}

=== LGBTQ enclaves ===
Los Angeles is also home to a couple of [[gay village]]s centered around the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles.
{| class="wikitable"
|+LGBTQ Enclaves in Los Angeles
!Gay Village Name
!Neighborhood
|-
|Gay Village
|[[Silver Lake, Los Angeles]]
|-
|Gay WeHo
|[[West Hollywood, California]]
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Society|Los Angeles}}
*[[LGBT culture in Los Angeles]]
*[https://www.publicartinpublicplaces.info/PUBLIC-ART-BY-CITY/Los-Angeles List of Public Art in Los Angeles]
* [[Media in Los Angeles]]

==Further reading==
* Mike Davis, ''City of Quartz'', London, Verso, 1990
* Nancy Marmer, "Pop Art in California", ''Pop Art'', ed. Lucy R. Lippard, Frederick A. Praeger, New York, 1966, pp.&nbsp;149–151.
* Gloria Koenig, ''Iconic - Stories of LA's Most Memorable Buildings'', Angel City Press, Santa Monica, 2006.
* Peter Plagens, ''Sunshine Muse: Contemporary Art on the West Coast'', New York, Praeger Publishers, 1974.
* {{cite book | editor = David L. Ulin | title = Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology | publisher = [[Library of America]] | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-931082-27-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/writinglosangele0000unse }}
* {{cite book | title = Pop L.A.: Art and the City in the 1960s | author = Cécile Whiting | place = Berkeley | publisher = University of California Press | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-520-25634-7}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{Commons category|Culture of Los Angeles}}https://elpueblo.lacity.org/about-us<nowiki/>{{Los Angeles}}

{{Culture of the United States by state|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arts And Culture Of Los Angeles}}
[[Category:Culture of Los Angeles| ]]