Los Angeles, the heart of Southern California, is a world-class city that has come a long way since its beginnings as “a big town”. It has become an important center of trade, agriculture, tourism and industry, and is known for its mild climate, ample leisure and outdoor recreation, as well as the special celebrity aura associated with Hollywood. The lifestyle of Los Angeles residents (called Angelinos) is based on the car, idealizes single-family housing and favors informality. With notable exceptions, the horizon is mostly horizontal rather than vertical.
Los Angeles is a place of extraordinary ethnic and racial diversity, due in large part to immigration and, like other cities in the world, reflects a growing gap between rich and poor. The city's main train station is Union Station, just north of downtown. In addition, the city contracts directly for local and commuter bus service through the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). Outside of a few centers such as Downtown, Warner Center, Century City, Koreatown, Miracle Mile, Hollywood and Westwood, skyscrapers and high-rise buildings are not common in Los Angeles. The few skyscrapers built outside those areas often stand out above the rest of the surrounding landscape.
Most of the construction is done in separate units, rather than wall to wall. Los Angeles has endured the spikes of many detractors. Critics refer to it as a relaxed “la-la” land or, on the contrary, as a place that is reeling from earthquakes, fires, smog, gang wars and riots. Proponents of the city admire its mild climate and geographical variety. They claim that their main social problems are similar to those of all major cities and that they may be even less serious there than elsewhere. The United States of America is a vast country full of many different landscapes and cultures.
Because of all the difference between different regions, it can be useful to break down some locations and learn more about what really makes them so different. The East Coast and the West Coast are extremely different places when it comes to lifestyles, and each caters to different types of people. So where does Los Angeles fit into this? Well, geographically speaking it lies on the West Coast. It's bordered by Ventura County to the northwest; Kern County to the east; Orange County to the south; San Bernardino County to the northeast; Riverside County to the east; San Diego County to the south; Santa Barbara County to the west; and San Luis Obispo County to the northwest. In addition to rail service provided by Metrolink and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), Los Angeles has Amtrak intercity passenger trains. Overnight parking is ONLY available in the Union Station East parking lot.
In addition, parking a vehicle for more than three days requires that you complete the form below and give it to you at the parking office. The maximum parking time allowed in the Union Station East garage is 30 days. No night parking is available at Union Station West. The Los Angeles area is also subject to phenomena typical of a microclimate which cause extreme temperature variations in close physical proximity to each other. Population density around the metropolitan area varies widely from just one person per square mile in mountainous areas up to 50,000 per square mile near downtown Los Angeles. During World War II Los Angeles was an important manufacturing center during wartime such as shipbuilding and aviation.
Latino street gangs such as Los Sureños (a Mexican-American street gang) and Mara Salvatrucha (which has mostly members of Salvadoran descent) all originated in Los Angeles. The Japanese represent 0.9% of the population of Los Angeles and have a Little Tokyo established in the center of the city. Another major community of Japanese Americans is located in the Sawtelle district of west Los Angeles. The neighborhood community of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights has an area of 17 square miles and a population of approximately 230,000 people. Also called Port of Los Angeles or WORLDPORT LA, this port complex occupies 7500 acres (30 km) of land and water along 43 miles (69 km) of coastline. Many native species such as Los Angeles sunflower have become so rare that they are considered endangered. In conclusion, while geographically speaking Los Angeles lies on the West Coast it's also home to many different cultures from all over America making it an interesting mix between East Coast culture and West Coast culture.
