Los Angeles is the largest city in California and is second by size in the USA after New York. Just a few cities in US developed as fast as Los Angeles that was founded in 1850 and had only 1610 citizens at that time. In 1940 its population counted 1.5 millions and almost 3.8 millions in the middle of 2002. The total population of the ultra-modern megapolis called Los Angeles, the capital of movie stars, stunning fashion and luxury beaches, is about 14 million people. Los Angeles is the main economical, financial and research center in the West of the US. It is a capital of national aero and rocket industry and the biggest manufacturing plant of what is called the American dream all over the world. It is a city of millionaires. It holds the first place in number of cars per citizen. On average a townsman of Los Angeles owns 3-4 cars. You can’t live here without a car – many streets do not even have sidewalks.

Los Angeles is different from typical American cities – Chicago and New York, it does not grow upward (several skyscrapers in downtown up to 40-50 storeys), but spreads out and this makes it more human and comfortable. Many consider the City of Angels to be a prototype of the bright future or a world city of the future. The majority of citizens is represented by minority groups. No ethnic group or lifestyle dominates over here. Pluralism went here further than anywhere else, in local schools students speak more than 80 languages and versatility of lifestyle over the city reminds you of a shrunk map of Europe.

It is impossible to list all the sights of Los Angeles: museums, exhibition halls, entertainment parks and centers, historical and architectural memorials, picturesque areas and streets, and of course, Hollywood. The legendary dream factory, the movie capital of the world, Mecca of the industry attracted and keeps attracting millions of fans from all over the World which desire to see their idols in the flesh, read their names in the five-point stars of the dark-red granite on the Hollywood boulevard, or touch the imprints of the palms or feet on the memorial square in front of the China theatre. And there are few moviemakers in the World which would refuse to live and work in Hollywood and all the more participate in the Oscar awards ceremony that takes place annually at Hollywood Bowl.

Lots of entertainment goes on in Los Angeles any time of year, to any taste, festivals, shows and parades. Every New Year is celebrated in Los Angeles with the all-American Rose Parade at which florists from California and other US states present their sculptures made out of flowers.