Harman Patil (Editor)

Timeline of Los Angeles

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

The following is a historical timeline of the city of Los Angeles, California.

Contents

Prior to 20th century

  • 1781 – El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciuncula founded in colonial New Spain.
  • 1818 – Avila Adobe built.
  • 1830 – Population: 730.
  • 1835 – Los Angeles becomes capital of Mexican California.
  • 1846 – September: Siege of Los Angeles by U.S. forces.
  • 1847 – January 10: Los Angeles taken by U.S. forces.
  • 1848 – February 2: Los Angeles becomes part of U.S. territory per Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
  • 1850
  • April 4: Los Angeles incorporated.
  • September 9: Los Angeles becomes part of the new U.S. state of California.
  • Population: 1,610 city; 3,530 county.
  • Los Angeles County established.
  • 1851 – Los Angeles Star, city's first newspaper, begins publication.
  • 1854 – Round House constructed.
  • 1855 – First City public school building built.
  • 1860 – Los Angeles Soap Company in business.
  • 1865 – St. Vincent's College opens.
  • 1866 – Town Square established.
  • 1868 – Street lighting installed.
  • 1869 – Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad begins operating.
  • 1871
  • October 24: Anti-Chinese unrest.
  • Evening Express newspaper begins publication.
  • San Pedro Harbor development begins.
  • 1872 – First African Methodist Episcopal Church established.
  • 1873 – Los Angeles Daily Herald newspaper begins publication.
  • 1875 – Los Angeles and Independence Railroad begins operating to Santa Monica.
  • 1876
  • September 6 – Southern Pacific Railroad (San Francisco-Los Angeles line) begins operating Los Angeles' first link to transcontinental railroad.
  • Cathedral of Saint Vibiana built.
  • 1877
  • First oranges shipped to eastern markets.
  • 1880
  • University of Southern California opens.
  • Population: 11,183 city; 33,381 county.
  • 1881 – Los Angeles Daily Times begins publication.
  • 1882 – Los Angeles State Normal School opens.
  • 1883 – City Railroad Company established.
  • 1884 – Child's Grand Opera House opens.
  • 1886
  • Kansas City-Los Angeles railway begins operating.
  • City Fire Department and Elysian Park established.
  • Pasadena and Santa Monica incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • Many people arrive as a result of railroad rate war; speculative real estate boom begins.
  • 1887
  • Peak of real estate boom; many towns laid out.
  • Los Angeles Athletic Club incorporated.
  • April 20 – Occidental College founded.
  • Pomona incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1888
  • Land boom collapses.
  • Southern Pacific's Arcade Depot opens.
  • Chamber of Commerce founded.
  • California Club incorporated.
  • Long Beach incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1889
  • City Parks Department and Los Angeles Oil Exchange founded.
  • Orange County established.
  • 1890 – Population: 50,400 city; 101,454 county.
  • 1891 – Courthouse built.
  • 1892
  • Redondo Beach incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • February – Oil discovered within Los Angeles City limits.
  • 1893
  • Bradbury Building constructed.
  • July 4 – Mount Lowe Railway opens north of Pasadena.
  • 1894 – Fiesta de Los Angeles begins.
  • 1895
  • Highland Park becomes part of the City of Los Angeles.
  • Los Angeles Consolidated Electric Railway taken over by bondholders and renamed the Los Angeles Railway
  • 1896
  • May – Congress approves $2,900,000 for deep-water harbor at San Pedro.
  • 1897 – Los Angeles Country Club founded.
  • 1898
  • September 1: Henry E. Huntington and Isaias W. Hellman syndicate purchase Los Angeles Railway and begin expanding it
  • March 5: Griffith Park presented to Los Angeles by Col. Griffith J. Griffith.
  • 1899
  • Garvanza and University district become part of the City of Los Angeles.
  • Construction begins on Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro.
  • 1900 – Population: 102,479 city; 170,298 county.
  • 1900s–1940s

  • 1901
  • Angels Flight funicular begins operating.
  • Children's Hospital founded.
  • November 1 – Huntington group incorporates the Pacific Electric Railway of California
  • 1902
  • Tally's Electric Theater opens.
  • Los Angeles takes over water system.
  • 1903
  • Los Angeles Examiner newspaper begins publication.
  • Braly Building constructed.
  • 1905
  • Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad begins operating.
  • Design of the seal of the City of Los Angeles adopted.
  • Vernon incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1906
  • Alexandria Hotel in business.
  • Shoestring strip, to connect Wilmington to Los Angeles, annexed to City of Los Angeles.
  • Glendale, Huntington Park, and Watts incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1907
  • Port of Los Angeles and City Club of Los Angeles established.
  • Silver Lake Reservoir built.
  • Los Angeles Ostrich Farm and Los Angeles Alligator Farm open.
  • 1908
  • Mount Wilson Observatory begins operating in Los Angeles County.
  • October 1: Construction begins on Owens River Aqueduct.
  • 1909
  • Selig Polyscope Company relocates to Los Angeles.
  • City Market Wholesale Produce Terminal built.
  • San Pedro and Wilmington become part of the City of Los Angeles.
  • 1910
  • October 1: Los Angeles Times bombing.
  • East Hollywood and Hollywood become part of City of Los Angeles.
  • Population: 319,200 city; 504,131 county.
  • 1911
  • Nestor Studios begin operating.
  • Pacific Electric Railway Company created from merger of eight streetcar companies.
  • Los Angeles College created.
  • Burbank incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • San Fernando incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1912 – County of Los Angeles Public Library established.
  • 1913
  • Los Angeles Aqueduct completed.
  • La Brea Tar Pits excavation begins.
  • 1914
  • Southern Pacific's Central Station and Southwest Museum open.
  • "First ship via Panama Canal arrives."
  • Beverly Hills incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1915
  • Universal Studios begins operating.
  • San Fernando Valley becomes part of City of Los Angeles.
  • Breed Street Synagogue active.
  • Japan-Los Angeles steamship begins operating.
  • Area of city: 288 square miles.
  • 1916
  • Westgate becomes part of City of Los Angeles.
  • Lincoln Motion Picture Company in business.
  • 1917 – Culver City incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • 1918
  • Warner Bros. Studios begin operating.
  • Los Angeles Philharmonic and Otis College of Art and Design founded.
  • 1919
  • September – Southern branch of University of California is founded.
  • 1920
  • Population: 576,673 city; 936,455 county.
  • Douglas Aircraft Company in business in nearby Santa Monica.
  • 1921
  • Hollywood Legion Stadium opens.
  • Hollywood Masonic Temple and Hollyhock House (residence) built.
  • Watts Towers sculpture construction begins.
  • Chouinard Art Institute founded.
  • Ambassador Hotel in business.
  • 1922
  • KFI, KHJ and KNX radio stations begin broadcasting.
  • Hollywood Bowl (amphitheater) and Grauman's Egyptian Theatre open.
  • Rose Bowl completed in Pasadena.
  • 1923
  • Post World War I building boom reaches its peak.
  • Hollywoodland sign erected.
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum opens.
  • Biltmore Hotel in business.
  • Angelus Temple built.
  • Illustrated Daily News begins publication.
  • 1924 – Harding High School established.
  • 1925
  • Grand Olympic Auditorium opens.
  • Junior League [1] and Yogananda Self-Realization Fellowship established.
  • 1926
  • Orpheum Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, and 28th Street YMCA open.
  • June – New Central Public library building completed.
  • Shrine Auditorium rebuilt.
  • Venice and Watts become part of City of Los Angeles.
  • La Opinión Spanish-language newspaper begins publication.
  • 1927
  • Grauman's Chinese Theatre opens.
  • 5 May, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel opens for business.
  • Barnsdall Art Park established.
  • 1928
  • Los Angeles City Hall built.
  • March 13: Collapse of St. Francis Dam in nearby San Francisquito Canyon.
  • Huntington Library opens in Los Angeles County.
  • 1929
  • August: Graf Zeppelin (aircraft) arrives from Tokyo.
  • Academy Awards begin.
  • Los Angeles Board of Trade Building and Bullocks Wilshire department store built.
  • Nuart Theatre opens.
  • 1930
  • Olvera Street restored.
  • Hollywood Reporter begins publication.
  • Greek Theatre and Pantages Theatre open.
  • Highland Park synagogue built.
  • Population: 1,238,048 city; 2,208,492 county.
  • Burbank airport begins operating.
  • 1931
  • Chateau Marmont Hotel in business.
  • Figueroa Street Tunnels open.
  • 1932 – 1932 Summer Olympics held.
  • 1933
  • March 10: 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
  • October 12: Los Angeles Garment Workers Strike of 1933 begins.
  • Frank L. Shaw becomes mayor.
  • Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper and Daily Variety begin publication.
  • 1934 – Los Angeles Science Fiction Society formed.
  • 1935 – Griffith Park Planetarium dedicated.
  • 1936
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles established.
  • Crossroads of the World shopping mall built.
  • 1937
  • Los Angeles purchases Mines Field for a municipal airport.
  • 1938
  • Los Angeles flood of 1938.
  • China City developed.
  • CBS Columbia Square built.
  • Mayor Shaw ousted; Fletcher Bowron becomes mayor.
  • 1939
  • Union Station opens.
  • Chandler's fictional detective novel The Big Sleep published.
  • 1940
  • Arroyo Seco Parkway opens.
  • United States Court House built.
  • 1941
  • Los Angeles Airport in operation.
  • Pueblo Del Rio housing complex built.
  • Turnabout Theatre of puppets established.
  • 1942
  • US-Mexico Bracero program begins.
  • Parking meters installed.
  • 1943 – Ethnic Zoot Suit Riots occur.
  • 1944 – Imperial Courts and Jordan Downs housing projects built.
  • 1946
  • Los Angeles Rams football team active.
  • Kosher Burrito in business.
  • 1947 – KTLA television begins broadcasting.
  • 1948 – In-N-Out Burger is founded
  • 1949 – Los Angeles Valley College opens in the Valley Glen neighborhood of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley.
  • 1950s–1990s

  • 1950
  • Fictional Sunset Boulevard film released.
  • Population: 1,970,358 city; 4,151,687 county.
  • 1951 – Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority created.
  • 1953 – Four Level Interchange highway begins operating.
  • 1954 – Church of Scientology and Getty Museum open.
  • 1955
  • Nickerson Gardens housing complex built.
  • Disneyland amusement park opens in nearby Anaheim.
  • 1956 – Capitol Records Tower built.
  • 1957 – Ferus Gallery of art opens.
  • 1958 – Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team active.
  • 1959
  • Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena opens.
  • Grammy Award begins.
  • KPFK radio begins broadcasting.
  • Sister city relationships established with Eilat, Israel; and Nagoya, Japan.
  • 1960
  • July: 1960 Democratic National Convention held.
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame established.
  • Los Angeles Lakers basketball team active.
  • 1961
  • Theme Building constructed at Los Angeles Airport.
  • Pacific Electric Railway ceases operations (last line in service was Long Beach Line
  • 1962
  • Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper in publication.
  • City Cultural Heritage Board created.
  • Dodger Stadium opens.
  • Sister city relationship established with Salvador, Brazil.
  • 1963
  • Vincent Thomas Bridge opens.
  • Century City development begins.
  • 1964
  • Whisky a Go Go nightclub and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (concert hall) opens.
  • UCLA Labor Center and Los Angeles Master Chorale founded.
  • Sister city relationship established with Bordeaux, France.
  • 1965
  • August 11–17: Watts Riots.
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art opens on Wilshire Boulevard.
  • Marina del Rey harbor opens in Los Angeles County.
  • 1966
  • Los Angeles Zoo opens.
  • Gemini G.E.L. art studio founded.
  • 1967
  • Super Bowl I is held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
  • City's Community Analysis Bureau established.
  • Two California Plaza built.
  • Los Angeles Advocate newsletter begins publication.
  • Mark Taper Forum (theatre) and Brockman Gallery of art open.
  • Forum (arena) opens in nearby Inglewood.
  • Los Angeles Kings hockey team active.
  • Sister city relationship established with Berlin, Germany.
  • 1968
  • June 5: Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel.
  • Sister city relationship established with Lusaka, Zambia.
  • 1969 – Sister city relationship established with Mexico City, Mexico.
  • 1970 – Chinatown Service Center established.
  • 1971
  • February 9: 1971 San Fernando earthquake.
  • Six Flags Magic Mountain (originally named Magic Mountain) opens in Valencia.
  • Los Angeles Convention Center opens.
  • California Institute of the Arts opens in nearby Valencia.
  • Sister city relationships established with Auckland, New Zealand; and Busan, South Korea.
  • 1972
  • Womanhouse art event occurs.
  • Self Help Graphics & Art active.
  • Sister city relationships established with Mumbai, India; and Tehran, Iran.
  • 1973
  • Tom Bradley becomes mayor.
  • Aon Center built.
  • 1974 – Security Pacific Plaza built.
  • 1975 – Chinese Historical Society of Southern California founded.
  • 1976 – Los Angeles City Historical Society founded.[2]
  • 1977 – X (musical group) formed.
  • 1978
  • LA Weekly begins publication.
  • Los Angeles Conservancy founded.
  • 1979
  • Sister city relationship established with Taipei, Taiwan.
  • 1980 – Population: 2,966,850 city; 7,477,421 county.
  • 1981 – Sister city relationship established with Guangzhou, China.
  • 1983
  • Crocker Tower built.
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers (musical group) formed.
  • 1984
  • 1984 Summer Olympics held.
  • Forever 21 clothier in business.
  • West Hollywood incorporated in Los Angeles County.
  • Sister city relationships established with Athens, Greece; and Saint Petersburg, USSR.
  • 1985 – Latino Theater Company founded.
  • 1986
  • Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles established.
  • Los Angeles Opera active.
  • Sister city relationship established with Vancouver, Canada.
  • Proposition U passed
  • 1988 – Museum of Jurassic Technology founded.
  • 1989
  • U.S. Bank Tower built.
  • Sister city relationship established with Giza, Egypt.
  • 1990
  • Hollywood Bowl Orchestra founded.
  • Sanwa Bank Plaza built.
  • Population: 3,485,398.
  • Sony Pictures Entertainment headquartered in nearby Culver City.
  • Sister city relationship established with Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • Metro Blue Line opens, re-establishing light rail in the city
  • 1991
  • Gas Company Tower and 777 Tower built.
  • Maxine Waters becomes U.S. representative for California's 29th congressional district.
  • Sister city relationship established with Kaunas, Lithuania.
  • 1992
  • April 29: Rodney King riots begin.
  • Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance founded.
  • Sister city relationship established with Makati, Philippines.
  • 1993
  • Richard Riordan becomes mayor
  • Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority created.
  • Metro Red Line opens.
  • Sister city relationship established with Split, Croatia.
  • 1994 – January 17: 1994 Northridge earthquake.
  • 1995
  • City website launched.
  • Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and LA as Subject project begin.
  • Drudge Report begins publication.
  • 1996
  • Loyola Marymount University's Center for the Study of Los Angeles founded.
  • Council on American–Islamic Relations Los Angeles chapter founded.[3]
  • Museum of Television & Radio opens in Beverly Hills.
  • 1997
  • Homies Unidos (community group) active.[4]
  • American Apparel clothier headquartered in Los Angeles.
  • The Getty Center opens in Brentwood.
  • 1998 – Los Angeles Almanac begins publication.
  • California Science Center opens to the public.
  • 1999 – Staples Center (sports arena) opens.
  • 2000
  • August: 2000 Democratic National Convention held.
  • Los Angeles Police Rampart scandal report issued.
  • 21st century

  • 2001
  • James Hahn becomes mayor
  • Kodak Theatre opens.
  • Disney California Adventure opens adjacent to Disneyland.
  • 2002 – Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels built.
  • 2003
  • Walt Disney Concert Hall and Chinese American Museum open.
  • Los Angeles Derby Dolls (rollerderby) team formed.
  • 2004 – National Day Laborer Organizing Network headquartered in Los Angeles (approximate date).
  • 2005
  • Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority homeless census begins.
  • Breitbart.com headquartered in Los Angeles.
  • Antonio Villaraigosa becomes mayor.
  • Sister city relationship established with San Salvador, El Salvador.
  • 2006
  • LA Weekly Detour Music Festival begins.
  • City Office of Historic Resources created.[5]
  • Sister city relationships established with Beirut, Lebanon; and Ischia, Italy.
  • 2007
  • May 1: 2007 MacArthur Park rallies.
  • Los Angeles Theatre Center opens.[6]
  • Sister city relationship established with Yerevan, Armenia.
  • 2008 – Los Angeles Heritage Alliance formed.[7]
  • Anime Expo first arrives at the Los Angeles Convention Center
  • 2009 – Los Angeles Times' Mapping L.A. project and Maron's WTF podcast begin.
  • 2010
  • Population: 3,792,621 city; 9,818,605 county; metro 12,828,837.
  • Area of city: 503 square miles.
  • 2011
  • October 1: Occupy Los Angeles begins.
  • QuakeBot in use.
  • 2012
  • Metro Expo Line opens.
  • Los Angeles Review of Books begins publication.
  • Wilshire Grand Tower, the new tallest building in the city begins groundbreaking in downtown LA.
  • September 19–21: Endeavour makes final landing at LAX.
  • 2013
  • Eric Garcetti becomes mayor.
  • Population: 3,884,307.
  • 2014 – DataLA (city data website) begins publication.
  • Concrete foundation poured for the Wilshire Grand Tower.
  • The long-stalled Metropolis Towers has broken ground and began construction in downtown LA.
  • Vertical construction began for the Wilshire Grand Tower.
  • 2015
  • June 19: US president visits podcaster Maron's garage.
  • Oceanwide Plaza Towers in downtown LA has broken ground and began construction.
  • August: Shade balls put into Los Angeles Reservoir during 2015 California drought.
  • 2016
  • Los Angeles Rams NFL football team moves back to Los Angeles.
  • City of Los Angeles population now over 4 million people.
  • ET94 Space Shuttle fuel tank arrives in LA at the California Science Center.
  • 2017
  • Measure S fails
  • References

    Timeline of Los Angeles Wikipedia