Moving to the U.S.: Life in L.A.

When moving to the U.S., you have to take into consideration the second most populous city after New York — Los Angeles. With nearly 4 million people, it is located in a larger metropolitan area of 17.8 million people. L.A. is a big place, where lots of big dreams come true.

Nicknamed the City of Angels, people who live there are referred to as “Angelenos.” Los Angeles County is one of the most multicultural counties in the U.S., with the L.A. area being the most diverse metro area in the U.S.

Los Angeles is the third richest city in the world, and is a world center of business, international trade, entertainment, and more. Known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” it is home to Hollywood, and leads the world in the creation of movies, television, video games and recorded music. Many celebrities call L.A. home.

L.A. is often called the “Creative Capital of the World,” because one in six of its residents work in the creative industry. In the city, there are over 1,000 theater, musical, dance and performing groups. There are over 800 museums and art galleries in Los Angeles County.

Unfortunately, Los Angeles experiences about 10,000 earthquakes per year due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Also, as an unfortunate side effect of the population and the geography, L.A. is subject to air pollution in the form of smog. May to October is the smog season, not helped by the lack of rain. They expect smog levels to drop as people use hybrid and electric cars, mass transit, and other measures. Living in L.A. also means dealing with traffic. It has been called the most congested road traffic in the U.S.

Cross border moving to a bustling place like L.A. is a big decision, with lots of factors to consider, with many being great, and some possible challenges to overcome.

Photo provided by Flickr user @channone under the creative common license.