South-Central Los Angeles

South-Central Los Angeles covers a huge region south of the downtown area. It was long one of the largest black communities in the United States but is now racially mixed. During World War II (1939-1945), many African Americans moved to South-Central Los Angeles to work in war plants. After the war, the city's black population continued to increase. The African American community spread south to include a district called Watts, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from downtown. Watts has become the center of the African American community in Los Angeles. The black population has also spread about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west through the independent community of Inglewood. Some black neighborhoods of South-Central Los Angeles consist of slum housing. But others have expensive homes. Also, thousands of African Americans have moved to the suburbs. Hispanic Americans and people of Asian ancestry now make up more than half the population of South-Central Los Angeles.

The City

Los Angeles can be divided into eight main sections:
- Downtown Los Angeles
- South-Central Los Angeles
- Central Los Angeles
- The San Fernando Valley
- West Los Angeles
- South Bay
- The Port of Los Angeles
- East Los Angeles

Metropolitan Area

By 2000, it had about 9 1/2 million people and ranked as the nation's largest single metropolitan area.

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The ocean and the mountains help give Los Angeles a mild climate the year around.

The People

More than half the people of Los Angeles County moved there from other parts of the United States or from other countries.

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Geography and climate

Los Angeles lies on the Pacific coast in southern California. It is about 350 miles (563 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of San Diego and the Mexican border.