Los Angeles has a very long and varied history, beginning with its founding in the San Gabriel Valley in September of 1771 by Father Junipero Serra. Father Serra and his followers founded the mission San Gabriel in an area inhabited by a small band of Gabrielino Indians.

The settlement around the San Gabriel Mission grew and ten years later, on September 4th, 1781, a military captain by the name of Rivera y Moncada led the traveling group of twelve families, forty-six men, women and children, as they establish a new town called El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula – or The River of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula.

By September of 1797 a second mission, the San Fernando Mission Rey de Espana, had been established in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and the City of the Angels was well on its way to becoming a major commercial center. The warm, mild weather and the natural port made Los Angeles a naturally excellent shipping center for the entire region. Agriculturally resplendent, olives and other crops were soon planted, and the area was abundant in game.

Spain controlled California until 1822 when Mexico took over rule of the area. A war with Mexico resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which in 1848 made California a territory of the United States. By 1850, California was admitted as a state and in April of that year the new County of Los Angeles held its first election in which a total of 377 votes were cast.

Since that time, the tiny settlement of 12 families has grown into one of the largest cities in the United States. Today, the City of Los Angeles is home of approximately 4 million people and Los Angeles County, which encompasses 88 cities and 140 unincorporated areas, has a total population of more than 10 million people.