History of Los Angeles Brief (Demographics Table of Contents)
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The Early 20th Century
Until early in the 20th century, the economy of Los Angeles was based mainly on the cattle, fruit, and wheat produced in the surrounding region. A breakwater and outer harbor at San Pedro anchorage were completed in 1910, and the deepwater inner harbor was dredged from 1912 to 1914. Port activity was stimulated by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and by the discovery of oil.
The city's population doubled in the 1920s as new discoveries enriched the oil industry and Hollywood became the center of the motion-picture business. The economy slumped during the Great Depression, the hard times of the 1930s, but the population continued to grow as people came from other states, hoping to make a new start in California.
Another phase of rapid, almost explosive growth occurred during World War II (1939-1945). Employment in the city's aircraft plants, shipyards, and other war-related industries attracted large numbers of people to Los Angeles. Economic development continued after the war, particularly in the fields of aerospace industries, electronics, and the service industries. At the same time established industries, such as citrus growing and packing, the petroleum industry, and fish canning, became relatively less important. As growth continued, developers bought up cheap land and built whole new communities, such as Lakewood, for the growing workforce.