What if 44 people could start a city that would one day have millions of people?

The Day Los Angeles Was Born!

How 44 brave settlers started one of America's biggest cities

44 settlers founded a tiny village in 1781 that became HUGE Los Angeles!

Picture this: It's September 4, 1781, and a small group of tired but excited travelers has just walked hundreds of miles through dusty deserts and rocky mountains. They're about to do something AMAZING—start a brand new town!

These 44 brave settlers came from a place called Sinaloa in Mexico. The group was super diverse—there were people from Africa, Native America, Spain, and mixed backgrounds. They brought their families, their hopes, and their dreams to build something special.

The Spanish governor Felipe de Neve had picked out the perfect spot near a river in California. The settlers got right to work! They built small houses made of mud bricks called adobe, planted crops, and dug ditches to bring water to their fields.

They gave their tiny village a REALLY long name: "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula." Phew! Try saying THAT three times fast! It means "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River."

💡 The original name of Los Angeles was 63 letters long—it's one of the longest city names ever given!