History of Los Angeles County, California

County of Los Angeles boundary changes since 1851

Example of Los Angeles County, California township officers: justices of the peace and constables of the various townships in 1917

The history of Los Angeles County, California includes of the Tovaangar; the pueblo, missions and ranchos of the Spanish-Mexican era; the histories of the various incorporated cities and unincorporated areas within the borders; and the story of the government of Los Angeles County.

However, since statehood the boundaries of Los Angeles County have been changeable and beyond the vast administrative apparatus overseen by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, the county was subdivided into minor civil divisions called townships. These townships were initially created under the Public Land Survey System but have functioned and been shaped quite differently than the rectangular townships of the Midwest or the township governments of New England.

Boundaries of Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County was one of the original counties established at the time of statehood. The eastern part of the original county was set aside in 1853 as San Bernardino County. In 1866 Kern County was established with land that had previously been assigned to Tulare and Los Angeles Counties. The boundary between Los Angeles and Ventura was resurveyed in 1881 due to unclear or conflicting descriptions in some previous statues and an additional 300 mi2 were affirmed to belong to the jurisdiction of Ventura. Orange County was set apart from Los Angeles County in 1886 with the boundary between the two counties set at with additional specifics codified in 1919.

See also

• Territorial evolution of California
• History of Los Angeles
• Timeline of Los Angeles
• History of Pasadena, California
• History of the San Fernando Valley
• Timeline of Long Beach, California
• History of Santa Monica, California
• History of Santa Catalina Island
• List of counties in California
• Ranchos of Los Angeles County