135 articles
Lake Forest, California
Lake Forest, California (formerly El Toro), a city in Orange County incorporated December 20, 1991; population 85,858 in 2020, largest employer Oakley Inc., named for eucalyptus plantings and lakes.
Lakewood, California
Lakewood, also known as Lakewood, CA, is a city in Los Angeles County, California, incorporated in 1954 as a master-planned community of about 71,316 residents.
Lancaster, California
Lancaster, California: high-desert Antelope Valley city in northern Los Angeles County, about 60 miles from Los Angeles. Founded as an 1876 Southern Pacific railroad water stop, incorporated 1977; about 170,000 residents, aerospace- and healthcare-driven economy.
Loma Linda, California
Loma Linda, California: San Bernardino County city (incorporated 1970, pop. ~24,791), home of Loma Linda University and Medical Center; often cited as a Blue Zone, a claim lacking epidemiological confirmation.
Lompoc, California
Lompoc (Lom-poke) is a Central Coast California city in Santa Barbara County, incorporated 1888 from an 1874 temperance colony; population about 43,000, majority Hispanic/Latino, near Vandenberg Space Force Base and La Purisima Mission.
Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California: coastal city in southern Los Angeles County, incorporated 1897, population about 450,000. Known for the Port of Long Beach, the 1921 oil boom, the 1933 earthquake and Field Act, the Queen Mary, and diverse neighborhoods.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, second-largest U.S. city, founded 1781 as El Pueblo de la Reina de los Ángeles, incorporated 1850; 3.87 million residents (2025), major port, and Tongva heritage.
Lynwood, California
Lynwood, California, a city in Los Angeles County incorporated July 16, 1921, population 67,265 at the 2020 census, 87.7% Hispanic or Latino, governed by council-city manager, served by Lynwood Unified School District, between Interstates 105 and 710.
Malibu, California
Malibu is a coastal city in northwest Los Angeles County, California, incorporated March 28, 1991, with 21 miles of Pacific coastline, about 10,300 residents, famous beaches and surfing, and major wildfire and coastal-erosion hazards.
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach, California: coastal city in Los Angeles County's South Bay, incorporated 1912, population about 33,000-35,500, 928-foot pier, 2.1 miles of beachfront, median home value over $2 million, site of Bruce's Beach land return.
McFarland, California
McFarland is a city in Kern County, California, in the San Joaquin Valley, founded 1909, incorporated 1957, population about 14,000, mostly Latino, an agricultural community known for the 2015 film McFarland, USA.
Mission Viejo, California
Mission Viejo is a master-planned city in southern Orange County, California, begun in 1963 on 10,000 acres of Rancho Mission Viejo, incorporated March 31, 1988, population about 90,000, with 55 parks and Lake Mission Viejo.
Monrovia, California
Monrovia, California: a San Gabriel Valley city incorporated December 15, 1887 as the fourth city in Los Angeles County, named for founder William N. Monroe; about 38,000 residents, 164 historic landmarks, and a Metro A Line station opened in 2015.
Monterey Park, California
Monterey Park, California: San Gabriel Valley city eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles, the 'first suburban Chinatown' and first majority-Asian U.S. city (1990). 57,457 residents (2025), 64.8% Asian; transformed by Chinese immigration since the 1970s.
Moreno Valley, California
Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, incorporated in 1984 from three rural communities and home to about 208,634 people as of the 2020 Census.
Morro Bay, California
Morro Bay is a small Central Coast California city in San Luis Obispo County, population 10,757 (2020), on Highway 1, defined by the 576-foot Morro Rock volcanic plug, a 2,300-acre estuary, a working fishing harbor, and 1964 incorporation.
Murrieta
Murrieta, a city in Riverside County, California, incorporated July 1, 1991 and named for sheep rancher Juan Murrieta; population about 114,000, grown via I-15 commuter expansion.
Needles, California
Needles, California, is a small city on the Colorado River at the Arizona border, founded in 1883 with the railroad and known for Route 66.
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, incorporated on September 1, 1906, known for Newport Bay's harbor, eight miles of beaches, and some of the state's highest home values.
Norwalk, California
Norwalk, California, a city in Los Angeles County 17 miles southeast of downtown LA; incorporated 1957, founded by the Sproul brothers in the 1870s; 2020 population 102,773, declining to an estimated 97,104 by 2025.
Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California: coastal city in northern San Diego County, incorporated July 3, 1888; population 174,068 (2020). Known for its 1,954-foot pier, 3.5 miles of beaches, adjacency to Camp Pendleton, and tourism- and biotech-driven economy.
Ojai, California
Ojai, CA, is a small city of about 7,400 people in Ventura County, California, in a valley beside Los Padres National Forest, known as a tourism destination.
Ontario, California
Ontario, California: Inland Empire city in San Bernardino County founded 1882 by the Chaffey brothers as the Model Colony, incorporated 1891; population about 187,000, home to Ontario International Airport.
Orange, California
Orange, California: Orange County city founded 1871 as Richland, incorporated April 6, 1888; population 139,911 (2020); home to Old Towne Orange, the Plaza, and Chapman University.
Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California: largest city in Ventura County on the Oxnard Plain, incorporated 1903 around the Oxnard brothers' sugar beet factory; about 200,000 residents, 77.1% Hispanic or Latino, gateway to Channel Islands National Park.
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California: a Coachella Valley city in Riverside County, incorporated November 26, 1973, charter city since 1997, council-manager government, 51,163 residents (2020), home to College of the Desert and El Paseo shopping district.
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California: resort city in the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, about 107 miles east of Los Angeles; home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, midcentury modern Desert Modernism architecture, Modernism Week, and a $1.9 billion tourism economy.
Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California: high-desert Antelope Valley city in northern LA County, ~60 miles from downtown LA; grew from a railroad water stop (Palmenthal, 1886) into an aerospace hub around Air Force Plant 42; 169,450 residents in 2020, affordable housing, long commutes.
Palos Verdes Estates, California
A wealthy planned city in Los Angeles County, Palos Verdes Estates was designed by the Olmsted Brothers in the 1910s, incorporated in 1939, and features exclusive community living.
Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California: incorporated 1886 city in Los Angeles County, home of the Tournament of Roses (first held 1890), Rose Bowl (1922), Caltech, and JPL; 138,699 residents in 2020, recovering from the January 2025 Eaton Fire.