On this day, 4 September 1781, a group of just 44 settlers established a small farming community beside the Los Angeles River. From that modest Spanish pueblo would eventually emerge Los Angeles – one of the world’s most influential cities.
A settlement of 44 people
The settlement was founded under the authority of Felipe de Neve, governor of the Spanish province of Alta California. The original group consisted of 11 men, 11 women and 22 children from 11 families. They had travelled from present-day Mexico and represented a diverse mixture of Native American, African and European ancestry.
The town of the angels
The new community was established as an agricultural pueblo intended to support Spain’s growing presence in California. Its early name is recorded in several historical forms, including El Pueblo de la Reyna de Los Angeles – the Town of the Queen of the Angels. The considerably shorter name Los Angeles ultimately prevailed.
A history older than the city
The region was far from uninhabited when the Spanish settlement appeared. Indigenous peoples, particularly the Tongva, had lived in the Los Angeles basin long before European colonisation. The founding of the pueblo therefore marked the beginning of the modern city rather than the beginning of human settlement in the area.
From Spain to Mexico and the United States
Los Angeles subsequently lived under three national flags. Spanish rule ended when Mexico achieved independence in 1821, and the city later came under American control during the Mexican-American War. Los Angeles was formally incorporated as an American city on 4 April 1850.
From pueblo to global metropolis
Growth accelerated dramatically after railway connections arrived in the 19th century. The population increased from roughly 11,200 in 1880 to more than 50,000 a decade later.
Today, Los Angeles is synonymous with Hollywood, international trade, entertainment, technology and global popular culture. Yet the story of the metropolis begins with those 44 settlers who arrived beside a river on 4 September 1781.
Newshub Editorial in North America – 4 September 2026
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