History Of Los Angeles County, California on:
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The history of Los Angeles County, California includes the history 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
Townships in California have never developed as real units of local government. Since the California constitution of 1879, they have instead lost all functions other than those of a minor judicial nature. Government functions that elsewhere in the United States might fall to the township in California are the responsibility of various special purpose districts. The main purpose of townships in California since 1879 is the "judicial township" which employs justices of the peace and constables. However townships were also used for organizing election precincts and federal census enumeration.
The names and boundaries of townships in Los Angeles county have ebbed and flowed quite a bit over the decades. Six townships were organized in Los Angeles County in 1850. There were over 40 named townships within Los Angeles County circa 1934.
The history of Los Angeles County, California includes the history 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
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
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
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling. Also known as the Rectangular Survey System, it was created by the Land Ordinance of 17 ...
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 asSan Bernardino County
San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...
. In 1866 Kern County
Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield.
Kern County compris ...
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 Coyote Creek with additional specifics codified in 1919.
Townships of Los Angeles County
Townships in California have never developed as real units of local government. Since the California constitution of 1879, they have instead lost all functions other than those of a minor judicial nature. Government functions that elsewhere in the United States might fall to the township in California are the responsibility of various special purpose districts. The main purpose of townships in California since 1879 is the "judicial township" which employs justices of the peace and constables. However townships were also used for organizing election precincts and federal census enumeration.
The names and boundaries of townships in Los Angeles county have ebbed and flowed quite a bit over the decades. Six townships were organized in Los Angeles County in 1850. There were over 40 named townships within Los Angeles County circa 1934.
See also
* Territorial evolution of California * History of Los Angeles * Timeline of Los Angeles *History of Pasadena, California
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
* History of the San Fernando Valley
The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farm ...
* Timeline of Long Beach, California
* History of Santa Monica, California
* History of Santa Catalina Island
* List of counties in California
The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties. The state was first divided into 27 counties on February 18, 1850. These were further sub-divided to form sixteen additional counties by 1860. Another fourteen counties were formed thr ...
* Ranchos of Los Angeles County
References
{{Commons category History of Los Angeles County, California Government of Los Angeles County, CaliforniaLos Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...