On February 9, 1960, the official groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The first star to be dedicated on the historic walkway belonged to actress Joanne Woodward, an Academy Award winner for The Three Faces of Eve (1957).

In 1969, California became the birthplace of the Internet, as the first ARPANET transmission was sent from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park.

Betty and Paul Pink took a $50 loan from Betty's mother to buy a hot dog cart in 1939. From these humble beginnings grew Pink's Hot Dogs, which has become something of a sensation in Tinseltown. There is usually a long line of customers in front despite the lack of parking in the area. The often slow-moving line is viewed by some as part of the attraction at Pink's, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when the stand becomes packed with club and concert goers.

It became a part of Mexico in 1821 following the Mexican War of Independence. During Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico made Los Angeles Alta California's regional capital. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and became part of the United States.

Petroleum was discovered in the city and surrounding area in 1892, and by 1923, the discoveries had helped California become the country's largest oil producer, accounting for about one-quarter of the world's petroleum output.

In 1910, Hollywood merged into Los Angeles, with 10 movie companies already operating in the city at the time. By 1921, more than 80 percent of the world's film industry was concentrated in LA. The money generated by the industry kept the city insulated from much of the economic loss suffered by the rest of the country during the Great Depression.

The city, which covers about 469 square miles (1,210 km²), is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States.

On October 27, 1911, the Nestor Film Company opened the first movie studio actually located in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. It was at the Blondeau Tavern building on the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. The first motion picture stage in Hollywood was built behind the tavern. The following year, Nestor merged with Universal, although Universal continued to use the Nestor brand name until at least mid-1917.

Legendary entertainer Gene Autry is the only celebrity to have a star in all five Walk of Fame categories: film, TV, radio, live performance and music.

Sepulveda Boulevard is around 42.8 miles (68.9 km) in length, making it the longest street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It parallels Interstate 405 for much of its route.