Did You Know? Fun Facts About LA

There are some things the whole world knows about Los Angeles – I mean, who hasn’t seen the Hollywood sign or heard about the traffic, it being a favorite play ground for the rich and famous with wall to wall movie stars and the fabulous retail therapy on offer on Rodeo Drive (for those who can afford it) . . . but there is a lot more than this to LA – here are a few fun facts which you might not know, until you read this of course.

• Oil was discovered in Los Angeles way back in 1892 – liquid gold in a location close to where the Dodger Stadium is these days.
• Los Angeles sits on top of one of the largest oil fields in the US, the third largest in fact and by 1923 was producing around 25% of the oil supplies in the world.
• Beverley Hills High School still makes a tidy sum from oil – around $300,000 in royalty payments per year from 400 barrels of liquid gold produced each day on the property.
• It sure knows how to rain in LA. An inch of rain fell in a single minute on 5 April 1926 in the San Gabriel Mountains and there was almost a foot (12 inches) of rain in 24 hours in February 1978. That’s some water . . .
• These days Beverly Hills is one of the most prestigious and sought after locations in the world – I mean anybody who’s anybody needs a mansion in Beverly Hills right? You may be surprised to know that it grew from very modest beginnings – it was a simple lima bean ranch in the “good old days”.

• If Los Angeles was a country the economy would be greater than Switzerland, Sweden and even Saud Arabia.
• The world famous “Hollywood” sign was originally rather longer . . . in the early days it read “Hollywoodland” and was an advertisement for real estate.
• Ever wondered how the Getty Museum keeps control over the scrub on its manicured grounds? It’s not rocket science, they simply draught in a herd of goats . . . sometimes the old ways are still the best.
• Many places have their own crazy rules and regulations but did you know that licking a toad in Los Angeles is against the law? Well you do now so if you’ve ever been tempted you have been warned.
• Another bizarre by-law which actually makes a lot of sense if you think about – it is against the law to drive in excess of 2,000 sheep along Hollywood Boulevard, so if you have 1,999 you might get away with it. I wonder how long it would take to count them.
• Dodger Baseball Stadium is unique in that it is carved into the ground which means that there is car parking on each of the different stadium levels. fiat Los Angeles has got some great cars, by the way, if you’re looking for a change of wheels.

• Talk about dazzling. When the Walt Disney Concert Hall steel walls were first erected the reflection onto the sidewalks raised the temperature to a sizzling 140 degree F – if you can’t stand the heat stay off the sidewalk.
Hope you enjoyed some of these strange, weird and fun facts about the fabulous City of Angels, and back to the cars just for a minute . . . check out http://www.ocfiat.com for some fabulous motors to drive around and enjoy the sights.