The region’s growing population demanded more water than its scant rainfall provided, so further population growth was impossible without importing water.
“Whoever brings the water brings the people,” declared the city's legendary chief engineer, William Mulholland.
In 1907 the voters of Los Angeles approved a $17 million bond to build the Los Angeles Aqueduct, One of the engineering marvels of the 20th century, Mulholland’s aqueduct carries water 544 km (338 mi) from the Owens Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through deserts and across mountains, at a rate of 10 cu m (400 cu ft) per second. Powered entirely by gravity (siphons carry water uphill), the aqueduct generates electric power as well.
By 1910 the city’s population had grown to 319,198. With the completion of the aqueduct in 1913, the city had enough water for 2 million residents, and the next 15 years saw another major boom.
Numerous new cities—including Burbank, Beverly Hills, Torrance, and Gardena—were founded during this period. During that same time, the City of Los Angeles itself, which covered only 109 sq km (42 sq mi) in 1900, annexed surrounding territories so fast that it covered 1,145 sq km (442 sq mi) by 1930.
The largest of these annexations was the vast San Fernando Valley, where agricultural and residential development had begun to flourish with the influx of Owens Valley water.
The City of Los Angeles also moved aggressively during this period to build its deepwater port at San Pedro, and annexed a thin strip of land to connect that port to the main portion of the city 24 km (15 mi) to the north.
The city’s population growth and territorial expansion was aided by an extraordinary transportation system.
Organized in 1901, the Pacific Electric Railway Company built hundreds of miles of light rail, operating inexpensive commuter trains across the entire region.
By 1911 the system operated 829 km (515 mi) of track that connected the burgeoning new city centers with new suburban residential developments (this rail system was later replaced by freeways).
The automobile became a key mode of transport from the earliest years as well, as Los Angeles authorities built hundreds of miles of improved roads.
“Whoever brings the water brings the people,” declared the city's legendary chief engineer, William Mulholland.
In 1907 the voters of Los Angeles approved a $17 million bond to build the Los Angeles Aqueduct, One of the engineering marvels of the 20th century, Mulholland’s aqueduct carries water 544 km (338 mi) from the Owens Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through deserts and across mountains, at a rate of 10 cu m (400 cu ft) per second. Powered entirely by gravity (siphons carry water uphill), the aqueduct generates electric power as well.
By 1910 the city’s population had grown to 319,198. With the completion of the aqueduct in 1913, the city had enough water for 2 million residents, and the next 15 years saw another major boom.
Numerous new cities—including Burbank, Beverly Hills, Torrance, and Gardena—were founded during this period. During that same time, the City of Los Angeles itself, which covered only 109 sq km (42 sq mi) in 1900, annexed surrounding territories so fast that it covered 1,145 sq km (442 sq mi) by 1930.
The largest of these annexations was the vast San Fernando Valley, where agricultural and residential development had begun to flourish with the influx of Owens Valley water.
The City of Los Angeles also moved aggressively during this period to build its deepwater port at San Pedro, and annexed a thin strip of land to connect that port to the main portion of the city 24 km (15 mi) to the north.
The city’s population growth and territorial expansion was aided by an extraordinary transportation system.
Organized in 1901, the Pacific Electric Railway Company built hundreds of miles of light rail, operating inexpensive commuter trains across the entire region.
By 1911 the system operated 829 km (515 mi) of track that connected the burgeoning new city centers with new suburban residential developments (this rail system was later replaced by freeways).
The automobile became a key mode of transport from the earliest years as well, as Los Angeles authorities built hundreds of miles of improved roads.
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