Los Angeles County is one of the original 27 counties. The words los angeles literally mean "the angels" and are a contraction of the original name Pueblo del Rio de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula (the Town of the River of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels). In 1781, Governor Felipe de Neve issued orders for the establishment of the pueblo on El Rio Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles. The pueblo in time became known as the Ciudad de Los Angeles (City of the Angels), and it is from this contraction that the present name is derived. It went from being a small county along the coast to being a large county extending to the Nevada border and then to again being a relatively small county in area, although in 1999 it had about 29% of the state's population. Territory which at one time was in Los Angeles County is now in six counties which are Inyo, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

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