1. Angelenos drive 41,372,940 miles every single day.
With all the traffic, it's hard to believe people in L.A. get anywhere at all, but they do. The current number is actually down from the high point in 2004, when citizens of the City of Angels drove 44,116,190 miles a day. It's also worth mentioning that the population of L.A. is just under 4 million, which means some people are putting in a lot of time behind the wheel.
2. On average, people in L.A. use 123 gallons of water per day.
L.A. currently has a goal of reducing its dependence on imported water, though in 2012 only 10 percent was locally sourced.
3. But in March, Los Angeles recycled 2.1 billion gallons of water.
4. The Los Angeles area is the most crowded metropolitan region in the U.S.
It sounds like a mistake, but according to the U.S. Census the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region has an average density of nearly 7,000 people per square mile. Despite super compact Manhattan, the average overall density of the entire New York-Newark region is only 5,319 people per square mile.
5. L.A. actually has a tsunami evacuation map, just in case.
The city of Los Angeles has surprisingly little ocean-front property — most of that belongs to smaller beach towns — but if you do happen to be in the city when a tsunami hits, you're covered.
6. The most walkable part of L.A. is downtown.
L.A. has a not-unjustified reputation for sprawl, but those who haven't visited may be surprised to discover that downtown is very much a big city.
7. But the most bikeable place is Venice.
Also, there are 385.65 miles of bike lanes in L.A. That sounds pretty good, though it's just barely more than much smaller Portland.
8. More than 42 million people visited L.A. last year.
That's more than the number of people who visited Las Vegas, but fewer than the number who visited New York City.
9. Housing in L.A. is more expensive, relatively speaking, than housing in New York.
Though it's hard to believe, L.A. has a higher percentage of people spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing than New York, San Francisco, Seattle, or Chicago. The city has called this a "critical issue."
10. A lot of people work in L.A.
There are more than 1.8 million jobs in L.A. In April, unemployment in L.A. was just over 8 percent.
11. A lot of the stuff you buy enters America through L.A.
40 percent of all cargo coming into the United States comes through the L.A. area via either the Port of Los Angeles or the nearby Port of Long Beach. In fact, the Port of Los Angeles brings in more shipping containers than anywhere else in America. Also, LAX is the fifth busiest freight airport in the U.S.